Description

Caraway, also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin(Carum carvi), is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa. Caraway is thought to be native to the steppe that lies between Europe and Asia, but the borders of its original habitat have been blurred by thousands of years of cultivation and spreading with people. The Ancient Romans and Greeks were already using caraway seeds in the kitchen, although claims about the plant’s medicinal properties were not made until the Middle Ages.

Characteristics:

The plant is similar in appearance to other members of the carrot family, with finely divided, feathery leaves with thread-like divisions, growing on 20–30 cm (8–12 in) stems. The main flower stem is 40–60 cm (16–24 in) tall, with small white or pink flowers in umbels. Caraway fruits, commonly (erroneously) called seeds, are crescent-shaped achenes, around 2 mm (1⁄16 in) long, with five pale ridges. Flower: Corolla regular (actinomorphic), white (occasionally reddish–red), 3–5 mm (0.12–0.2 in.) wide, petals 5, notched, tip recurved. Sepals vestigial–absent. Stamens 5. Pistil of 2 fused carpels, styles 2. Inflorescence a compound umbel, secondary umbels 5–15. Primary and secondary umbels lacking bracts. Stalks on secondary umbels and flowers very different lengths. Leaves: Alternate, stalked, basal leaf-stalk channelled, stem leaf-stalk sheath-like, base with stipule-like lobes. Basal leaf blade long, 2–3 times pinnate; leaflets narrowly lobed. Stem leaf-blade triangular, narrowly lobed. Fruit: Broadly elliptic, with flattish sides, 2-sectioned, narrowly ridged, dark brown, 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in.) long schizocarp, highly fragrant when broken.

Medicinal Uses:

Caraway has been used to promote digestion, alleviate toothache and headache, treat chills and experimented with to increase the flow of milk in nursing mothers. The upper part of the root in particular and the young leaf rosette have been used to add flavour and nutrition to soups and stews. Caraway is also used for digestive problems including heartburn, bloating, gas, loss of appetite, and mild spasms of the stomach and intestines. Caraway oil is also used to help people cough up phlegm, improve control of urination, kill bacteria in the body, and relieve constipation.