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Cumin seeds
contain numerous phyto-chemicals that are known to have antioxidant,
carminative and anti-flatulent properties. The seeds are an excellent source of
dietary fibre.
Its seeds contain
many health benefiting essential oils such as cuminaldehyde
(4-isopropylbenzaldehyde), pyrazines, 2-methoxy-3-sec-butylpyrazine,
2-ethoxy-3-isopropylpyrazine, and 2-methoxy-3-methylpyrazine.
The active
principles in the cumin may increase the motility of the gastro-intestinal
tract as well as increase the digestion power by increasing gastro-intestinal
enzyme secretions.
This spice is an
excellent source of minerals like iron, copper, calcium, potassium, manganese,
selenium, zinc and magnesium. Copper is required in the production of red blood
cells. Iron is required for red blood cell formation. Zinc is a co-factor in
many enzymes that regulate growth and development, sperm generation, digestion
and nucleic acid synthesis. Potassium is an important component of cell and
body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is
used by the body as a co-factor for the powerful anti-oxidant enzyme,
superoxide dismutase.
It also contains
very good amounts of B-complex vitamins such as thiamin, vitamin B-6, niacin,
riboflavin, and other vital anti-oxidant vitamins like vitamin E, vitamin A and
vitamin C.
The seeds are
also rich source of many flavonoid phenolic anti-oxidants such as carotenes,
zeaxanthin, and lutein.
Digestion: Cumin is extremely good for digestion and related problems. The
very aroma of cumin, which comes from an aromatic organic compound called Cumin
aldehyde, the main component of its essential oil, activates our salivary
glands in our mouth, which facilitates the primary digestion of food. Next is
thymol, a compound present in cumin, which stimulates the glands that secrete
acids, bile and enzymes responsible for complete digestion of the food in the
stomach and the intestines. Cumin is also Carminative, which means that it
relieves from you from gas troubles and thereby improves digestion and
appetite. Due to its essential oils, magnesium and sodium content, cumin
promotes digestion and also gives relief for stomach-aches when taken with hot
water.
Piles: The main cause behind piles (haemorrhoids) is constipation added
with infections in the wound in the anal tract, which are also caused by
constipation. Cumin, because of its dietary fibre content and carminative,
stimulating, antifungal and antimicrobial properties, acts as a natural
laxative in powdered form. These characteristics are due to the presence of
essential oils comprised mainly of Cumin aldehyde and certain pyrazines. Adding
cumin to your diet also helps in healing up of infections or wounds in the
digestive and excretory system and speeds up digestion as well. That pretty
much means that it clears up all of the symptoms and causes of haemorrhoids, so
keep that it mind when you start itching!
Diabetes: Although research is still ongoing, early studies report that
cumin, among a number of other spices, can have a powerful effect in preventing
diabetes by reducing the chances of hypoglycaemia. The animals that were tested
showed a sharp decline in hypoglycaemia when fed cumin seeds in their diet, and
they also showed a decrease in glycosuria, which is a condition where the urine
contains too much glucose, also resulting in hypoglycaemia and diabetes. Human
testing is ongoing, but early reports show that cumin can be a very powerful
tool in the battle against diabetes!
Insomnia: This is a very peculiar property of cumin. It is a stimulant as
well as a relaxant at the same time. This property cannot be attributed to a
single component alone, just as causes of insomnia cannot be attributed to a
single cause. However, studies show that the proper intake of vitamins
(particularly B-complex) and good digestion help to induce a sound sleep. It
helps in both of these factors. Some of the components of cumin essential oil
are hypnotic in nature and have tranquilizing effects, which also help to
relieve stress and anxiety that commonly causes insomnia.
Respiratory Disorders, Asthma, Bronchitis:
The presence of caffeine (the stimulating agent), and the richly aromatic
essential oils (the disinfectants) make cumin an ideal ant congestive
combination for those suffering from respiratory disorders such as asthma and
bronchitis. It acts as an expectorant, meaning that it loosens up the
accumulated phlegm and mucus in the respiratory tracts and makes it easier to
eliminate them from the system via sneezing or coughing up and spitting. By
eliminating as much of the mucus and phlegm as possible, it can inhibit the
formation of additional material and help to heal the initial condition that
led to its formation in the first place.
