What Is Vanilla?
Vanilla is a spice from the pods of the vanilla plant, a vine that attaches to trees and grows in tropical climates. The plant is a member of the orchid family and is the only edible fruit in this category. Vanilla is widely used to flavor foods and beverages as well as in medicines and fragrances.
Vanilla is one of the most expensive spices in the world because it is so labor-intensive to produce. Vanilla plant flowers are hand-pollinated, and the bean pods must be ripened, dried, and conditioned for months to get their distinctive flavor and aroma.
Because true vanilla extract is expensive and also in high demand, manufacturers make synthetic vanilla, mostly from guaiacol, a byproduct of petroleum, or else lignin, a byproduct of wood. Most of the vanilla consumed is synthetic. While synthetic vanilla is less expensive than the real thing, it doesn't offer as many health benefits as natural vanilla.
Forms of Vanilla
Many different forms of vanilla exist, such as:
Vanilla beans
Natural vanilla grows in a 20-degree band on either side of the Equator. It mainly comes from Indonesia and Madagascar, though the plant is native to Mexico. It can take up to three years for a plant to start producing flowers and the fruit (the vanilla beans) have to stay on the vine for nine months. At this point, the beans have no flavor.
Once they're harvested, workers treat them with hot water or heat and place them in the sun every day for several weeks until they've shrunk to 20% their original size. Then the beans are sorted for quality and rest another month or two to develop their full aroma and flavor. This laborious process is one reason why real vanilla beans are so expensive.
Vanilla extract
Vanilla extract is made by soaking dried vanilla beans in a mix of water and ethyl alcohol for several weeks. The FDA requires that vanilla extract contain at least 35% alcohol and 13.35 ounces of vanilla beans per gallon.
Vanilla essence
This is imitation or synthetic vanilla. It's not made from vanilla beans but rather from adding chemicals like synthetic vanillin, propylene glycol, and ethanol to water. (Vanillin is the chemical compound that gives vanilla its aroma and taste.) Synthetic vanillin comes mostly from the petrochemical guaiacol. Vanilla essence costs much less than vanilla extract though you might find the flavor is not as good. But it can easily substitute in recipes where vanilla is not the main flavor, like chocolate chip cookies.
Vanilla paste and syrup
You make vanilla paste by mixing vanilla bean seeds with vanilla extract, sugar, and a thickening agent. The result is a thick paste with a stronger flavor of vanilla than vanilla extract. It's often used in vanilla ice cream and other products where you want a vanilla-forward flavor.
Vanilla syrup can be made at home by adding vanilla paste or vanilla extract to a simple syrup (made by boiling up sugar and water for 5 minutes). Add this syrup to your favorite latte or on top of pancakes. The type of vanilla syrup you find in the supermarket or at a coffee house is usually made with sugar and synthetic vanillin.
Vanilla essential oil
Essential oils are extracted by the pressing or steam distillation of plant materials (leaves, roots, bark) to get at the compounds that make the fragrance. You might need many pounds of a plant to make one bottle of essential oil.
Technically, vanilla essential oil doesn't exist since it can't be made by these methods. Making "vanilla essential oil" usually involves soaking a dried vanilla bean in a neutral oil like almond oil to create a product called vanilla oleoresin. You can also remove the solvent from vanilla extract to get at the pure vanilla oils.
Vanilla oil is often added to skin care products or placed in a diffuser to relieve stress. You can add a few drops of vanilla essential oil to a carrier oil like jojoba oil to use on your body or add some vanilla oil to a spray bottle filled with distilled water and spray it on your pillow for a good night's sleep.
Another method for creating vanilla essential oil involves adding a solvent to vanilla oleoresin to extract a powerful oil. This is usually used for perfume only, as it is very strong.
Health Benefits of Vanilla
Traditionally, vanilla has been used in many cultures therapeutically, including as an aphrodisiac and to aid with gas relief. Studies have shown that both the flavor and aroma of the spice can offer some health benefits. Here are some health uses for vanilla:
Provides a calming effect
A study showed that smelling vanillin calmed newborns having their blood taken. The smell of vanilla also lessened crying in newborns.
Smelling vanilla can have calming effects on adults too. It reduces startle reflexes and provides some relief from sleep apnea, a sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts.
