Caraway

Carum carvi L.

They convey that in any accepted way, he drives
The air that torments and presses the insides and stomach;
Digestive heat excites the stomach as well as
In the liver and, it is believed, the madness of love pacifies;
If boiled in vinegar, it will stop the stomach flow.
For those who suffer from shortness of breath, it brings healing wonderfully,
As experts say, if you drink it with poska often;
From poisonous bites with wine in combination it also
Gives help, and mashed with bean flour and warm
Honey usually also treats swollen testicles,
If you attach it; he stops regulating with rest,
It makes it pale, they say, if it is eaten often.

In this fragment, Macer Floridus lists the main medicinal properties of cumin, a well-known spice throughout the world. The homeland of this plant, like many umbrella plants, is the Mediterranean. Nowadays it grows on all continents.

Cumin is one of the most ancient cultivated plants. Its seeds have been discovered by archaeologists in Stone Age pile buildings and in fossils from the Meolithic and Neolithic eras. This means that cumin has been used, according to the most conservative estimates, for more than 18 thousand years.

It was well known in Ancient Egypt, India, Greece, and Rome, not only as a spice with a unique aroma and pungent taste, but also as an effective cure for many diseases. In Ancient Egypt, it was customary to chew cumin seeds after meals to freshen breath and improve digestion.

The Bible gives detailed descriptions of how to grow cumin. In Russia, a holiday was even established - “Caraway Day”, on which all dishes were generously flavored with caraway seeds. This fact can be considered not only as a tribute to the medicinal plant, but also as a measure for the prevention of many diseases, especially the gastrointestinal tract.

To this day, following ancient traditions, some types of bread with caraway seeds are baked and used in the production of cheese and alcoholic beverages. Caraway honey is especially useful.

Essential oil from caraway seeds began to be obtained in Europe in the 16th century. Scientists have found that it contains about 50 different components, the main of which are carvone (more than 50%) and limonene (more than 30%). The oil has a warm, spicy, slightly sweet aroma with a musky tint, and has a strong effect.

Medicinal properties

1. Used for pneumonia, bronchitis, laryngitis, and colds of the upper respiratory tract.
2. An excellent stomach remedy: tones the smooth muscles of the intestines, stimulates appetite, relieves the processes of putrefaction and fermentation in the intestines, promotes digestion.
3. Indicated for convulsive pain in the stomach and intestines, food poisoning, intestinal atony and hypotension, intestinal colic, gastritis, pancreatitis, enteritis, constipation, flatulence, dyspepsia, helminthic infestation.
4. Prescribed for cholelithiasis and urolithiasis, hepatitis, cholecystitis, biliary dyskinesia. Bile-forming agent.
5. Recommended for various cardiovascular diseases: arrhythmia, tachycardia, cardiovascular erethism.
6. Effective against sluggish blood circulation, tumors of the lymph nodes.
7. Enhances lactation, improves and relieves menstruation.
8. Effective for arthritis, gout, rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis.
9. A good remedy for metabolic disorders, obesity, swelling.
10. Eliminates bad breath.
11. Used for cuts, wounds, ulcers, scabies, cellulite.
12. In folk medicine it is known as an emollient, diaphoretic, tonic, healing, warming, choleretic, diuretic, expectorant, diuretic, antispasmodic, analgesic, carminative, lactogenic, secretory, stimulating intestinal motility. Used for gastritis with low acidity, colitis, atony, flatulence of the large intestine, inflammatory diseases of the liver, gall bladder, kidneys, bladder, as well as colds, bronchitis, cardiac neuroses, hypertension, anemia, tinnitus, as an adjuvant for diabetes diabetes
13. Mild aphrodisiac.
14. Calms the nervous system. Recommended for headaches, dizziness, fatigue, depression, apathy, neurasthenia, irritability, and agitation.
15. Perfectly tones the skin, relieves inflammation and irritation.
16. Antiparasitic agent (mite scabies in dogs).

Dosage

Prescribed individually by an aromatherapist.

Contraindications. Individual intolerance, pregnancy.

Note. Strong oil. In high concentrations may cause skin irritation. Long-term use can lead to hypofunction of the thyroid gland. Shows a slight phototoxic effect.