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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006 Caraway Carum carvi
There is a lot of medicine in the spice jars on your shelves and several of these are already covered in other ‘Keeping the Plants alive' Plant Profiles with a difference. These are Cinnamon, Fenugreek, Coriander, Capsicum, Ginger and Turmeric and now Caraway.
It appears to be a lesser player in the list of spices, always playing a part along with others, perhaps because it is less fussy about its growing conditions (for a spice) it wasn't valued as much. I think it could stand on its own in its main use medicinally which is to improve digestive function.
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The Old Ways
Crush a little of the seed, there is a strong savoury pungency that I associate with Dutch cheese and rye breads, the aroma is warming and on continual rubbing, slightly perfumed.
Tasting does not add much more information except that it is warming and incredibly pungent with an underlying bitter taste indicating an effect of digestive function.
It is a very old spice with records showing that Stone Age folk in Switzerland used it and 14th century cookbooks included it.
A Liqueur called ‘kummel' is made with caraway as is ‘Aquavit' has Caraway as its main flavour.
The New Ways
I chose to cover this plant as it is the subject of several research papers focusing on its effect on digestive function usually in combination with one or several other plants.
It is antispasmodic, carminative, stomachic, choleretic and anti-microbial.
It is probably antispasmodic to the digestive tract, that it is carminative means it relaxes sphincters so that any build up of gas is released. Stomachic really means that it improves digestive function, choleretic that it stimulates bile secretion and anti-microbial is obvious.
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What Plant?
It looks so similar to others of the Apiaceae family (formally Umbelliferae), feathery, carrot like leaves, whitish green flowers in the shape of an umbel. The fruits are oblong, longitudinally striated and various shades of brown when ripe. It has a remarkable growing range in terms of climate, from Finland to Africa, Holland to Morocco.
It is a biennial, not quite ding down at the end of the growing season and flowering early in the next.
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What Part?
The fruits or seeds harvested when ripe.
How and when to use them?
Infusions can be used for bloating and cramping and dyspepsia (indigestion) that is not related to ulceration. It may increase milk production. The essential oil is used for its antibacterial and antimicrobial action including scabies.
The essential oil is used to flavour gargles, mouthwashes and perfumes. The ‘essence' could also be used.
How to prepare it?
A therapeutically active infusion is made by adding 1 Tbsp per cup of boiling water, cover for 10 mins and strain.
From a book on ‘Spices and Condiments' it suggests macerating Caraway seeds in alcohol to produce an ‘essence'.
Caraway Essence
2 oz (56g) seeds in 1 pint (600mls) of 70% alcohol.
To this is added ½ Drachm (approx 1.2mls) of caraway oil.
I think you could also make your own ‘Aquavit' by infusing the seeds in Vodka using the same amounts as for the essence
How much to use?
1-2 cups of the infusion daily for an adult.
1 tsp for babies several times daily.
Research
As always I have ignored any of the research on animals (I find it difficult to believe rats, mice and hamsters suffer from indigestion and would choose caraway) and in reviewing the rest it seems that someone began using caraway oil with peppermint oil and from then on it became standard practice (see Dyspepsia).
On H. pylori
Among the plants that killed H. pylori, turmeric was the most efficient, followed by cumin, ginger, chilli, borage, black caraway, oregano and liquorice. 1
On bacteria using Essential oils of Caraway and Cummin
The activity was particularly high against the genera Clavibacter, Curtobacterium, Rhodococcus, Erwinia, Xanthomonas, Ralstonia, and Agrobacterium, which are responsible for plant or cultivated mushroom diseases worldwide. The authors suggest the potential use of the above essential oils for the control of bacterial diseases. 2
On Dyspepsia
• In 120 patients with functional dyspepsia, a herbal preparation containing bitter candy tuft, matricaria flower, peppermint leaves, caraway, licorice root and lemon balm improved dyspeptic symptoms significantly better than placebo. (Iberogast ®). 3
• 96 out-patients received one capsule twice daily of 90 mg peppermint oil and 50 mg caraway oil (PCC) or placebo for 28 days. On day 29, the average intensity of pain was reduced by 40% vs. baseline in the PCC group and by 22% in the placebo group. With regards to pressure, heaviness and fullness, a 43% reduction was observed for PCC vs. 22% for placebo. 4
Peppermint oil and caraway oil also showed a relaxing effect on the gall- bladder and the former slowed small intestinal transit in 12 healthy volunteers. 5
• 120 outpatients with functional dyspepsia a fixed combination preparation consisting of peppermint oil and caraway oil (PCC, Enteroplant) and the prokinetic agent cisapride (CIS, CAS 81098-60-4) in a four-week randomized controlled double-blind study. “The combination preparation consisting of peppermint oil and caraway, oil appears to be comparable with cisapride and provides an effective means for treatment of functional dyspepsia.” 7
In a systemic review of herbal medicinal products for non-ulcer dyspepsia, seventeen randomized clinical trials were identified, nine of which involved peppermint and caraway as constituents of combination preparations. Symptoms were reduced by all treatments (60-95% of patients reported improvements in symptoms. 6
1. O'Mahony R, Al-Khtheeri H, Weerasekera D, Fernando N,Vaira D, Holton J, Basset C. Bactericidal and anti-adhesive properties of culinary and medicinal plants against Helicobacter pylori. World J Gastroenterol. 2005 Dec 21;11(47):7499-507.
