Ajwain

Botanical Name

Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague

Family

Apiaceae (Umbelliferae)

Synonyms

Ammi copticum L, Trachyspermum copticum (L.) Link, Carum copticum (L.) Benth.& Hook. f.

Regional Name

English: Bishop's Weed, Hindi: Ajwain, Jevain,  Sanskrit: Yavani, Yamanika, Dipyaka, Punjabi: Lodhar, Urdu: Ajwain, Assamese: Jain, Bengali: Yamani, Yauvan, Yavan, Javan, Yavani, Yoyana Gujrati: Ajma, Ajmo, Yavan, Javain, Kannada: Oma, Yom, Omu, Kashmiri: Kath, Malayalam: Omam, Ayanodakan, Marathi : Onva, Oriya : Juani, Tamil :Omam, Telugu :  Vamu.

Part Used

Fruit.

Description

Ajwain is a small, erect, annual shrub that is cultivated in black soil particularly along the riverbank throughout India. It is also grown in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Central Asian countries, China and Africa. Fruits are minute, egg-shaped, ovoid, compressed, about 2 mm long and 1 mm wide. The surface of fruits is rough with soft fine hairs, greyish brown in color with a characteristic odor and pungent taste.

Medicinal Uses

Ajwain is used in Relieves diarrhea and colic due to their stimulating, carminative, and anti-spasmodic properties. Yavani acts as an expectorant. Relieves bronchitis, habitual drinking, sore-throat, and decongest digestive and respiratory tracts. Relieves cough, cold, influenza, arthritis, asthma, and rheumatism.

Phytoconstituents

The main chemical constituents of the fruit of the herb is 50% of essential oil which consists of thymol and 21.8% fat, 21.2% fiber, and 24.6% carbohydrates per 100 grams of the seeds. Fatty acids, contains palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, petroselenic acid, and resin acid. Other monoterpenoids include dipentene, p-cymene, camphene, b-3-carene, carvacrol, limonene, myrcene; alpha, beta, and gamma- pinene and Glycosides. The main minerals in the seeds are calcium, phosphorus, and iron, while its major vitamins are carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin.