Carum
carvi. Caraway
fruit
Family: Umbelliferae PART USED: Fruits
harvested in Summer of the second year. TASTE: Aromatic ODOR: Agreeable ACTIONS GROUP: The Gastro- Intestinal Tract- Carminatives
1. Carminative.[1,3]
2. Antispasmodic.[1,2,3]
3. Antiseptic.[2] Antimicrobial.[1]
4. Carminative.[1,2]
5. Galactogogue.
6. Expectorant.[1,3] Stimulant.[3]
7. Emmenagogue.[1]
8. Astringent.[1] INDICATIONS
1. Anorexia.[1,2] Flatulent
dyspepsia.[1,2] Diarrhea.[1,2]
Intestinal colic.[1] Stomach complaints
in both adults and children.[3]
2. Dysmenorrhea.[1,2]
3. Laryngitis. Bronchial catarrh. Bronchitis.[1]
4. Bruising inflammation. SPECIFIC INDICATIONS: Flatulent colic in children.[1] TOPICAL- Gargle for laryngitis.[1] COMBINATIONS
- Digestive disorders with flatulence and colic, use with Marshmallow,
Chamomile and Acorus.
- Diarrhea, use with Agrimony, Bayberry,
and Oak bark.
- Bronchitis and bronchitic asthma, use with White
Horehound, Lobelia, Euphorbia
and Grindelia. PREPARATIONS3X/day
Fruits are small, brown and slightly curved, about 4-8 mm long and 1-2 mm wide.
They are tapered at both ends with five longitudinal ridges.
Powder 0.5-2 g[1,3] or
by infusion of powder in 10-40 ml.[2]
Tincture 1:5 in 45% alcohol 0.5-4 ml.[1,2]
Volatile Oil Dose 0.05-0.2 ml.[1,2,3]
Local Gargle, compress.[1,2]
Concentrated Caraway water 0.05-0.2 ml. STORAGE
Keep in an airtight container protected from light and heat.
ORIGIN: Europe, Asia and North Africa, widely cultivated. DESCRIPTION: An erect biennial herb distributed over Central and Northern
Europe and also Britain. References
[1] British Herbal Pharmacopoeia 1983 Published by the British Herbal Medicine
Association ISBN 0 903032 07 4.
[2] Herbal Materia Medica Course Notes For Diploma of Naturopathy and Diploma
of Herbalism Students by Lydia Mottram.
[3] Potter's New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations R.C. Wren
Revised by Elizabeth M. Williamson and Fred J Evans. First published in Great
Britain in 1988 and reprinted in 1989 and 1994 by the C. W. Daniel Company Limited.
1 Church Path, Saffron Walden Essex. Published 1988 Printed and bound by Biddles,
Guildford ISBN 085207 1973. Images
1. commons.wikimedia.org
by H. Zell CC SA 3.0 Unported
2. en.wikipedia.org
by Slick CC0
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the
use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents
Volatile oil to 3-8%,[1] containing
carvone 58%,[1]40-60%,[3]
and limonene 20%,[1] with dihydrocarvone,
carveol, dihydrocarveol, pinene, thujone.[4,5,6]
Fixed oil.[1] Protein 20%.[1]
Flavonoids; mainly quercetin derivatives.[7]
Polysaccharides, protein, fixed oil, calcium oxalate.[4] References
[1] British Herbal Pharmacopoeia 1983 Published by the British Herbal Medicine
Association ISBN 0 903032 07 4.
[2] Herbal Materia Medica Course Notes For Diploma of Naturopathy and Diploma
of Herbalism Students by Lydia Mottram.
[3] Potter's New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations R.C.
Wren Revised by Elizabeth M. Williamson and Fred J Evans. First published in
Great Britain in 1988 and reprinted in 1989 and 1994 by the C. W. Daniel Company
Limited. 1 Church Path, Saffron Walden Essex. Published 1988 Printed and bound
by Biddles, Guildford ISBN 085207 1973
[4] Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients used in Food Drugs and Cosmetics,
Albert Y. Leung. Pub. John Wiley & Sons Inc. (1980) NY
[5] Pharmacognosy, 12th Ed. Trease, G. E. and Evans, W. C. Pub. Bailliere Tindall
(1983) UK
[6] Herbs, An Indexed Bibliography 1971-80 Eds. Simon, J. E., Chadwick, A. F.,
Cracker, L. E. Pub. Archon Books (1984) USA
[7] Hopf, H. and Kandler, O. (1977) Phytochem. 16, 1715
Research
The antispasmodic and carminative effects have been confirmed experimentally and
caraway shown to reduce gastrointestinal foam.[1,2] References
[1] Debelmas, A. M. and Rochat, J. (1967)
Plant. Med. Phytother. 1, 23
[2] Harries, N. et al. (1978) J. Clin. Pharm. 2, 171
The reno-protective effect of aqueous extract of Carum carvi (black zeera)
seeds in streptozotocin induced diabetic nephropathy in rodents.
Sadiq S, Nagi AH, Shahzad M, Zia A. Abstract
To assess the effect of aqueous extract of Carum carvi seeds in experimentally
induced diabetic nephropathy (DN) in rodents, we studied 48 adult male Wistar
rats divided into 4 groups: normal controls (group A), diabetes positive control
(group B), and experimental (groups C and D). They received Carum carvi extract
as a renoprotective agent. Rats having fasting blood glucose levels over 280 mg/dL
were included in this study. Group C rats received STZ (60 mg/kg) and aqueous
extract of Carum carvi at 30 mg/kg of body weights. On the other hand group D
rats received STZ (60 mg/kg) and aqueous extract of Carum carvi at 60 mg/kg of
body weight. Blood samples were collected on the 60 th day, and kidneys were also
extracted for examination. The diabetic group rats showed a variable increase
in the serum levels of glucose, urea, creatinine, total urinary protein and microalbuminuric
levels. Body weight decreased and urine volume increased in the diabetic groups.
30 mg/kg body weight of Carum carvi dose decreased the levels of these parameters
in rats. On the other hand, 60 mg/kg body weight of Carum carvi dose significantly
decreased the levels of the biochemical parameters. The morphological examination
of group C rats showed no changes whereas the rats in group D showed moderate
changes. Carum carvi constituents, especially flavonoids and carvone have strong
anti-oxidant activity, which provides reno-protection against diabetes and its
complications. In conclusion, high dose of Carum carvi aqueous seeds extract (60
mg/kg) showed reno-protection against STZ induced dia-betic nephropathy in rats.
Saudi J Kidney Dis Transpl. 2010 Nov;21(6):1058-65. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Carum
carvi. Caraway
fruit
Family: Umbelliferae