2. Lacobellis NS, Lo Cantore P, Capasso F, Senatore F. Antibacterial activity of Cuminum cyminum L. and Carum carvi L. essential oils. J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Jan 12;53(1):57-61
3. Madisch A, Holtmann G, Mayr G, Vinson B, Hotz J. Treatment of functional dyspepsia with a herbal preparation. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial.Digestion. 2004;69(1):45-52. Epub 2004 Jan 30.
4. May B, Kohler S, Schneider B. Efficacy and tolerability of a fixed combination of peppermint oil and caraway oil in patients suffering from functional dyspepsia. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2000 Dec;14(12):1671-7. Comment in: Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2003 Apr 1;17(7):975-6.
5. Goerg KJ, Spilker T. Effect of peppermint oil and caraway oil on gastrointestinal motility in healthy volunteers: a pharmacodynamic study using simultaneous determination of gastric and gall-bladder emptying and orocaecal transit time. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2003 Feb;17(3):445-51.
6. Thompson Coon J, Ernst E. Systematic review. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2002 Oct;16(10):1689-99Comment in: ACP J Club. 2003 Sep-Oct;139(2):43.
7. Madisch A, Heydenreich CJ, Wieland V, Hufnagel R, Treatment of functional dyspepsia with a fixed peppermint oil and caraway oil combination preparation as compared to cisapride. A multicenter, reference-controlled double-blind equivalence study. Hotz JArzneimittelforschung. 1999 Nov;49(11):925-32.
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Other References
1. Redgrove H.S. Spices and Condiments 1933
2. Sharma PV Classical Uses of Medicinal Plants, Chaukhambha Bharati Academy, Varanasi, 1996.
3. Frawley D., Vasant Lad, The Yoga of Herbs, Lotus Press, 1986.
4. Swahn JO The Lore of Spices Nordbok, 1991.
5. Wren R.C., Potters New Cycolpaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations, Daniel 1988.
6. Lust J. The Herb Book Bantam Books. 1987
7. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions.3rd Edition. Eclectic Medical Publications, USA, 2001.
8. Skenderi Gazmend. Herbal Vade Mecum. Herbacy Press 2005.
Reflections
This was fun an informative as well.
Results of the information gathered after lunch at the NZAMH AGM and Conference, 2006.
Gut Bugs and Chronic Illness by Isla Burgess MNZAMH, MNHAA
Iberogast contains Caraway.
Each group of 10 was given a sample of herbal medicine and a questionnaire after lunch and at the end of my presentation.
Kawagin is a preparation of Kawakawa and Ginger made by Phytomed. Rec dose 5mls.
Iberogast is a preparation by Flordis backed up with considerable research. Rec Dose 20 drops
Dilute Peppermint EO is a very dilute essential oil of peppermint. Dose 2mls.
Matricaria recutita is a 1:2 MediHerb preparation. Dose 2mls.
Discussion
What started out as something to do for fun has actually turned out to be interesting and could be followed up with something much larger and without being expensive.
Kawagin significantly increased flatulence which is what we could expect from a herb that is carminative – they relax sphincters. It reduced gurgling, bloating in some and burping suggesting that it had an effect on all sphincters. Further investigation may reveal why it increased gastro-oesophageal sphincter weakness in two people.
Iberogast's greatest effect was on flatulence and bloating. Again it is what we could expect from a preparation that contains many carminatives.
Dilute E.O. of peppermint had the greatest effect on those with Upper Abdominal discomfort – again this is what we could expect with a herb that de-sensitizes the nerve endings in the stomach. It also had an effect on those with bloating and flatulence. I suspect the Kawagin would have done this over a longer period of time as well. The two should go hand-in-hand.
Matricaria recutita had the greatest effect on Upper Abdominal discomfort and burping. Again we could expect this from a herb that is both nervine relaxant, antiinflammatory and antispasmodic.
Other factors are not discussed here are because there were too few people with that experience or there wasn't a majority with that experience.
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