Cumin Seeds 100 g, 50 g

Cumin Seeds – 100 g ($7.99), 50 g ($4.99)

Benefits:
Nutrients  Cumin seeds are naturally rich in iron (4).

One teaspoon of ground cumin contains 1.4 mg of iron, or 17.5% of the RDI for adults (5). Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies, affecting up to 20% of the world’s population and up to 10 in 1,000 people in the wealthiest nations (6, 7). In particular, children need iron to support growth and young women need iron to replace blood lost during menstruation (6). Few foods are as iron-dense as cumin. This makes it a good iron source, even when used in small amounts as a seasoning.

Cumin contains lots of plant compounds that are linked with potential health benefits, including terpenes, phenols, flavonoids and alkaloids (8, 9, 10, 11). Several of these function as antioxidants, which are chemicals that reduce damage to your body from free radicals (12). Free radicals are basically lonely electrons. Electrons like being in pairs and when they split up, they become unstable. These lone, or “free” electrons steal other electron partners away from other chemicals in your body. This process is called “oxidation.” The oxidation of fatty acids in your arteries leads to clogged arteries and heart disease. Oxidation also leads to inflammation in diabetes, and the oxidation of DNA can contribute to cancer (13). Antioxidants like those in cumin give an electron to a lonely free radical electron, making it more stable (14). Cumin’s antioxidants likely explain some of its health benefits (15).

Digestion  The most common traditional use of cumin is for indigestion. In fact, modern research has confirmed cumin may help rev up normal digestion (1). For example, it may increase the activity of digestive enzymes, potentially speeding up digestion (2). Cumin also increases the release of bile from the liver. Bile helps digest fats and certain nutrients in your gut (1). In one study, 57 patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) reported improved symptoms after taking concentrated cumin for two weeks (3).

Diabetes  Some of cumin’s components have shown promise helping to treat diabetes.

One clinical study showed a concentrated cumin supplement improved early indicators of diabetes in overweight individuals, compared to a placebo (16).

Cumin also contains components that counter some of the long-term effects of diabetes. One of the ways diabetes harms cells in the body is through advanced glycation end products (AGEs) (17). They’re produced spontaneously in the bloodstream when blood sugar levels are high over long periods of time, as they are in diabetes. AGEs are created when sugars attach to proteins and disrupt their normal function.

AGEs are likely responsible for damage to eyes, kidneys, nerves and small blood vessels in diabetes (17). Cumin contains several components that reduce AGEs, at least in test-tube studies (18). While these studies tested the effects of concentrated cumin supplements, routinely using cumin as a seasoning may help control blood sugar in diabetes (19, 20). It is not yet clear what is responsible for these effects, or how much cumin is needed to cause benefits.

Cholesterol  Cumin has also improved blood cholesterol in clinical studies.

In one study, 75 mg of cumin taken twice daily for eight weeks decreased unhealthy blood triglycerides (21).

In another study, levels of oxidized “bad” LDL cholesterol were decreased by nearly 10% in patients taking cumin extract over one and a half months (22).

One study of 88 women looked at whether cumin affected levels of “good” HDL cholesterol. Those who took 3 grams of cumin with yogurt twice a day for three months had higher levels of HDL than those who ate yogurt without it (23).

It is not known if cumin used as seasoning in the diet has the same blood cholesterol benefits as the supplements used in these studies. Also, not all studies agree on this effect. One study found no changes in blood cholesterol in participants who took a cumin supplement (24).

Weight Loss, Fat Reduction  Concentrated cumin supplements have helped promote weight loss in a few clinical studies. One study of 88 overweight women found that yogurt containing 3 grams of cumin promoted weight loss, compared to yogurt without it (23). Another study showed that participants who took 75 mg of cumin supplements every day lost 3 pounds (1.4 kg) more than those who took a placebo (21). A third clinical study looked at the effects of a concentrated cumin supplement in 78 adult men and women. Those who took the supplement lost 2.2 pounds (1 kg) more over eight weeks than those who did not (16). Again, not all studies agree. One study that used a smaller dose of 25 mg per day did not see any change in body weight, compared to a placebo (23, 24).

Food-Borne Illnesses  One of cumin’s traditional roles in seasoning may have been for food safety.

Many seasonings, including cumin, appear to have antimicrobial properties that may reduce the risk of food-borne infections (25). Several components of cumin reduce the growth of food-borne bacteria and certain kinds of infectious fungi (26, 27). When digested, cumin releases a component called megalomicin, which has antibiotic properties (8). Additionally, a test-tube study showed that cumin reduces the drug resistance of certain bacteria (28).

Narcotic Dependence  Narcotic dependence is a growing concern internationally. Opioid narcotics create addiction by hijacking the normal sense of craving and reward in the brain. This leads to continued or increased use.

Studies in mice have shown that cumin components reduce addictive behavior and withdrawal symptoms (29).

However, much more research is needed to determine whether this effect would be useful in humans.

The next steps include finding the specific ingredient that caused this effect and testing whether it works in humans (30).

Inflammation  Test-tube studies have shown cumin extracts inhibit inflammation (31). There are several components of cumin that may have anti-inflammatory effects, but researchers don’t yet know which are most important (8, 9, 10, 11). Plant compounds in several spices have been shown to reduce levels of a key inflammation marker, NF-kappaB (32). There is not enough information right now to know whether cumin in the diet or cumin supplements are useful in treating inflammatory diseases.

