Description

Ajwain or carom is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae.This spice is indigenous to Egypt but is also grown in many parts of South & West Asia, including Iran, India, Pakistan, and other countries. Gujarat and Rajasthan are regions within India that are well known for cultivating ajwain.The fruits are commonly dry-roasted or fried in ghee.It is widely used in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, often as part of tarka, a mixture of spices – sometimes with a little chopped garlic or onion – fried in oil or clarified butter. The fruits are sprinkled over bread and biscuits before baking and used in hoy tea. An extract of bishop’s weed is manufactured as a prescription drug called methoxsalen (Uvadex, 8-Mop, Oxsoralen) provided as a skin cream or oral capsule to treat psoriasis, repigmentation from vitiligo, or skin disorders of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.This is likely attributed to two of its active compounds, thymol and carvacrol, which have been shown to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi. Carom seeds may act as a calcium-channel blocker and help lower blood pressure level, seed extract may have anti-inflammatory properties.