doesn’t come from the vanilla plant. Instead, it is synthesized using other natural and chemical products … which sometimes—and thankfully only very rarely—includes a by-product of beavers ...

One reason vanilla has gotten so expensive is, it's hard to grow. Vanilla vines take two to four years to fully mature, and their flowers only bloom for one day of the year. In order for the ...

Castoreum, a substance from sacs near a beaver’s anus, has been used in human products for more than 2,000 years. Some wonder if it's still an ingredient on today's grocery shelves.