The Cumin herbal plant has a long history. Since ancient times, it has been used as an herbal medicine and spice, especially in Europe, during the Middle Ages. It originally came from Upper Egypt, but was said to be used and popularized in Iran, China, India, Arabia and some other countries in the Mediterranean area. The Cumin Herbal Plant is slender and branched, and is also called Cuminum cyminum.

The name “cumin” is actually a derivative of the Persian city of Kerman. The local name for Kerman was “Kermun” which later on became “Kumun” and finally “cumin” in European languages. Today, the Cumin Herbal Plant is mostly grown as a commercial spice in Morocco, Egypt, India, Syria, North America, and Chile. 

The cumin herbal plant is a herbaceous perennial, belonging to the carrot family, Apiaceae.  It is a diminutive plant, rarely exceeding a foot in height. Like Fennel, the leaves of the cumin herbal plant are divided into long, narrow segments and colored deep green. In the months of June and July, the cumin herbal plant produces small, rose-colored or white flowers in stalked umbels with only four to six rays. The flowers contain seeds, which constitute the herbal properties of cumin. 

This herbal plant is even mentioned in the Bible. It is in the Book of Isaiah, and in the Gospel of John. Hippocrates and Dioscorides also used this plant in their herbal treatments. According to Pliny, cumin herbal plant was taken as medicine by ancient Greeks. They ground its seeds and consumed it together with their bread and water, or wine, to treat illnesses. 

When smoked, the cumin herbal seeds were said to change the pallor of the face, causing Horace to exclaim, “Ex sangue cuminum!” This was probably the basis for the Greeks’ belief that the plant is associated with the god of love, Eros.

There are various benefits the cumin herbal plant can give. It is categorized as a stimulant, antispasmodic, and carminative. Earlier herbalists held the cumin herbal plant has superior carminative properties as compared to Fennel or Caraway, but because of its disagreeable flavor, its use as a carminative is now almost exclusively confined to veterinary practice. 

The fruits of the cumin herbal plant contain fatty oil with resin, mucilage and gum, malates, and albuminous matter. Also, the thin film covering the seeds yields much tannin, which explained its use as a corrective for the flatulency of languid digestion. Formerly, the cumin herbal plant was also used to remedy colic and dyspeptic headache. 

The cumin herbal plant can also be used as a medicine. It has healing properties that, when combined with other drugs, can cure wounds. The stimulating ointment will then be applied externally as a form of plaster on the stitches and wounds. With these applications of the cumin herbal plant, it is no wonder why it is still in use today. With its rich history proving its effectiveness, there is no doubt that this herbal plant is the best herbal medicine there is.