English : Black caraway/Black cumin

Urdu : Zira siyah/Kala Zira/Zirah kirmani

Telugu : Sima-jilakaru

Description :

Carum nigrum which is known as black caraway, is a herb, found as a weed in clutivated lands or as wild growth on grassy slopes of mountains. It is 15-75 cm high.

Black Caraway seeds are elongated with detached mericarps from the pedicel, almost equally five-seeded , slightly curved tapering to each end, glabrous brown with five very narrow yellowish primary ridges and thin pericarps and the large oily endosperm; and also with aromatic and characterstic odour and taste.

There is a big confusion in recognizing the real black cumin or Kamoon aswad. Usually ,carum carvi or Caraway seeds are considered as black cumin or Kamoon  aswad but it is not correct according to the books ” The wealth of india Vol II C” and llmul-advia wriiten by Allama Hakeem Mohammed Kabeer -ud-din Saheb. ” Careway is a different species which is caroya or caravia in Arabic and Urdu languages which is included in the formulation of  ‘Jawarish-e-Mastagi Murakkab’ with Kamoon aswad. However both the species i.e caraway and black caraway are commonly used as black cumin. Some other authorities mention black cumin in the chapter of cumin seeds i.e Cuminum cyminum in a normal way as if there are two varieties of cumin i.e one is white cumin and the other is black cumin.

Action and Uses:

Black Caraway is a good

Stomachic,

Appetizer,

Carminative

Diuretic.

Gastric upset ,

Dyspepsia,

Hiccough

Flatulent colic ,

Chronic diarrhoea ,

Dropsy

Renal calculus

     It also relieves nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. It continuous use reduces body-weight

Caraway water is a useful remedy in the flatulent colic of infants.

Ibn Sina’s View:

It is not and dry; carminative and desiccant. It checks vomiting and worms stomach and also digestvie. It is useful in hiccough and palpitation. Decoction of seeds is used to be drunk as diuretic , anti-spasmodic and vermicidal.