| Cumin
 Botanical
Name :- Cuminum cyminum
Indian Name :- Jeera
Origin
of Herbs:
Cumin
is a small annual plant of the parsley family,
widely cultivated in the Mediterranean region
of Europe and in India. Primary cultivation of
cumin is in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and
North Africa with India and Iran as the largest
cumin exporters. The valued portion of the plant
is the dried fruit called cumin seed, which is
esteemed as a condiment. Cumin was known to the
Egyptians 5,000 years ago and it was found in
the pyramids. In ancient times cumin was a symbol
of greed and meanness. Curiously, by the Middle
Ages it was regarded as a symbol of faithfulness.
Plant Description and Cultivation:
 Cumin,
a small, annual herbaceous plant of the parsley
family, grows to a height of about 25 cm. It flourishes
best in sunny places with some rainfall. The small
white or pink flowers grow on small compound umbels.
The small, boat-shaped seed has nine ridges and
it is brown-yellow in colour.
Cumin is grown from seed. Cumin thrives on rich,
well-drained sandy loam soil. The plants bloom
in June and July. The seeds are normally ready
four months after planting. Cut the plants when
the seeds turn to brown, thresh and dry like the
other Umbelliferae.
Attributed Medicinal
Properties / Healing Properties :
Cumin is stomachic, diuretic,
carminative, stimulant, astringent and antispasmodic.
It is valuable in dyspepsia diarrhoea and hoarseness,
and may relieve flatulence and colic. In the West,
it is now used mainly in veterinary medicine,
as a carminative, but it remains a traditional
herbal remedy in the East. It is supposed to increase
lactation and reduce nausea in pregnancy. Used
in a poultice, it relieves swelling of the breast
or the testicles. Smoke in a pipe with ghee, it
is taken to relieve the hiccups, Cumin stimulates
the appetite. The
analysis of cumin seeds shows them to consist
of moisture 6.2 %, protein 17.7% , fat 23.8 %
, fibre 9.1% , carbohydrates 35.5% and mineral
matter 7.7% per 100 gms. Their minerals and vitamin
contains are calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium,
potassium, Vitamins C & vitamin A. Their calorific
value is 460.
The
fruit is a rich source of thymol. Thymol is used
as an anthelmintic against hookworm infections
and also as an antiseptic in many proprietary
preparations. It is a stimulant, which increases
the secretion and discharge of urine and relieves
flatulence. It strengthens the functions of stomach
and arrests any bleeding.
Digestive
disorders
Cumin seeds are very useful in digestive disorders
like biliousness, morning sickness, indigestion,
atonic dyspepsia, diarrhoea, malabsorption syndrome
and flatulent colic. One spoon of cumin seeds
is boiled in a glass of water and the decoction
mixed with one teaspoon of fresh coriander leaf
juice and a pinch of salt. This decoction can
be taken twice daily after meals as a medicine
for diarrhoea.
Piles
Black cumin is beneficial in the treatment of
piles. About 60 grams of the seeds, of which half
should be roasted, should be ground together.
Three grams of this flour should be taken with
water.
Common
cold
Dilute cumin water is an antiseptic beverage and
very useful in common cold and fevers. To prepare
cumin water, a teaspoon of cumin is added to boiling
water, which is allowed to simmer for a few seconds
and set aside to cool. If the cold is associated
with sore throat, a few small pieces of dry ginger
should be added to the water. It soothes throat
irritation.
Boils
Black cumin ground in water is applied as a paste
over the boils with beneficial results.
Other
uses
The cumin seed is extensively used in mixed spices
and for flavouring curries, soups, sausages, bread
and cakes. It is an ingredient of curry powder,
pickles and chutneys. It is also used to some
extent in Indian medicine as a carminative.
Ayurvedic
supplements that contains Ashoka :
Hazamyum
tablets/candies
Lavan
Bhaskar Churna
Hingwastak
Churna
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