* Please Note: Traditional Use information is provided as a courtesy only. Although we have done our best to review the validity of these uses and we continue to revise this information as new data emerges, the traditional uses indicated on this page for this product may be wrong. This information is based on Traditional and Folklore Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA and is not necessarily based on scientific evidence from any source. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description: Caraway is a sparse biennial herb with compound, feathery leaves and small white flowers arranged in umbels. The small dry fruits are dark brown and somewhat sickle-shaped.
Origin: The herb is indigenous to Central Europe, the Mediterranean region and Asia. It is cultivated in many parts of the world.
Parts Used: Dried ripe fruits, known as "caraway seed" (Carvi fructus) and the essential oil (Carvi aetheroleum).
Uses and Properties: The main use is to treat dyspepsia, spasms of the gastrointestinal tract and flatulence in adults and children (including babies). Caraway is added to laxatives (to prevent griping) and included in cough mixtures. Numerous other beneficial effects are claimed: appetite stimulant, breath deodorant, expectorant and tonic.
Active Ingredients: The activity of caraway is ascribed to the volatile oil, of which (+)-carvone is the main constituent (45-65%), together with smaller quantities of limonene, dihydrocarvone, carveol, and others. Fruits contain 2-7% essential oil, up to 20% fatty oil, 13% polysaccharides, phenylpropanoids (caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid), flavonoids and flavonoiglycosides (quercetin, isoquercitrin) and traces of furanocoumarins (bergapten).
Pharmacological Effects: The fruit and the essential oil have proven spasmolyric and antimicrobial activity. The stomachic and carminative effects are ascribed to the essential oil. Caraway is considered to be one of the most effective of all carminative herbs (including aniseed, coriander and fennel).
Notes: Caraway fruits have been a popular spice since ancient times. They are still widely used to flavour bread, cake, cheese, sauerkraut and liqueur (Kümmel).
Status: Pharm.; Comm. E+ (fruit and oil); ESCOP 3 (fruit).
Preparation and Dosage: The fruits or the volatile oil are included in mixtures or taken on their own (the fruits may be chewed). A daily dose of 3 - 6 drops of the essential oil is recommended (taken with some sugar), or 1.5 - 6 g of freshly crushed fruits (taken internally in the form of infusions or other preparations). Fruits are often included in tea mixtures.
Medicinal Usage
The roots, leaves, and seeds are all useful. The roots with a flavor suggesting a mix of parsnips and carrots, can be boiled as a vegetable. Use young shoots and leaves cooked with other vegetables or chopped in salads. The seeds, of course, are the familiar little flavor morsels scattered through a loaf of ryebread. They are good in sauerkraut, cheeses, apple sauce, soups, salad dressings, and apple pie. Caraway seeds contain small amounts of protein and B vitamins.
The seeds are diuretic, carminative, astringent, anthelmintic, and galactogenic. In India, a bath of the seeds is used to relieve swellings of the womb, as a poultice for hemorrhoids, and as an eyewash. Combined with laxative herbs, caraway seeds will help prevent griping. Rheumatic pains are lessened with an external wash made with the seeds. The seeds are chewed to relieve toothache, and a tea is used for pleurisy.
The main constituents of the oil are carvone and limonene. The oil is antibacterial, antispasmodic, and antihistaminic.
General Herb Information
Caraway is a biennial herb native to Europe and Western Asia, widely naturalized in North America. Of thirty species of Eurasian origin, only Carum carvi is grown in American gardens. Caraway grows to a height of 2 1/2 feet. The leaves are finely divided, resembling those of carrots. White, sometimes pink, flowers are borne on terminal or lateral compound umbels. The roots are thick and carrotlike. The seeds (fruits) are crescent shaped and about three-sixteenths of an inch long. Each half of the fruit (mericap) contains one seed and six oil tubes (vittae). It flowers from May to August.
Caraway is easily grown from seed sown in early spring or autumn. Seed sown in September will flower and produce seed the following summer. In the first year, an annual cover crop such as dill or coriander can be planted along with caraway. Caraway will grow rapidly after cover crops are harvested. Side dress with compost or seasoned manure in the fall or following spring to help speed growth. Sometimes caraway matures in the third summer of growth. Thin seedlings to stand at six-inch spacings. Four to eight pounds of seed will sow an acre.
Caraway likes full sun and will grow well in a dry heavy clay soil containing a fair amount of humus. Soil pH can range from 6 to 7.5. Cultivate plants when young to remove competing grasses. An acre may produce about half a ton of seed.
Harvest as soon as the fruits begin to ripen to minimize shattering, which causes caraway to self-sow and possibly become weedy. Seeds may ripen from June to August of the second year. Place harvested plants on a ground cloth to avoid seed loss.
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Directions
Take 1 capsule, 3 times daily, with meals.
Additional Information
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
