WikiDwarf at 10:50, 11 July 2021

2021-07-11T10:50:00Z

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{{short description|Species of plant}}
{{About|the plant in the family Apiaceae cultivated for its seeds |the plant in the family Lamiaceae cultivated for its leaves|Plectranthus amboinicus}}
{{speciesbox
|image=Carom Flowers.jpg
|image_caption = Flowers of ''Trachyspermum ammi''
|image_alt = Flowers of Trachyspermum ammi
|genus = Trachyspermum
|species = ammi
|authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]) [[Thomas Archibald Sprague|Sprague]] ex Turrill
|synonyms =
* ''Ammi copticum'' L.
* ''Carum copticum'' (L.) [[Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link|Link]]
* ''Trachyspermum copticum'' [[Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link|Link]]
* ''Sison ammi'' L.
|synonyms_ref = <ref name=GRIN>{{GRIN | access-date = 11 December 2017}}</ref><ref>[https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=522739 ITIS entry for ''Trachyspermum ammi'']</ref>
}}

'''Ajwain''', '''ajowan'''<ref name=oed>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/ajowan|title=ajowan - Definition of ajowan in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}</ref> ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|dʒ|ə|w|ɒ|n}}), or '''''Trachyspermum ammi'''''—also known as '''ajowan{{nbsp}}caraway''', '''thymol seeds''', '''bishop's weed''', or '''carom'''—is an [[annual plant|annual]] [[herb]] in the family [[Apiaceae]].<ref name="dhcp">{{cite web |title=Ajwain |url=http://dhcrop.bsmrau.net/ajwain/?doing_wp_cron=1614963208.0756139755249023437500 |publisher=Digital Herbarium of Crop Plants |access-date=5 March 2021 |date=4 October 2016}}</ref> Both the leaves and the [[seed]]‑like [[fruit]] (often mistakenly called seeds) of the plant are consumed by humans. The name "[[bishop's weed]]" also is a common name for other plants. The "seed" (i.e., the fruit) is often confused with [[lovage]] "seed".<ref name="Green2006">{{cite book|author=Aliza Green|title=Field Guide to Herbs & Spices: How to Identify, Select, and Use Virtually Every Seasoning at the Market|url=https://archive.org/details/fieldguidetoherb0000gree|url-access=registration|date=January 2006|publisher=Quirk Books|isbn=978-1-59474-082-4|pages=[https://archive.org/details/fieldguidetoherb0000gree/page/116 116]–117}}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:Carom.jpg|thumb|Ajwain fruit ([[schizocarp]]s)]]

Ajwain's small, oval-shaped, seed-like fruits are pale brown [[schizocarp]]s, which resemble the seeds of other plants in the family Apiaceae such as [[caraway]], [[cumin]] and [[fennel]]. They have a bitter and pungent taste, with a flavor similar to [[anise]] and [[oregano]]. They smell almost exactly like [[thyme]] because they also contain [[thymol]], but they are more aromatic and less subtle in taste, as well as being somewhat bitter and pungent. Even a small number of fruits tends to dominate the flavor of a dish.<ref name="Green2006" />

==Cultivation and production==
The plant is mainly cultivated in [[Iran]] and [[India]].<ref name="Green2006" />

==Culinary uses==
The fruits are rarely eaten raw; they are commonly [[dry roasting|dry-roasted]] or fried in [[ghee]] (clarified butter). This allows the spice to develop 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. It is also an important ingredient for herbal medicine practiced there. In [[Afghanistan]], the fruits are sprinkled over bread and biscuits.<ref name="Davidson2014">{{cite book|author=Alan Davidson|title=The Oxford Companion to Food|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RL6LAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA9|year=2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-967733-7|pages=9–}}</ref>

==As a medication==
There is little high-quality [[evidence-based medicine|clinical evidence]] that ajwain has anti-disease properties in humans.<ref name="drugs">{{cite web |title=Bishop's weed: ''Trachyspermum ammi'' L. Sprague |url=https://www.drugs.com/npp/bishop-s-weed.html |publisher=Drugs.com |access-date=21 November 2019 |date=9 January 2018}}</ref> Ajwain is sold as a [[dietary supplement]] in [[capsule (pharmacy)|capsules]], liquids, or powders.<ref name=drugs/> An [[extract]] of bishop's weed is manufactured as a [[prescription drug]] called [[methoxsalen]] (''Uvadex'', ''8-Mop'', ''Oxsoralen'') provided as a [[cream (pharmaceutical)|skin cream]] or oral capsule to treat [[psoriasis]], repigmentation from [[vitiligo]], or skin disorders of [[cutaneous T-cell lymphoma]].<ref name=drugs/><ref name="drugs-meth">{{cite web |title=Methoxsalen (systemic) |url=https://www.drugs.com/ppa/methoxsalen-systemic.html |publisher=Drugs.com |access-date=21 November 2019 |date=6 October 2019}}</ref> Because methoxsalen has numerous interactions with [[prescription drug|disease-specific drugs]], it is prescribed to people only by experienced [[physician]]s.<ref name=drugs-meth/>

Ajwain is used in [[traditional medicine]] practices, such as [[Ayurveda]], in [[herbalism|herbal blends]] in the belief it can treat various disorders.<ref name=drugs/><ref>{{Cite book|title=Handbook of medicinal herbs|last=1929-|first=Duke, James A.|date=2002|publisher=CRC Press|others=Duke, James A., 1929-|isbn=978-0849312847|edition= 2nd|location=Boca Raton, FL|oclc=48876592}}</ref> There is no evidence or regulatory approval that oral use of ajwain in herbal blends is effective or safe.<ref name=drugs/>

===Adverse effects===
Women who are pregnant should not use ajwain due to potential [[adverse effect]]s on fetal development, and its use is discouraged while breastfeeding.<ref name=drugs/> In high amounts taken orally, bishop's weed is considered to be [[toxicity|toxic]] and can result in fatal poisoning.<ref name=drugs/>

===Essential oil===
[[Hydrodistillation]] of ajwain fruits yields an [[essential oil]] consisting primarily of [[thymol]], [[gamma-terpinene]], [[p-cymene]], and more than 20 trace compounds which are predominantly [[terpenoid]]s.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Singh|first1=Gurdip|last2=Maurya|first2=Sumitra|last3=Catalan|first3=C.|last4=de Lampasona|first4=M. P.|title=Chemical Constituents, Antifungal and Antioxidative Effects of Ajwain Essential Oil and Its Acetone Extract|journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry|date=June 2004|volume=52|issue=11|pages=3292–3296|doi=10.1021/jf035211c|pmid=15161185}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/ajowan.html Ajwain] [https://archive.ph/obrN Archived] 9 December 2012. from The Encyclopedia of Spices

{{Herbs & spices}}

[[Category:Edible Apiaceae]]
[[Category:Antiflatulents]]
[[Category:Spices]]
[[Category:Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine]]
[[Category:Plants used in Ayurveda]]
[[Category:Flora of Nepal]]
[[Category:Apiaceae]]
[[Category:Indian spices]]

Ajwain - Revision history

WikiDwarf at 10:50, 11 July 2021