Health Benefits Of Ajwain Or Carom Seeds

Latin Name: Carom copticum/Trachyspermun ammi.

Ajwain also known as carom seeds or bishop's weed is a herbaceous plant. The plant is native to India and the Middle East. Ajwain seeds are aromatic, & hot with a bitter and pungent taste. When chewed they make the tongue numb for a while. Raw Ajwain seeds smell very much like thyme because they contain thymol-an essential oil.

Ajwain seeds are mainly used as a spice in Indian cooking but never raw. They are either roasted or fried in oil & ghee. In fried dishes it is added as a digestive. It is also used as a digestive in large animals.

The seeds are used in Ayurvedic & Unani medicines for treatment of various ailments.
Raw Ajwain is used as a household remedy in digestive upsets due to indigestion and as an antiseptic. It relieves colic in babies and adults.

Ajwain is also used in making biscuits and snacks.

Ajwain seeds contain 2.5% to 5% of an essential oil. On a much smaller scale leaves and flowers are used to obtain oil by distillation.

This oil has 35-60% thymol content. The oil is colourless to pale brown liquid with a hot and biting taste. Ajwain oil is germicidal, fungicidal and controls spasms.

Ajwain oil is useful in cholera, colic, diarrhoea, flatulence, dyspepsia, indigestion & vomiting.

It is also used to massage the joints in arthritis and rheumatism to get relief in pain.

26 components that make up for over 96% of the oil have been identified in Ajwain oil including thymol which is the major component, p-cymene, Beta-pinene, alpha pinene, limonene, camphene, and carvacrol.

Ajwain contains per 100 gms :

Protein .........................................17.1%

Fat ................................................21.8%

Minerals ........................................7.9%

Fiber ..............................................21.2%

Carbohydrates ...............................24.6%

Ajwain also contains calcium, phosphorus, iron and vitamins thiamine, riboflavin and niacin.

Ajwain is used to treat colic, indigestion, flatulence and diarrhoea.

As a poultice it is useful in relieving asthma, arthritis & rhuematic pains.

It is also used to relive cold symptoms like a blocked nose. The steam from an infusion of ajwain seeds in hot water can be inhaled for relief.

It relieves toothache, earache & heartache.

It also benefits as a gargle in sore throat, hoarseness of voice & pharyngitis.

Ajwain incorporation in Ayurvedic & Unani medicines is used to treat skin infections like itching,, ulcers & ringworm, leukorrhea, female infertility, kidney stones among many other ailments.

Ajwain prevents bad breath, enhances appetite, benefits in paralysis, kidney and liver diseases, controls hiccups and is beneficial in weakness of limbs.

Ajwain also acts as an aphrodisiac.

In Joint Pains

Ajwain oil massage on the joints relieves pains.

In Flu

1. Boil 3 gms ajwain seeds and 3 gms cinnamon in water and drink.

2. Simmer 12 gms ajwain seeds in 2 cups water till 1 cup remains. Strain & drink four times a day for relief.

In Intestinal Worms

1. giving 3-7 drops of ajwain oil relieves cholera and intestinal worms.

2. Ajwain churan 4 gms taken with buttermilk also destroys worms.

3. Soak 25 gms ground ajwain seeds in 500 ml water at night. Boil in the morning. When 125 ml water remains remove and strain. Drink when cool. This is one dose for adults. For children give 1/2 of this. Drink morning and evening to kill worms.

In Chronic Fever & Low Fever

Soak 15 gms ajwain seeds in an earthenware vessel in a cupful of water. Keep in the house during the day but keep it in the open at night so that dew falls on it. Next morning strain this water & drink. Do this for 15 days. If fever still persists continue for few more days. It relieves. This also helps in reducing liver and spleen swelling.

In Cough

Eat 1 tsp of ajwain with hot water for relief.

Eating betel leaf in which ajwain has been put relieves night time cough.

In Excessive Urine

1. Mix ajwain & sesame seeds and eat for relief.

2. Take jaggery & ground ajwain in equal quantity. Mix them well. Take a tsp 4 times a day. This helps to reduce kidney pain too.

In Indigestion

1.Take 1 tsp ajwain with rock salt. Swallow with hot water for relief. It also relieves loose motions.

2. Take 15 gms ajwain, 5 gms black salt and 1/2 gm asafoetida. Put in a bottle. Mix it well. Take 1 gm of this with hot water twice a day. It also increases appetite.

As A Digestive

Add ajwain to paranthas and pooris. It strengthens the digestive power and helps in digesting these fried and oily things.

In Gas

Add 1.5 gms black salt in 6 gms ajwain and swallow with hot water for relief.

In Heart Pain

Eat ajwain for relief.

In Renal Stone

Swallow 6 gms ajwain with water. It removes stone from kidney and bladder.

In Itching, Boils & Eczema

Grind ajwain seeds and make a paste with hot water. Apply on the affected part. Also, boil some ajwain seeds in water. When the water cools down strain and wash the affected part with it.
In case there is swelling due to boils, make the paste with lemon juice instead of water. It removes the swelling.

In Dental Pain

Ajwain relieves all types of dental pain.
Put 1 tsp crushed ajwain in boiling water. Add some salt to this. When the water becomes tepid take a mouthful and swish it around well. Hold it in for sometime before spitting it out. Do this 3 times a day.
In throat pain, gargling with this water helps in relieving pain.

For Pimples

Take 30 gms ground ajwain and 25 gms curd. Mix well and apply on pimples at night. Wash off in the morning with warm water.

In Urtricaria

Eat 1 gm ajwain with 3 gms jaggery.

In Pregnancy

Eating jaggery & crushed ajwain relieves backpain, purifies blood, improves appetite and strenthens the uterus. It also relieves menstrual pain and corrects stopped menses.

In Exceesive Bleeding & Irregular Menses

Soak 25 gms ajwain in earthern vessel in 125 ml water at night. In the morning grind all together and drink.

For Mosquitoes

Grind ajwain. Take equal quantity of mustard oil. Mix well. Soak cardboard pieces in this mixture & tie in the 4 corners of the room. It drives away the mosquitoes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups wholewheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsps ajwain/ carom seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• Warm water
• 1/2 cup vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil or ghee

Preparation:

• Take a deep mixing bowl and put the flour, salt, carom seeds, turmeric and red chilli powders into it. Mix well. Now make a well in the center of the flour.
• Add the water, a little at a time and mix continuously. The mixture will start getting lumpy. We are aiming to make a smooth, medium firm dough so add water only as needed. Once the whole lot of flour is lumpy, start to knead it into the dough as mentioned above. The more you knead, the smoother the dough gets. The heat generated from kneading, also helps the ajwain/ carom seeds release their flavors into the dough!
• Once the dough is prepared, set it aside for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, divide the dough into golf ball-sized portions and roll between your hands till they are smooth and without cracks.
• Very lightly flour a rolling board or clean counter surface and roll each ball into a circle of 7-8" diameter (5-6mm thick). For convenience roll out as many parathas as you like, stacking them, ready to cook with a layer of cling film between each paratha.
• Heat a griddle and fry the parathas one at a time like this: Put a paratha on the griddle. Do the first flip when you see tiny bubbles rise on the surface of the paratha. As soon as the first flip is done, drizzle a bit of the oil/ gheeon the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip again in 30 seconds and drizzle oil/ ghee on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.
• Serve with chilled yogurt and your favorite pickle or chutney.

Recipe Source: http://indianfood.about.com/od/breadrecipes/r/ajwainparatha.htm

Disclaimer

The information provided in this hub is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your physician, or health care provider before taking any home remedies or supplements