Curbs sugar intake
Because vanilla has fewer calories and carbohydrates than sugar but tastes naturally sweet, it can be used to reduce your sugar intake.
Eases toothache
The alcohol in vanilla extract can numb some toothache pain, while its antioxidants may provide healing effects. To use this alternative remedy, put a couple of drops of vanilla extract on a cotton ball and apply it to the affected area in your mouth.
Reduce obesity and cholesterol
Mice fed a high-fat and high-sugar diet as well as vanillin were found to have better insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, and lower body weight, than mice who got the same diet but weren't given vanillin, according to one study.
Antioxidant properties of vanilla
Vanillin has strong antioxidant properties. Test-tube studies have shown that vanillin and vanillic acid (a form of vanillin) can protect brain cells from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress plays a role in developing conditions like cancer and heart disease. A study done on aging rats found that vanillin could play a role in reducing inflammation and improving antioxidant defenses. Since none of these studies were done with people, it's not clear whether these benefits would be happen in humans.
Vanilla and mental health benefits
Animal studies have shown that vanillin can reduce anxiety and depression. In one study, just smelling vanillin reduced signs of depression in rats. The vanillin increased levels of serotonin and dopamine, chemicals in the brain that improve mood.
Another study found that giving rats high doses of vanillin worked better than the antidepressant drug fluoxetine to lift depression. But the doses were much higher than humans would typically take.
Animal studies have shown that vanillin, when given orally, could reduce some kinds of pain, like pain from nerve damage or inflammation. Much more research needs to be done on vanilla and mental health benefits with human subjects before any recommendations can be given. So far, most of the human studies have been few and small.
Researchers are also looking into whether vanillin can play a role in addressing issues like neurodegeneration (degeneration of neurons especially in the brain), antibiotic resistance, sickle cell disease, viral infections, and food preservation.
Nutritional Benefits of Vanilla
Vanilla extract gets its antioxidant properties from small amounts of the following minerals:
- Calcium: 0.46 milligrams
- Magnesium: 0.50 milligrams
- Phosphorous: 0.25 milligrams
- Potassium: 6.22 milligrams
Vanilla extract nutrition
One teaspoon (4.2 grams) of vanilla extract — an amount common in many baking recipes — contains small amounts of:
- Calories: 12
- Protein: 3 milligrams
- Fat: 3 milligrams
- Carbohydrates: 531 milligrams
- Sugar: 531 milligrams
Things to watch out for
Imitation vanilla has different nutritional information than natural vanilla extract, so if you’re looking for the benefits of these minerals, it’s important to keep in mind that the synthetic version may not offer them. Some vanilla extracts, both natural and synthetic, can contain added sugar, too. Always check product labels on the specific brand you’ve chosen to understand what you’re eating.
Is vanilla good for you?
It does have some health benefits, but the amounts typically consumed in foods are too small to have any real value. Further, vanilla is often a flavoring in high-calorie, high-fat foods like ice cream and cakes, which you don't want to have too much of. Still, it can be a part of aromatherapy, thus calming you down without adding any calories.
How to Use Vanilla
Vanilla is often found in sweet desserts and drinks, but it sometimes appears in savory dishes, too. You can find vanilla in a variety of foods and beverages, including:
- Ice cream
- Yogurt
- Coffee
- Smoothies
- Pasta sauces
- Soups or stews
- Baked goods
- Cocktails
Some people add vanilla extract to their body wash or lotion, or even use it to make bug repellent. They may find just smelling vanilla, via a candle or diffuser, calms them down.
Takeaways
Vanilla is a popular flavoring and fragrance that also has many health benefits. Vanilla has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and can calm infants and adults. It may be able to reduce anxiety and depression in people, but so far, this has just been studied in rodents. The spice may have many other health benefits, but more studies involving people are needed.
Vanilla FAQs
Can vanilla extract improve mood?
Small studies have shown that the smell of vanillin does have a calming effect on people. The response seems to be stronger for women than men.
Is vanilla good for digestion?
Vanilla has been used traditionally for digestive problems like bloating and stomach pains. The spice is known to have anti-inflammatory properties, and one study involving rats did show that vanillin had as a protective effect on the stomach and could possibly be a treatment for ulcers.
