Cuminum cyminum
| Cuminum cyminum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Cuminum cyminum (common name: cumin)
Propagation: Seed - sow early spring in individual pots in a greenhouse. Grow the plants on fast, and plant them out after the last expected frosts[1]. Give the plants some temporary protection such as a cloche for their first few weeks in the open ground to make sure that they keep on growing in the cooler weather of early summer[K].
Cultivation: Tolerant of most well-drained soils[2], though it prefers a warm fertile well-drained sandy loam in a sheltered sunny position[3][1].
A frost-tender annual plant, cumin has been cultivated for over 2,000 years in warm temperate and tropical zones for its edible seed. This is used mainly as a flavouring in curries etc, though it has also been employed medicinally[4][5][6]. The plant only succeeds outdoors in Britain in warm summers, taking 3 - 4 months to ripen its seed[1]. Another report says that the plant can ripen its seeds as far north as Norway[2].
When bruised, the plant has a pungent aroma[7].
Range: Europe to N. Africa and S.W.Asia? Original habitat is obscure.
Habitat: Not known in a truly wild condition.
Edibility: Seed - cooked as a flavouring. Cumin seed was once widely used as a food flavouring in Europe, the Romans ground it into a powder and used it like pepper[2]. It is little used at present in Western cooking, though it is much employed in India[2]. A hot and aromatic flavour, it is an important ingredient in curries, and is also often used as a flavouring in biscuits, cakes and bread where it also helps in improving the digestion[8][4][3][9][10][5][6][11][12]. The seed is harvested when fully ripe and is then dried and stored in airtight jars[12].
An essential oil from the seed is used as a food flavouring[5][13][11].
Medicinal: Cumin is an aromatic, astringent herb that benefits the digestive system and acts as a stimulant to the sexual organs[14]. It has been used in the treatment of minor digestive complaints, chest conditions and coughs, as a pain killer and to treat rotten teeth[14][15]. Cumin is seldom used in Western herbal medicine, having been superseded by caraway which has similar properties but a more pleasant flavour[4]. It is still widely used in India, however[4] where it is said to promote the assimilation of other herbs and to improve liver function[14].
The seed is antispasmodic, carminative, galactogogue, stimulant and stomachic[4][5][16][15]. A general tonic to the whole digestive system, it is used in the treatment of flatulence and bloating, reducing intestinal gas and relaxing the gut as a whole[15]. In India it is also used in the treatment of insomnia, colds and fevers and to improve milk production in nursing mothers[15]. Ground into a powder and mixed into a paste with onion juice, it has been applied to scorpion stings[15].
The herb has been used externally as a poultice to relieve stitch and pains in the side[12].
The essential oil obtained from the seed is antibacterial and larvicidal[14].
Usage: The seed contains about 2.5% essential oil[16]. It is used in perfumery and for flavouring beverages[5][13][17][18].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Late Spring-Mid Fall
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Stuart, Malcolm. The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism. Orbis Publishing, 1979.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hylton, Josie and William Holtom. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press, 1979.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Corbetta, Francisco. The COmplete Book of Fruits and Vegetables. 1985.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Vilmorin-Andrieux. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Phillips, Roger. Herbs. Pan Books, 1990.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.