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CARAWAY
Source: Carum carviL. (syn.Apium carvi
Crantz)(FamilyUmbelliferaeorApiaceae).
Common/vernacular names:Caraway, cara-
way fruit, caraway seed, carum.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Biennial herb with second-year stem up to
about 0.75 m high, widely branching; native to
Europe and western Asia and naturalized in
North America; widely cultivated. Part used is
the dried ripe fruit. An essential oil is obtained
from thefruit by steam distillation (GUENTHER).
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
The seeds contain glucides (coniferin, syrin-
gin, benzyl-b-D-glucopyranoside and others),
monoterpenoid alcohols,^1 2–8% (usually
3–7%) volatile oil, about 15% lipids, 20%
protein, ab(1!4) mannan, and flavonoids
(quercetin-3-glucuronide, isoquercitrin, etc.),
furano- and hydroxycoumarins, among others
(JIANGSU;MARSH;WICHTL).2–6
The volatile oil is composed mainly of a
ketone, carvone (50–65%), and a terpene,
limonene (35–45%) (a terpene), with minor
amounts of carveol, dihydrocarveol, dihydro-
carvone, thujone, pinene, phellandrene,
a-thujene,b-fenchene, and others (MASADA;
WICHTL).3,6–9Concentrations of the compo-
nents vary, depending on the degree of ripe-
ness of the fruit; contents of carvone, and other
oxygenated components increase as fruit
ripens.^8 Therefore, oils obtained from fully
mature seeds contain more carvone and less
limonene (and other terpenes) and are consid-
ered to be of a better quality (ARCTANDER).^3
PHARMACOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL
ACTIVITIES
Caraway is generally considered to have car-
minative and stomachic properties. Caraway
oil has been reported to exhibit antibacterial
activities in vitro as well as larvicidal proper-
ties.10,11It also has antispasmodic and anti-
histaminic activities on isolated animal organs
(JIANGSU).12–14
Powdered caraway inhibited lipid peroxida-
tion in stored chicken meat. An ethanol extract
of the seeds showed greater potency.^15 As a
supplement in the diet of mice, the oil inhibited
carcinogen-induced skin tumors; however,
best results were found from topical applica-
tion of the oil.^16 Carvone and limonene have
shownin vitrochemopreventive activity by
138 Caraway
