What is Vanilla?

Native to Mexico and with a uniquely potent variety from Madagascar, the vanilla bean plant is a vastly underestimated superfood. Ancient indigenous cultures, including the Mayans and Aztecs, began using vanilla bean thousands of years ago because of the plant's bountiful health benefits and rich flavor. Eventually brought to Europe by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés in the 1520s, vanilla became extremely popular but proved extremely difficult to cultivate in non-tropical climates. Today, vanilla bean is grown in tropical regions across the world, most commonly in Madagascar, the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean, Mexico and Tahiti.

Benefits of Vanilla?

Vanilla bean has incredibly antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties, due to the compound vanillin. Vanilla bean is also rich in B-complex vitamins, including niacin, pantothenic acid, thiamin, riboflavin and vitamin B-6, which give it powerful benefits:

• Help regulate the metabolism
• Support nervous system function