Home Remedies with Ajwain

Home Remedies with Ajwain 

Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi), also known as carom seeds, is a small, erect, much branched, annual shrub of the coriander family. The dry seeds of the plant are harvested in the form of ajwain seeds. The seeds are egg-shaped having five ridges with a depression in the middle. These greenish-brown seeds are aromatic, tingling and slightly bitter.

It has been cultivated in India from ancient times, largely in Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Hyderabad, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. It is also extensively grown in other countries like Afghanistan, Iran and Egypt.

Ajwain seeds have been traditionally used as a spice, in flavoring numerous foods, as anti-oxidants, preservative and as medicine in Ayurveda. Some valuable Unani medicines are also prepared from its seeds. 

In this post, let’s learn about some simple and effective remedies with Ajwain for curing common health ailments-

• To treat indigestion, boil a tsp of seeds in a glass of water. Filter and add a pinch of rock salt to the filtrate. This preparation can be administered to cure diarrhea, dysentery, indigestion, colic and flatulence.
• Gargling mouth with the ajwain water helps in curing toothache.
• Taking a tsp of the seeds with buttermilk is known to relieve congestion due to formation of phlegm. This remedy is also effective in bronchitis.
• Dry cough can be cured by chewing betel leaf and ajwain seeds.
• Administering a mixture of ajwain seeds, black sesame and jaggery (twice daily) helps in treating the bed wetting problems among kids.
• Application of ajwain seeds oil (mixed with carrier oil) is said to cure rheumatic swelling and pain. Alternatively, one can boil ajwain seeds in water and expose the affected parts to its vapors.
• Sniffing powdered seeds wrapped in a tissue paper or thin cloth or even inhaling the fumes of ajwain helps reduce migraine headache.
• To improve digestion and cure acidity, mix ½ tsp of ajwain seeds with cumin seeds and take it with lukewarm water.
• Having a tsp of ajwain seeds with warm water on an empty stomach, or taking ½ tsp of seeds with jaggery is useful in relieving chest pain.
• Ajwain seed helps in purifying blood as well as reducing back pain during pregnancy.
• Ajwain is given to pregnant women with jaggery (gur) to improve digestion and ward off constipation. It is also believed to improve breast milk production in lactating mothers. One should be careful of not eating too much of this seed as it is known to increase the heat in the body and cause problems with the pregnancy.
• Topical application of ajwain seeds paste in curd helps in curing scars, acne, blackheads and blemishes on skin.
• Sprinkling Ajwain paste and mustard oil in the corners of the room can prove to be a good and effective mosquito repellent.
• For weight loss, boil a tsp of Ajwain seeds in a litre of water. Allow it to cool, strain and sip on this liquid through the day. By speeding up your metabolism and relieving you of any indigestion, this would help you shed weight much faster.