 

Botanical Name: Cuminum cyminum
English: Cumin seed. Cumin
Also, known as: komyn, Kamoun, zi ran qin, cumin, Duru, Suduru, Mutterkümmel Römischer Kümmel, Jeera, Zira, Jinten, Jintan putih, Cominho, Comino blanco, Comino, Yee raa, Shveta-jiraka, Ajaaji, Shukla ajaaji, Safed Jeeraa, Safed Jira, Kamun, Cheerakam, Jira, Sadajira, Jirautmi, Jirn, Jiraugi, Jeeru, Jirun, Safed Zoor, Zirah, Zirasafed, Jilakarra, Tella Jilakarra, Dhalajeera, Bilejirege, Dalajira, Sheeragam, Chirakam, Jeerakam, Chitta Jira, Pandhare jire, Jirage, Ajaji, Jiraka, Ajajika, and Jeerakam
Habitat: Mediterranean region and western Asia.
Origin: India
Harvested: Cultivated
Parts Used: Dried ripe seeds

General Information:
Cumin seed consists of ripe fruits of Cuminum cyminum, a glabrous, annual herb, the stem is slender and branched, rarely exceeding 1 foot in height and somewhat angular, flowers very small, white, about 38 mm long stalks in compound umbels with only four to six rays, each of which is only about an inch long. The leaves are divided into long, narrow segments like Fennel, but much smaller and are of deep green color, generally turned back at the ends. The upper leaves are nearly stalked less, but the lower ones have long leaf stalks. Mostly cultivated in the plains, plants pulled out, dried thrashed for collecting mature fruits.

Ayurveda is an ancient Indian medicine system, which is based on the curative properties of plants and plant-derived products. A very large number of medicinal herbs of various taxonomic genera are included in many forms in this traditional therapy. In these traditional therapies, cumin is prominently considered as one of the most common herbs.

Cumin (jeera) should not be confused with shah jeera (“black cumin”), a similar and related spice from Pakistan and India with slightly larger and often somewhat curved fruits. It is one of the oldest of spices, recorded from 5000 BC in Egypt, the Middle East and widely used in ancient Greece, Rome, and medieval Europe.

Cumin is responsible for the distinctive spicy flavor and slightly bitter taste of curry powder, of which it is an essential ingredient (along with chili pepper and turmeric). It is also used in other spice mixtures and chutneys in Pakistan and India. The characteristic taste of a falafel is partly due to cumin.

 

How to use:
We make these suggestions to help you get the best benefit from the herbs that you’re choosing to improve your health. Also we make these ideas and recommendations so that consuming them easier and better fit into your lifestyle by adding them to the food that you already eat.
For the full health benefit, it is best to consume (or use the whole herb in poultices) the whole herb. All of the compounds in the herb act best together, as nature intends. Extracts draw out the most prominent beneficial compounds and may concentrate them. What is not extracted can be helpful in ways that we do not yet understand.

Cut Pieces or Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use cut pieces or powdered herb.
Food Preparation: You can add powdered or pieces of herb (if the pieces you buy are bigger than you like, a coffee or herb grinder will quickly reduce) to any yogurt, smoothie, apple or other sauces, spreads, salads or other foods more familiar to you that don’t use heat. Heat can be damaging to the beneficial compounds in the herb. Other options like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, soup, cookies and anything else that fits your lifestyle, but minimizing (by adding near the end of cooking) the heat is helpful.
Also, for children, you can mix powdered herb with honey or glycerin to make paste. The thicker the paste, the more potent and herbal in taste. The sweet taste of honey and glycerin will help medicine go down. The resulting liquid is called an electuary.
For seeds in general, but especially small seeds, it’s best to grind these to break the protective hulls a short time before consumption. This makes all the benefits available, rather than some remaining locked inside the hulls that are unbroken by insufficient chewing.
To make adding herbs even easier, you could add a week’s worth of your chosen herb(s) to an amount of, for example, yogurt that you would eat in a week. Mix thoroughly and eat this each day of the week. So you make once /week and just eat each other day.
Hot Infusion: The basic method for dried herbs and flower is, take 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb in a cup or teapot. Pour hot water over it and cover it with lid for 10-30 minutes. The heat from making tea can degrade some of the beneficial compounds in the herb. This method minimizes this effect. For the full health benefit, it is recommended to consume what is left over after making tea.
Decoctions: Decoctions are suitable for roots, barks, large seeds & berries, and other dense material. The simple way to make decoction is, in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of water, Bring the water to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes with the pot covered. Squeeze out as much as liquid as possible. Best practice is to drink the liquid and also consume the solid material that remains. Herb pieces can also be used.
Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use powdered herb.
Capsules: HerbsCrafters makes capsules guaranteed to be filled with the pure herb with no filler or any other products. You can also use powdered herb to make your own capsules at home. These capsules are best taken with liquid to aid in digestion and absorption and to ensure it doesn’t stick in your throat.
Poultice: Poultice can be made with an herbal powder and liquid (mostly water) to form a paste which is then applied to the skin. This method is very helpful for skin conditions.
Herbal shot: Powdered herb can be mixed with water, fruit juice or other liquid to make herbal shot.

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder or licorice root powder.

Precautions:
You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
All information on this website is for educational purpose ONLY.
This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.