Cumin - Jeera
Cuminum cyminum

Family: Apiaceae or Umbelliferae

What it is like

Cumin or Cuminum cyminum is a flowering plant native to Pakistan and India. It is a well-branched, erect, annual plant that usually grows up to 30 cm in height. The leaves are long. The flowers are small and white or pink in color. Cumin seed is well-known food flavouring especially in tropical Asia. It has a hot and aromatic flavour and is often used in curries. The essential oil obtained from the seed is used as flavouring as well. Cumin is also used medicinally. In particular, it is used to stimulate the sexual organs and to treat minor digestive conditions, coughs, pain, and rotten teeth.

Cuminum cyminum is a ANNUAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in leaf from May to October, in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Height (m): 0.3

Where it is found

Not known in a truly wild condition.

Europe to N. Africa and S.W.Asia? Original habitat is obscure.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Arabia, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Britain, China, East Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Europe, France, Greece, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mediterranean, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, North Africa, North America, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tasmania, Thailand, Turkey, Middle East, West Africa, Zambia.

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Seed - cooked as a flavouring. Cumin seed was once widely used as a food flavouring in Europe, the Romans ground it into a powder and used it like pepper. It is little used at present in Western cooking, though it is very commonly employed in India. A hot and aromatic flavour, it is an important ingredient in curries, is used as a seasoning in soups and stews, and is also often used as a flavouring in biscuits, cakes and bread where it also helps in improving the digestion. The seed is harvested when fully ripe and is then dried and stored in airtight jars. An essential oil from the seed is used as a food flavouring. According to the USDA, one tablespoon of cumin spice contains: 22 kcal (92 kJ) of food energy, 1.34 g (0.047 oz) of fat, 2.63 g (0.093 oz) of carbohydrates, 0.6 g (0.021 oz) of fibre and 1.07 g (0.038 oz) of protein.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.

Medicine

Rating: 3

Cumin is an aromatic, astringent herb that benefits the digestive system and acts as a stimulant to the sexual organs. It has been used in the treatment of minor digestive complaints, chest conditions and coughs, as a pain killer and to treat rotten teeth. Cumin is seldom used in Western herbal medicine, having been superseded by caraway which has similar properties but a more pleasant flavour. It is still widely used in India, however where it is said to promote the assimilation of other herbs and to improve liver function. The seed is antispasmodic, carminative, galactagogue, stimulant and stomachic. A general tonic to the whole digestive system, it is used in the treatment of flatulence and bloating, reducing intestinal gas and relaxing the gut as a whole. In India it is also used in the treatment of insomnia, colds and fevers and to improve milk production in nursing mothers. Ground into a powder and mixed into a paste with onion juice, it has been applied to scorpion stings. The herb has been used externally as a poultice to relieve stitch and pains in the side. The essential oil obtained from the seed is antibacterial and larvicidal.

Antibacterial: Kills bacteria.

Antidiarrhoeal: Provides symptomatic relief for diarrhoea. Also see Astringent.

Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.

Antispasmodic: Relaxes muscular spasms and cramps, calming nervous irritation.

Aphrodisiac: Increases the sexual appetite.

Carminative: Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.

Galactogogue: Promotes the flow of milk in a nursing mother.

Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.

Stomachic: Aids and improves the action of the stomach.

Other

Rating: 2

The seed contains about 2.5% essential oil. It is used in perfumery and for flavouring beverages.

Essential: Essential oils that are used in perfumery, medicines, paint solvents, insect repellents etc.

Insecticide: Kills insects.

Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent

How it is grown

An annual plant, it is cultivated from low elevations in the warm temperate to higher elevations in tropical zones. It does not do well in lowland areas of the tropics, but is successful at higher elevations, being grown up to 2,200 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 17 - 26°c, but can tolerate 9 - 30°c. The plant is intolerant of frost. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,200 - 1,800mm, but tolerates 800 - 2,700mm. Tolerant of most well-drained soils, though it prefers a warm fertile well-drained sandy loam in a sheltered sunny position. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 8.3. The plant can be harvested for its seed about 60 - 110 days after sowing. Seed yields can be 500 - 1,200 kilos per hectare. When bruised, the plant has a pungent aroma.

Propagating it: Seed - sow early spring in individual pots in a greenhouse. Grow the plants on fast, and plant them out after the last expected frosts. Give the plants some temporary protection such as a cloche for their first few weeks in the open ground to make sure that they keep on growing in the cooler weather of early summer.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Annual

Hardiness: 8-12

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

May cause hypoglycaemia. Caution need for diabetics. Avoid if taking barbiturates

Its other names

Local names

Also known as: Comino, Jeera, Jeerige, Jilakara, Jintan puteh, Jinten bodas, Jinten, Jira zeera, Jira, Jiraka jira, Jiraka, Jiregire, Jorekam, Kumin, Safed jeera, Siragam, Sududuru, Sulpha phul, Yeera, Zira-sufed.

Synonyms

Cuminia cyminum. Cuminum aegyptiacum. Cuminum hispanicum. Cuminum sativum