Common Cold: The common cold is a viral infection which affects our body
frequently when our immune system becomes weakened or vulnerable. Again, the
essential oils present in cumin act as disinfectants and help fight viral
infections which can cause the common cold. Cumin also suppresses the
development of coughing in the respiratory system since it dries up the excess
mucus. Cumin is rich in iron and has considerable amount of vitamin-C, which
are essential for a healthy immune system and keeps infections from forming or
becoming worse. Vitamin-C is also a natural antioxidant, so it defends against
other infections and toxins as well, further boosting the immune system.
Lactation: Cumin is rich in iron and thus very good for lactating mothers
as well as for women who are undergoing menses or who are pregnant, since they
are more in need of iron than others. Moreover, cumin is said to help ease and
increase secretion of milk in lactating women due to the presence of thymol,
which tends to increase secretions from our glands, including milk, which is a
secretion from the mammary glands. Also, cumin is more beneficial if taken with
honey. Cumin has remarkable amount of calcium (more than 900 mg per 100 grams)
which accounts for over 90% of our daily requirement of calcium. This calcium
is an important constituent of milk and hence cumin is very good for lactating
mothers.
Anaemia: As stated above, cumin is very rich in iron (more than 66 mg. in
every 100 grams) which is more than 5 times the daily requirement of iron for
an adult. This iron is the main constituent of haemoglobin in the red blood
corpuscles of blood. It is haemoglobin which transfers oxygen (as the oxide of
iron) to the body’s cells and whose deficiency causes anaemia. So, cumin can be
a nutritious additive to daily diet for anaemic people and avoid the symptoms
of anaemia like fatigue, anxiety, cognitive malfunction, and digestive issues.
Concentration and
Cognitive Malfunction: The amount of iron in cumin leads
to increased haemoglobin production and subsequent prevention of anaemia, but
that increased blood flow has other benefits as well. When your blood
circulation is in top form, adequate amounts of oxygen are able to reach the
organs and the brain, leading to optimal performance of those bodily systems.
Proper amounts of oxygen and iron in the brain lead to increased cognitive
performance and a decrease in cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and
dementia. For other organs, increased oxygenation increases efficiency and
speeds up the metabolism, which can boost your overall health, increase
strength, and prevent signs of aging.cuminbenefits1
Skin Disorders: Almost everyone knows that vitamin-E is good for the maintenance
of skin and the prevention of premature aging symptoms. It keeps the skin young
and glowing. This vitamin is also present in abundance in cumin. The essential
oils present in cumin have disinfectant and antifungal properties. This
prevents any microbial and fungal infection from affecting the skin. Not all
skin issues are disorders or infections, some of them are simply signs of
aging. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant in this regard and combats the free
radicals that attack the skin and result in signs of premature aging like
wrinkles, age spots, and sagging skin. This, combined with the antibacterial
capacity of cumin, makes for healthy, beautiful skin that lasts far into your
old age.
Boils: Boils are outlets for the removal of toxic substances and
foreign matters such as microbes from the body. This means that they are
symptoms which show that a high amount of toxic substances have accumulated in
the body. In this way, cumin can help you a great deal. Those who regularly use
cumin in food have a significant reduction in the occurrence of boils, rashes,
pimples, and other signs of excess toxin content. Components such as cumin
aldehyde, thymol, and phosphorus are good detoxifying agents which help in the
regular removal of toxins from the body. The healthy way of removing toxins is
through the excretory system, not through boils.
Immunity: As discussed above, an abundance of iron, the presence of
essential oils, vitamin-C, and vitamin-A in cumin boosts our immune system in a
number of ways. Vitamin C is one of the most powerful antioxidants that we have
in our body, and it also stimulates the function and activity of white blood
cells. As an antioxidant, vitamin C fights the detrimental effects of free
radicals, which are the dangerous by-products of cellular metabolism. They are
constantly being created in the body, and therefore, must be constantly
eliminated. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals that lead to many diseases,
including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
Cancer: Cumin itself has detoxifying and chemo preventive properties,
and accelerates the secretion of detoxifying and ant carcinogenic enzymes from
the glands, as it also does to other secretions. Furthermore, it has beneficial
antioxidants like vitamin-C and vitamin-A within its chemical makeup, in
addition to those essential oils. Besides having countless other benefits, the
antioxidants have ant carcinogenic properties too, and those found in cumin are
particularly good for colon cancer prevention.
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