Black Caraway: Benefits, Uses, Dosage and Precaution (Carum Carvi, Kala Jeera)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

Black caraway is a popular culinary spice with immense ethnomedicinal use, it is a highly aromatic drug and is used as flavoring and seasoning of pickles, soups, sauce, meat, beverages, mouthwash, toothpaste, soaps, perfumes, and cosmetics.

In folklore, people used its leaves in preparation of soups. In traditional Moroccan medicine, its seeds are used to treat diabetes and hypertension. It is also used to treat pneumonia and eczema in Russia and Indonesia. In the Unani system of medicine, it is used as a weight-reducing drug in obesity.

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2. Common Names

• Family – Apiaceae
• Hindi Name – Kalajeera
• English Name – Black Caraway

3. Vernacular Names

• Bengali – Kala jira
• Kannada – Kari jeerige
• Malayalam – Karunjiraka
• Tamil – Karamjiragam
• Telugu – Nalla Jeelakarra
• Punjabi – Zira Siyah

4. Synonyms

• Kashmirajeeraka – It is abundantly cultivated in Kashmir.
• Jarana – It stimulates the digestive fire.
• Karavi – It is potent carminative drug.
• Sugandhi – The fruit is highly aromatic.
• Udagarashodhan – It purifies belching.
• Ruchya – It improves the taste of food.

5. Classical Categorization

• Dhanvantari Nighantu – Shatpushpadi varga
• Madanpal Nighantu – Sunthyadi varga
• Kaiyadev Nighantu – Oshadi varga
• Raj Nighantu – Pippalyadi varga
• Bhavaprakasha Nighantu – Haritaktyadi varga

6. Distribution

The plant is extensively cultivated in Europe, Asia and Africa. In India, it occurs wildly in a limited area of Western Himalaya, Jammu & Kashmir, Chakrata hill of Uttarakhand, and Chamba of Himachal Pradesh. It is also cultivated in the hills of North India and South India.

7. Ayurvedic Properties

• Rasa (Taste): It has Katu (bitter) taste.
• Virya (Potency): It is Ushna in nature (hot).
• Vipaka (Post-digestive taste): It is Katu (bitter) taste.
• Guna (Qualities) – Laghu, Ruskha.

8. Chemical Constituent

Black caraway seeds contain 1 to 9% essential oils, volatile oil, protein, dietary fibers, total lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids glucosides, galactosides, psoralens, sterol, and herniarin. The major phytoconstituents of essential oils are carvone, carvacrol, carvenone, limonene, and monoterpene hydrocarbon.

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9. Identity, Purity, and Strength

• Foreign Matter – Not more than 2%
• Total Ash – Not more than 9%
• Acid-insoluble ash – Not more than 1.5%
• Alcohol-soluble extractive – Not less than 2%
• Water-soluble extractive – Not less than 12%
• Volatile oil: Not less than 3.5%

(Source: The Ayurvedic Pharmacopeia of India 1989)

10. Ayurvedic and Pharmacological Actions

Ayurvedic Actions

In traditional medicine, it is described as a digestive, appetizer, removes foul smells, eye tonic, cardiotonic, antipyretic, uterine purification, laxative, anti-inflammatory, highly absorbent, and aromatic.

• Doshakarma – Kaphavatahara.
• Dhatukarma – Rochan, hridya.
• Malakarma – Vataanulomana.

Pharmacological Actions

 It has antimicrobial, antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant, analgesic, diuretic, anti-diabetic, antistress, hepatoprotective, and aphrodisiac activities.

11. Health Benefits

It is used in the treatment of halitosis, distaste, indigestion, dyspepsia, abdominal pain, flatulence, sprue, diarrhea, piles, worm infestation, inflammation, and cardiac diseases. It is also used in spasmodic gastrointestinal pain, morning sickness, headache, enhancing lactation, menstrual cramps, hoarseness of voice, eczema, leukoderma, rheumatism, eye ailments, and genitourinary diseases.

In uterine pain and inflammations, the decoction is used as a sitz bath. Water prepared with black caraway is used to treat gastric trouble in children.

12. Therapeutic Uses

Freckles – Paste of caraway seeds, oil, and Sharsap prepared with milk is applied on the face to get relief.

Malaria – Intake of black caraway seeds along with jaggery and a bit of black pepper powder.

Anorexia – Black caraway seeds, Draksha, Vrikshamla, Dadima and Suvarchal salt mixed with honey and jaggery cures the disease.

13. Official Part Used

Seed and seed oil.

14. General Doses

Powder – 1 to 3g.

15. Formulations

Saraswata churna, Laghulayi churna, Madhusnuhi rasayan, Jeerakadi modaka, Ashtangavleha and Gaganadi lauha.

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16. Precautions

Long-term use of black caraway may cause yellow color hyperpigmentation of the skin and can affect the lungs and intestines. It is not suitable for Pitta-dominant prakriti individuals.