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Carum carvi - L.

Caraway

Author	L.	Botanical references	17
Family	Umbelliferae	Genus	Carum
Synonyms
Known Hazards	Caraway is said to contain the alleged 'psychotroph' myristicine[218].
Range	Europe. Rarely naturalized in Britain. Perhaps native in S.E. England[17].
Habitat	Moist meadows, arable land and waste places from lowland to mountain elevations[9, 165, 244].
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	3 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Biennial growing to 0.6m by 0.25m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Root; Seed.

Edible Uses: Condiment; Tea.

Seed - raw or cooked. A spicy flavour, it is used as a flavouring in confectionery and bread, also as a flavouring in salads, vegetables etc[2, 4, 5, 9, 18, 20, 27, 183]. It is high in protein and fat[14]. The seed is often chewed after a meal in order to sweeten the breath and also to relieve heartburn after a rich meal[244]. Per 100g, the seed contains 333 calories, 10g water, 20g protein, 14.5g fat, 50g carbohydrate, 12.5g fibre, 6g ash, 689mg calcium, 568mg phosphorus, 16.2mg iron, 258mg magnesium, 17mg sodium, 1351mg potassium, 5.5mg zinc, 363 IU vitamin A, 0.383mg thiamine, 0.379mg riboflavin, 3.61mg niacin[218]. An essential oil from the seed is used as a flavouring in ice creams, candy, soft drinks etc[183, 238]. It is an essential ingredient of the liqueur kümmel[244]. Root - cooked[183]. Used as a vegetable like parsnips[2, 4, 9, 14, 55, 115]. Stronger in taste than parsnips, but liked by many[207]. A delicious vegetable[244]. Leaves - raw or as a flavouring in soups etc[2, 14, 27, 55, 115]. The young leaves are much less spicy than the seeds and are a good salad[9], having a mild parsley-dill flavour[238]. They give an aromatic tang to salads[244]. Older leaves can be cooked as a spinach[183]. The crushed seeds are brewed into a tea[183]. It has a soothing effect on the digestion[244].

Composition

Figures in grams (g) or miligrams (mg) per 100g of food.

Leaf (Fresh weight)

• 253 Calories per 100g
• Water: 7.2%
• Protein: 20g; Fat: 4.4g; Carbohydrate: 55.8g; Fibre: 11.9g; Ash: 12.6g;
• Minerals - Calcium: 1784mg; Phosphorus: 543mg; Iron: 48.8mg; Magnesium: 451mg; Sodium: 208mg; Potassium: 3308mg; Zinc: 3.3mg;
• Vitamins - A: 0mg; Thiamine (B1): 0.42mg; Riboflavin (B2): 0.28mg; Niacin: 2.8mg; B6: 1.5mg; C: 0mg;
• Reference: []
• Notes: 

Seed (Fresh weight)

• 333 Calories per 100g
• Water: 9.9%
• Protein: 19.8g; Fat: 14.6g; Carbohydrate: 49.9g; Fibre: 12.6g; Ash: 5.9g;
• Minerals - Calcium: 689mg; Phosphorus: 568mg; Iron: 16.2mg; Magnesium: 258mg; Sodium: 17mg; Potassium: 1351mg; Zinc: 5.5mg;
• Vitamins - A: 363mg; Thiamine (B1): 0.38mg; Riboflavin (B2): 0.38mg; Niacin: 3.6mg; B6: 0mg; C: 0mg;
• Reference: []
• Notes: 

Medicinal Uses

Antiseptic; Antispasmodic; Aromatic; Carminative; Digestive; Emmenagogue; Expectorant; Galactogogue; Ophthalmic; Stimulant.

Caraway has a long history of use as a household remedy especially in the treatment of digestive complaints where its antispasmodic action soothes the digestive tract and its carminative action relieves bloating caused by wind and improves the appetite[4, 238, 254]. It is often added to laxative medicines to prevent griping[238]. The seed is antiseptic, antispasmodic, aromatic, carminative, digestive, emmenagogue, expectorant, galactogogue and stimulant[4, 7, 9, 21, 46, 165, 222, 240]. It can be chewed raw for the almost immediate relief of indigestion and can also be made into infusions[238]. The seed is also used in the treatment of bronchitis and are an ingredient of cough remedies, especially useful for children[254]. The seed is also said to increase the production of breast milk in nursing mothers[254]. The seed is harvested when fully ripe, then dried and stored in a cool, dry place out of the sunlight[244]. The essential oil can be extracted from the seed and has similar properties[4]. A tea made from the seeds is a pleasant stomachic and carminative, it has been used to treat flatulent colic[207, 222]. The seed is used in Tibetan medicine where it is considered to have an acrid taste and a heating potency[241]. It is used to treat failing vision and loss of appetite[241].

Other Uses

Essential; Parasiticide.

An essential oil from the seed is used in perfumery, for scenting soap, as a parasiticide etc[7, 46, 74, 171]. Twenty-five kilos of seed yield about 1 kilo of essential oil[4]. The essential oil yield of the seed from plants cultivated in Poland is up to 10.33%[240].

Scented Plants

Plant: Fresh Crushed Dried

All parts of the plant are aromatic.

Cultivation details

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil as long as it is not too wet in winter[1]. Prefers a moist soil in full sun or partial shade[4, 200]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.8 to 7.6. Caraway is a well-known herb that has been cultivated for its culinary and medicinal uses since ancient times[244]. It is frequently cultivated in the modern herb garden and sometimes also commercially[4, 46], there are some named varieties[183]. Plants growing in more northerly latitudes and also in full sun are richer in essential oils and therefore more aromatic[4, 245]. Plants strongly resent root disturbance[200]. They often self-sow freely when in a suitable location[244]. This species is deep rooted[201] and is a good plant for breaking up the sub-soil on heavy, wet land[18, 20]. It dislikes growing near fennel or wormwood[14, 20] but is a good companion for most plants, especially those that are shallow-rooted[201]. The flowers attract parasitic wasps to the garden, these prey on aphids and so help to reduce populations of insect pests[238].

Propagation

Seed - it is best sown in situ as soon as it is ripe in late summer and early autumn[4, 200]. The seed can also be sown March/April in situ[200], though in areas with cool summers the plants might not produce a crop of ripe seeds[238]. Plants are very sensitive to root disturbance and should not be transplanted.

Cultivars

No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Links

Permaculture.info Details of this plant in the Permaculture.info project, a community plant and permaculture database.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[5] Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974 ISBN 0-00-219060-5
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press 0 ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[55] Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973
Interesting reading.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[115] Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 0
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.

[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism. 0
An excellent small herbal.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.

[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[241] Tsarong. Tsewang. J. Tibetan Medicinal Plants Tibetan Medical Publications, India 1994 ISBN 81-900489-0-2
A nice little pocket guide to the subject with photographs of 95 species and brief comments on their uses.

[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers Comments

Carum carvi

Dr. med. Veronika Rampold Mon Dec 26 2005

Carawaym, sown from spice cupboard as mentioned at Coriander, did not flower in second year as expected, with the exception of one plant. I am curious whether there will be plants remaining "in childhood stage" even in their third year.

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