Cumin

Caraway is a biennial plant that belongs to the umbelliferae family. The seeds of this plant are used as a spice that gives dishes a spicy taste and a pleasant aroma.

Most often, bread and confectionery are flavored with cumin, and in Bulgaria it is also used to flavor various meat dishes such as steak, sarmi, etc.

Cumin is a popular spice in many cuisines around the world such as Mexican, Mediterranean and Chinese, including Bulgarian.

During the Middle Ages, cumin was the most popular and accessible spice for Europeans. Bread with added cumin was believed to bring good luck.

In many of the legends from the Middle Ages, it is mentioned that every soldier, when he went on a military campaign, carried with him exactly this symbol of good luck. The homeland of cumin is the Mediterranean.

The Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Persians used the seeds of this biennial plant for various purposes, not only as a spice to improve taste, but also for medicinal purposes.

Like all spices that have been used for thousands of years, cumin has medicinal properties.

Cumin – useful properties

Cumin very well affects the gastrointestinal tract in case of digestion problems. The aroma of the spice activates the salivary glands, in other words cumin enhances the appetite, which favors proper digestion of food.

The stimulating effect is due to the fact that cumin aldehyde is included in the composition of cumin – an aromatic-organic mixture that is also the main component of cumin essential oil.

Another appetite-stimulating component of cumin is thymol. Under the action of this compound, the secretory function of the gastric glands is improved, which secrete acids, bile, enzymes for the complete processing of food from the stomach and intestines.

Cumin is rich in essential oils, magnesium, sodium, which reduce painful sensations in the stomach.
Cumin tincture helps with digestion problems and relieves gas.

The main cause of hemorrhoids is constipation, and along with constipation, ulcers appear in the gastrointestinal tract due to digestive problems.

Thanks to its vegetable fiber content, as well as its antifungal and antimicrobial properties, cumin acts as a natural laxative.

In respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis, the spice is also ostentatious, as it contains caffeine /stimulant/, aromatic essential oils that destroy microbes, making cumin an excellent expectorant and anti-inflammatory agent.

A cold is usually the result of a viral infection that affects the body with a weakened immune system.

Essential oil of cumin helps a person to get rid of the virus, because the composition of this spice includes iron and vitamin C, which strengthen the defense forces.

The spice is also very useful for breastfeeding women – cumin seeds increase the secretion of breast milk thanks to the property of thymol to stimulate the function of the mammary glands.

A high calcium content of 900 mg per 100 cities has been found in cumin – this is the daily necessary dose of macroelement for the human body.

The spice enriches breast milk with calcium, which is very useful for the newborn child.
Cumin contains high levels of iron, 66 mg per 100 grams, and therefore must be consumed by people who suffer from anemia or other diseases of the the blood.

The spice also has antioxidant and chemopreventive properties. Cumin seeds stimulate the formation of neutralizing free radicals and anti-carcinogenic enzymes.

The spice is an excellent source of vitamin E – a fat-soluble vitamin that has strong antioxidant properties.