What is caraway and what is it used for?
The caraway (Carum carvi) belongs to the umbelliferae family, like anise, fennel and cumin. In fact, it is also known as Persian cumin either meridian fennel. Like these, it is used as seasoning in stews and pastries.
grows wild on wet meadows and grasslands in mountain areas of almost all of Europealthough in Spain it is restricted to the Pyrenees, localized points of the Iberian and Central system and Cantabrian mountains. It is a biennial plantnot very foliage, with umbels small white flowers.
In addition to their culinary useswith medicinal purposes The small fruits of the caraway are used. We can find it in various presentations: the dry plant for infusion, the powdered plant, the fluid and dry extracts, the tincture and the essential oil in a bottle.
Medicinal properties and benefits of caraway
Highlights the essence content of its seeds –with 70% carvone and 30% limonene–, but the fruits also have flavonoids and caffeic acid. Like other umbellifers, caraway has properties carminative, antiflatulent, antiseptic and antispasmodic.
Caraway fruits against halitosis
It is used as a digestive tonic, to awaken the appetite in listless or convalescent people, and above all to avoid gasesthe bad taste in the mouth, halitosis and flatulence. The fruits – ground – can be taken alone or with yogurt: half a spoonful of coffee, after main meals, is enough to enjoy its properties against bad breath.
Caraway tea against abdominal bloating
To relieve abdominal bloating and flatulence, experts propose mix the fruits caraway with other carminative plants such as fennel, licorice and green anisein equal parts.
How to prepare it: Use one tablespoon of this mixture per glass of water, boil it for three minutes and let it rest for another ten. It is then filtered and can be drunk throughout the day.
Infusion for infantile colic
It uses the caraway infusion with chamomilealso indicated to relieve gastrointestinal spasms, gastroenteritis and dyspepsia.
Relaxing Essence: Caraway Seed Essential Oil
Of the caraway seeds an essential oil highly appreciated in aromatherapy. With a sweet and penetrating aroma, it is used as a relaxant and skin regenerator in baths and massages, although in the latter case it must be mixed with vegetable oils so that it does not irritate.
It is used in oily skinseborrheic, in cases of acne and before insect bites.
Caraway for skin injuries: fungus, wounds and burns
In topical usecaraway is antiseptic and antifungal. It is used in fungal infections of the skin due to fungi of the genus Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophytonamong others.
It is also used as a home remedy for clean and heal superficial woundsin otitis and about burns and scalds. The ground fruits They also improve scratches, wounds and burns.
We can prepare a homemade formula against fungus of the skin combining caraway with pao d’arco, thyme and horsetailin equal parts.
How to prepare it: three tablespoons of the mixture per half a liter of water. Boil for five minutes, rest for ten and filter. With the decoction, the affected area is thoroughly washed and left to act, without the need to rinse.
Advisor: J Mª Teixé, herbalist from “El Manantial de Salud”.