Did you know that Ajwain plant is mainly cultivated in India, with Surendranagar district in Gujarat producing about 55% of India's total output?
Ajwain plant or Ajowan, also known as Ajowan caraway, thymol seeds, bishop's weed, or carom, is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae (or Umbelliferae). Its common name is Wild Celery Seeds. Its Ayurvedic medicinal names are : Ajwain, Ajmoda. Its seed used as spice bearing a resemblance to dill plant (an annual herb), its plant growing up to 3 feet. It is available in all most all parts of the India; Surendranagar district produces about 55% of India's total output, It is also grown extensively in Iran.
The name Ajwain is derived from the Hindi word 'Adarjawan' that means “one which feeds” (attributed to the carminative properties). Ajwain's small, oval-shaped, seed-like fruits are pale brown schizocarps, which resemble the seeds of other plants in the family Apiaceae such as caraway, cumin and fennel. The small, brown seeds have light - coloured stripes closely resemble cumin seeds, These seeds are 2 mm long and 1 mm broad with five ridges over each seed with a depression in the middle. Inside the seed there are nine oil tubes that run vertically in them. The presence of an essential oil called Ajwain oil gives its characteristic odor and taste, with a flavor similar to anise and oregano.
The Ajwain fruits are rarely eaten raw; they are commonly dry-roasted or fried in ghee (clarified butter). This gives the spice a more subtle and complex aroma. It is widely used in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, often as part of a chaunk (also called a tarka), a mixture of spices - sometimes with a little chopped garlic or onion - fried in oil or clarified butter, which is used to flavor a dish at the end of cooking.
Oil of Ajwain or Omum (Oleium ptychot) is prepared colourless but soon acquires yellow tinge and has an acrid burning taste, This essential oil contains about 50% thymol, a well known antiseptic compound. It has high calcium and iron content.
Ajwain is also an important ingredient for herbal medicine. Oil of Ajwain is used in surgery as an antiseptic and has been found very effective in the treatment of hookworm. Leaves of Ajwain are used as a vermicide. Aqueous solution of thymol is an excellent mouthwash. It is also used in veterinary medicine. Also effective in skin diseases when used in conjunction with asafoetida and rock salt.
The seeds are a staple in India, when rice is served with Ajwain added enhances digestion. It excels in relieving gas and many folks use tea made of Ajwain and fennel seeds as carminative remedy
Ajwain is marketed as a dietary supplement in capsules, liquids, or powders.
- Narasipur Char
