Nigella sativa
| Nigella sativa | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Nigella sativa (common name: black cumin)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring or early autumn in situ[1]. The autumn sowing might not be successful in harsh winters. Plants can be transplanted if necessary[2].
Cultivation: Easily grown in any good garden soil, preferring a sunny position[1][3]. Prefers a light soil in a warm position[4].
This species is often cultivated, especially in western Asia and India, for its edible seed[5].
The seed is aromatic with a nutmeg scent[6].
A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[7].
Range: N. Africa to Ethiopia and W. Asia.
Habitat: Waste places, arable land and waysides[8].
Edibility: Seed - raw or cooked. Normally used as a flavouring on bread, cakes, curries, pickles etc[9][8][10][11][12]. There is a belief that eating the seed will make a woman's breasts plumper[6]. The seed is a very popular spice from the Mediterranean to India. It has a pungent flavour according to one report[13] whilst another says that it has a spicy fruity taste[14] and a third that the scent is somewhat like nutmeg[6]. The immature seed is bitter, but when fully ripe it is aromatic[8]. It is also used as a pepper substitute[9].
Medicinal: Like many aromatic culinary herbs, the seeds of black cumin are beneficial for the digestive system, soothing stomach pains and spasms and easing wind, bloating and colic[15].
The ripe seed is anthelmintic, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emmenagogue, galactogogue, laxative and stimulant[9][8][13][14][16]. An infusion is used in the treatment of digestive and menstrual disorders, insufficient lactation and bronchial complaints[8][14]. The seeds are much used in India to increase the flow of milk in nursing mothers and they can also be used to treat intestinal worms, especially in children[15]. Externally, the seed is ground into a powder, mixed with sesame oil and used to treat abscesses, haemorrhoids and orchitis[14][16]. The powdered seed has been used to remove lice from the hair[6].
Usage: The aromatic seed contains about 1.5% essential oil[16]. It is placed amongst clothes etc to repel moths[9]. The seeds can also be put in muslin bags and hung near a fire when they will fill the room with their delicious scent[6]. They need to be changed about every three weeks[6].
The seed contains 35% of a fatty oil[10][16].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association, 1981.
- ↑ Thompson, Robert. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son, 1878.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Hatfield, Audrey. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd, 1974.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 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 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.