Best Root

Powdered rhizome of Zingiber officinale, cultivated in tropical Asia for over 3,000 years and one of the earliest Asian spices to reach Europe via ancient trade routes.

Alpinia galanga, a large rhizome native to Java, Indonesia, foundational to Thai, Indonesian, and Malaysian cuisines and distinct from ginger in its sharper, more citrusy taste.

Dried sliced rhizome of galangal species (Alpinia), used in Southeast Asian cooking and medieval European medicine, with a sharper, more piney character than fresh rhizome.

Rhizome of Boesenbergia rotunda from Southeast Asia, named for its finger-like projections and used in Thai and Indonesian cooking for its mild, ginger-like aromatic heat.

Dried gentian root (Gentiana lutea) is a alpine plant native to central and southern Europe whose intensely bitter compounds are the primary bittering agent in classic European digestif liqueurs and Angostura bitters.

Horseradish powder is the dehydrated, ground root of Armoracia rusticana, a Brassicaceae family plant native to southeastern Europe, valued for its sharp, sinus-clearing heat derived from allyl isothiocyanate.

Alpinia officinarum from southern China, smaller and more pungent than greater galangal, and historically traded to medieval Europe as a valued medicinal and culinary spice.

Licorice root from Glycyrrhiza glabra, native to the Mediterranean and Southwest Asia, contains glycyrrhizin, a compound approximately 50 times sweeter than sugar.

Burdock root powder is derived from Arctium lappa, a biennial plant native to Eurasia widely consumed in Japanese cuisine as gobo and traditionally used in European and Chinese herbal medicine.

Dried angelica root (Angelica archangelica) is a Scandinavian and northern European biennial herb traditionally used to flavor Chartreuse liqueur and gin, and has been cultivated since at least the 12th century.

Dried dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale) has been used in traditional European and Native American herbal practice for centuries and contains inulin, a prebiotic fiber concentrated in the root.

Dried orris root (Iris germanica var. florentina) is the dried, aged rhizome of the Florentine iris, valued as a fixative in perfumery since ancient Egypt and as a flavoring in gin botanicals.

Wasabi powder is made from the dried rhizome of Eutrema japonicum, a plant native to Japan that is notoriously difficult to cultivate, with most commercial products blending horseradish, mustard, and green dye.

Dried rhizome of Curcuma zedoaria from India and Southeast Asia, a significant medieval European trade spice now largely displaced by ginger in contemporary cooking.

Dried astragalus root (Astragalus membranaceus) is a flowering plant native to northern China that has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 2,000 years as an immune-supporting tonic herb.

Dried spikenard root comes from Nardostachys jatamansi, a Himalayan valerian relative long valued in South Asia as nard perfume and incense.

Dried ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a nightshade-family shrub native to India and North Africa that has been a cornerstone of Ayurvedic medicine for over 3,000 years, classified as an adaptogen.

Dried costus root (Saussurea costus) is a thistle from the Himalayas whose aromatic root has been traded along ancient incense and spice routes for over 2,000 years and remains significant in Ayurvedic and Unani medicine.

Dried valerian root (Valeriana officinalis) is a European perennial herb whose root has been used as a mild sedative since at least ancient Greece, with Galen of Pergamon referencing it in the 2nd century.

Dried calamus root (Acorus calamus) is a wetland plant used as a spice and medicine across Asia, Europe, and North America for millennia; the FDA restricted its use as a food additive in the US in 1968.