ABSTRACT
The terms spice and condiment are applied to natural plant or vegetable products and mixtures used in whole or ground form to enhance food's flavor and aroma. Spices can stimulate the secretion of saliva, promote digestion, prevent colds and influenza, and reduce nausea and vomiting. Besides these, spices have been used to change the physical appearance of food. Ethnobotanical insights were acquired from 7 elderly men and 7 elderly women whose expertise was duly recognized in the use of spices for culinary and medicinal purposes. This was facilitated with the help of a well-structured questionnaire and a total of 17 plant materials which are used in various forms as spices and condiments were documented. Identification of the collected plant spices specimen for their scientific classification was carried out using Flora of West Tropical Africa and the unidentified plant spices collected were correctly identified at the Herbarium center of the Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Benin, Benin City. Among the collected spices, 10 were gotten from seeds, 4 from leaves, two from rhizomes, and one from the stem of a plant. The research revealed that 17 plant species belonging to 14 families are commonly used by Beni people for several purposes and they include Amaryllidaceae, Annonaceae, Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, Chrysobalanaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Gnetaceae, Lamiaceae, Piperaceae, Rutaceae, Solanaceae and Zingiberaceae. The results showed that the family Zingiberaceae had the highest frequency of species locally used for flavouring by people in Egor, Oredo and Ovia south west. There is a great need to enhance extension services in the aspect of sensitizing the general public, especially the younger generation on the benefit of planting spice species and raising their seedlings in government nurseries for afforestation.
