Family : Apiaceae

English : Cumin

Hindi : Jira

Gujarati : Jiru

Sanskrit : Jiraka, Jeerak

Part used : Fruit

Botanical Description: A small slender glabrous annual herb about 30cm in height with much branched angular or striated stem; leaves blusih green two or three partite, ultimate segments filiform, leafbase sheathing; flowers small, white or rose coloured in compound umbels; fruits greyish, tapering towards the end and compressed laterally with ridges covered by papillise hair. Flowering and fruiting from December to April.

It is found throughout the hotter regions of India.

Modern Pharmacological Action: Cumin (oils as well as their aqueous and solvent derived extracts) have shown significant antioxidant activity in several test methods. Numerous investigations have revealed a potential antimicrobial activity of cumin. This antibacterial action was assessed against a range of useful and pathogenic gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains. The antidiabetic effects of cumin products are amply documented