Used in the traditional medicine practices of Ayurvida, Siddha and Unani, this herb is widely revered, not only on the Indian sub continent but now across the world.
Whilst it has been cultivated in India for as much as 6000 years, the herb, which is a botanical relative to potatoes, tomatoes and chilli peppers grows wild in many parts of the world, including the Middle East, Mediterranean and north Africa.
The cultivated plant is typically started under glass and then moved onto the field where a mature crop will take 6 months to grow. It is harvested when the berries are yellow. The spindly roots are carefully separated from the plant and dried.