393. Cuminum.—Cumin Seed.
Botanical name:
393. CUMINUM—CUMIN SEED. The fruit of Cumi'num cym'inum Linné. Habitat: Egypt; cultivated in Southern Europe. Resembles caraway, but may be distinguished by its entirely different, peculiar, heavy odor, and in being whole fruits and not half-fruits, as in the latter; surface brown, rough, and hairy; ribs 18, oil-tubes 6; taste aromatic, bitterish, disagreeable. It contains a volatile oil, often used as a carminative, which consists of three different oils (two hydrocarbons and cuminol). Cumin is much stronger as a stimulant than the other umbelliferous fruits. Dose: 8 to 30 gr. (0.5 to 2 Gm.).
