Latin Name: Cuminum cyminum
Alternate Names: Jeera, Comino Romano, Jiraka (Sanskrit), Jeera (Hindi)
Family: APIACEAE
Parts Used: Seeds.
Properties: Alterative, Antispasmodic, Carminative, Galactagogue, Stimulant.
Internal Uses: Bloating, Colic, Convalescence, Cough, Diarrhea, Dysentery, Dyspepsia, Flatulence, Headache, Indigestion, Morning Sickness
Internal Applications: Tea, Tincture, Capsules.
Topical Uses: Bruises, Cellulite, Sprains
Topical Applications: Use in liniments to speed the healing of bruises and sprains. Essential oil is used in massage oils for cellulite and perfumes.
Culinary uses: Seeds are added to vegetables, beans, dips, pickles, yogurt, lamb, cordials, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic, Indian, Mexican and Cajun dishes, and sauerkraut. It is added to lemonade and tamarind water to prevent stomach problems.
Energetics: Bitter, Pungent, Warm, Cool.
Chemical Constituents: Essential oils which contain aldehydes and pinenes, flavonoids.
Comments: Its energetic is slightly bitter. In Ayurvedic medicine, the energetic is cool. Cumin is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated herbs and is native to the Mediterranean. Cumin was an important medicine of ancient Egypt. In Indian traditions it correlates to the fifth chakra — the navel center. In India it is also used in Gripe Water for infant colic. Early Romans used ground Cumin much like black pepper is used today. During the Ottoman Empire, roasted Cumin was often featured in breads of European courts. Today, Cumin is also used in veterinary medicine.
This ifornmtaion is off the hizool!