Botanical Name - Trachyspermum ammi

Category - Spices/Medicinal

Form - Dry

Part Used - Seeds

General Information - Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi L. Sprague) is an annual aromatic and herbaceous plant of the family Apiaceae. It is an erect annual herb with a striate stem and originated in the eastern regions of Persia and India. Its fruits are small, and grayish-brown in color. Ajwain has several other common names in English, including carom, Ethiopian cumin, wild parsley, and bishopâ??s weed.

Phytochemicals - Trachyspermum ammi (L.)commonly known as ajwain or caraway is native to Egypt and widely grown all over Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. The seeds of T. ammi (L.) are widely used in India and eastern Asia, both in diet and in traditional medicine. They contain fiber (11.9%), carbohydrates (38.6%), tannins, glycosides, moisture (8.9%), protein (15.4%), fat (18.1%), saponins, flavone, and mineral matter (7.1%). Essential oil prepared from seeds contains thymol (50 - 60%), -terpinene, and p-cymene, along with and pinenes, -thujen, myrcene, 1,8-cineole, and carvacrol.