Cumin, also known as cumin or white cumin, is a plant of the umbelliferae family. The dried fruits of the plant are used in cooking and medicine.
Occurrence and cultivation of cumin.
Cumin is an annual plant of the umbelliferae family. The plant is similar in appearance to the common cumin. Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) is originally from the Middle East and the Nile Valley. Today, the plant is cultivated on large acreages in Sri Lanka, India, Iran, Turkey, southern Russia, Pakistan, China and Latin America. Cumin is an annual plant of the umbelliferae family. The plant is similar in appearance to the common cumin. It grows about thirty to forty centimeters high and forms leaves up to ten centimeters long. These, just like the leaves of fennel, have leaf sheaths at their base and are divided into two to three fingers. The stems are not very hard, so the plant lacks the stability for upright growth. Therefore, it grows rather creeping. The flowers of cumin are white to reddish in color and are in four-rayed umbels. These are up to 2.5 cm wide and grow terminal. The flowering time of the cumin begins in June. The seeds, which are five millimeters long, develop in the small flowers about forty days after flowering. They are elongated and gray-green in color. At fruit maturity they become paler and divide into two halves. However, the halves do not separate completely, but remain connected by a seed carrier. This is how a split fruit is formed.
Effect and application
The main ingredients of cumin fruits are essential oils, fatty oils, resins and proteins. In particular, the essential oils of cumin have an effect on the gastrointestinal tract. They have digestive, appetite stimulating, deflating, antispasmodic and analgesic effects. The small fruits are also said to have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. Cumin seeds can be used medicinally as a tea, tincture, herbal wine or powder. For a cumin tea, pour 250 ml of boiling water over one to two teaspoons of lightly crushed cumin seeds. The tea should steep for ten minutes. Alternatively, you can gently boil the seeds. To do this, add one teaspoon of the seeds to 250 ml of cold water. The water should boil slowly and then steep with the seeds for a few minutes. After that, the tea can be strained. One to three cups of this cumin tea can be drunk daily. Indications for the tea are loss of appetite, intestinal cramps, biliousness, colic, stomach cramps, irritable stomach or bloating. Especially for gastrointestinal complaints, it is recommended to prepare a tea mixture of cumin seeds, fennel seeds and anise seeds. After six weeks of continuous use at the latest, a three-week break should be taken. After that, the tea can be drunk again for six weeks. The break prevents undesirable side effects and a habituation effect. A cumin tincture is also suitable for treating digestive complaints. For this, the seeds are poured over a clear liquor in a sealable jar. The mixture should then infuse, sealed, for two weeks. Afterwards, the tincture can be strained and filled into a dark bottle. Depending on the complaint, a daily intake of ten to fifty drops is recommended. Cumin wine can be used to aid digestion and in cases of fat indigestion. To do this, 100 grams of cumin seeds are mixed with a liter of white wine. This mixture is boiled, filtered and poured into a bottle. A small glass of it should then be drunk as needed. If you want, you can also just chew the seeds pure. This application can be helpful not only for stomach or intestinal problems, but also helps against bad breath. However, the essential oil of cumin shows a positive effect not only on the digestive organs. It also has a refreshing and invigorating effect. You can take advantage of this with a full bath. To do this, simply add a liter of strong cumin tea to a full bath. The vitalizing bath refreshes and drives away fatigue.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
Cumin has been valued as a medicinal and spice plant for thousands of years. Thus, in today’s Syria, three to four thousand years old kitchen remains with cumin were found.In ancient Egypt, cumin was also used in the kitchen two thousand years before Christ. In ancient Rome, cumin was also a well-known and popular spice and medicinal plant. In Tibetan medicine, the plant is still one of the most important remedies. Here, too, the plant is used primarily for stomach complaints. In many parts of the world, however, cumin is used more as a spice than as a medicinal plant. It plays a role as a spice thanks to its intense and distinctive flavor, especially in North African, Turkish, Greek, Iranian, Indian and Mexican cuisine. But the seeds are also a popular culinary choice in the Netherlands. Cumin cheese is a well-known specialty here. Cumin is also a component of the well-known spice mixture Garam masala and part of curry powder. It is also included in spice blends for chili con carne. Today, cumin is also found in more and more German kitchens. As a medicinal plant, cumin has not really been able to establish itself here. This is perhaps also due to the fact that the healing properties of cumin have not yet been confirmed by Commission E of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices or by the European umbrella organization of national societies for phytotherapy (ESCOP).
