Cumin - Cuminum cyminum

Common Names: Cumin, Roman cumin, Comino, Cumin de Malte, Bitter Anise, Cuminum odorum, Cummin, Jeeraka, Zira, Svetajiraka, Djintan, Jeera, Kümmel, international: Cuminum cyminum

Latin Name: Cuminum cyminum

Origin: Asia, Europe, South America, North America

Short Introduction

Cumin has been known since the times of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Over time, human cultivation has spread the herb throughout North Africa. Cumin is a tropical and subtropical crop that is drought-resistant. Its optimal growth temperature ranges between 25 and 30 °C, with the Mediterranean climate considered ideal. Cultivation requires a long, hot summer lasting 3 to 4 months.

To this day, cumin is commercially grown in the Mediterranean region and India. The largest producer is India (accounting for 70%—about 856,000 tons in 2020), followed by Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran. In India, cumin is sown from October to early December, with harvest beginning in February. In Syria and Iran, sowing occurs from mid-November to mid-December (sometimes extending until mid-January), with harvest in June or July.

The herb is cultivated from seeds, which require temperatures of 2 to 5 °C to sprout (optimum is 20–30 °C). Soaking seeds for 8 hours before sowing increases germination rates. Fertile, sandy, loamy soils with good aeration, proper drainage, and high oxygen availability are preferred for cumin cultivation. The optimal soil pH is between 6.8 and 8.3. Recommended sowing depth is 1–2 cm, with a planting density of about 120 plants per m².

Detailed Description

A classic spice with a storied millennia-long tradition.

Botanical Information

Cumin is technically the dried seed of the herb Cuminum cyminum, part of the parsley family. The plant grows to a height of 30–50 cm and is harvested by hand. It is an annual herb with a slender, hairless, branched stem, typically 20–30 cm tall and 3–5 cm in diameter. Each branch has two to three sub-branches, all reaching the same height. The stem ranges from gray to dark green. Leaves are 5–10 cm long, feathery, and composed of threadlike leaflets. Flowers are small, white or pink. The fruit is a spindle-shaped or ovoid achene, 4–5 mm long, containing a single seed. Cumin seeds have eight ridges with essential oil channels.

Origin and Distribution

Cumin likely originates from Central Asia, Southwest Asia, or the Eastern Mediterranean. Seeds of this type of cumin have been unearthed from archaeological sites dating back to the early 6th millennium BCE, found in both Syria and Egypt.

In Minoan culture, cumin was a significant spice in ancient Crete. The ancient Greeks kept cumin on dining tables, like salt and pepper—a tradition still seen in Morocco today. Cumin was also widely used in ancient Rome and has been an essential part of Indian cuisine for millennia.

Usage / Dosage

Traditionally, cumin has been valued for its anti-inflammatory, diuretic, carminative (relieving flatulence), and antispasmodic properties. It is also used to support the treatment of indigestion, jaundice, diarrhea, bloating, and digestive disorders. Cumin powder has been used in poultices and also smoked in pipes. In Iran, cumin has historically been used to treat toothache and epilepsy. It is additionally found as a fragrant ingredient in creams, lotions, and perfumes.

Cumin is a key ingredient in Indian cuisine—as jeera—and is fundamental to many curry recipes, providing the characteristic aroma. In Central Asian states, it is known as zira. In Indonesian cuisine, it’s called djintan. Across the Balkans, cumin seasons ground meats for kebabs, local salamis, and sausages. It is also used in liqueur-making and found in certain cheeses and traditional French breads. Cumin is added to chili powder (Tex-Mex or Mexican-style) and spice blends such as achiote, adobos, sofrito, garam masala, curry, and baharat, and flavors many commercial foods.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

Cumin is traditionally used to address gastrointestinal, inflammatory, and neurological disorders, including tooth pain. In Iranian traditional medicine, cumin fruits are used for colic, diarrhea, indigestion, gas, and to stimulate breast milk production. In Italy, it is commonly used for various gastrointestinal and neurological complaints.

Antioxidant Effects

Cumin seeds contain flavonoids, widely recognized today for their antioxidant activity. In mouse studies, cumin seeds increased glutathione levels and stimulated other antioxidant substances.

A double-blind, controlled clinical trial randomized 78 overweight Iranian adults to take cumin (300 mg/day as essential oil), orlistat (360 mg/day), or placebo for 8 weeks, assessing cumin’s effects on weight loss, metabolic parameters, and oxidative stress biomarkers. Increased enzymatic (amylase, lipase, protease, phytase) and antioxidant activity was observed with cumin saline and aqueous extracts, as well as its oleoresin and essential oil content.

Water-soluble polysaccharides in cumin effectively stimulated RAW and NK-92 cell expression of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-12, and the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and promoted nitric oxide release.

Cumin essential oils show significant antioxidant activity, with phenol levels rising as the herb matures. Both pure extracts and active constituents of cumin have been found highly effective.

Antimicrobial Activity

The antibacterial activity of ethanol extracts of cumin has been demonstrated against Staphylococcus aureus. Cumin essential oil has notable antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, and in vitro cytotoxic activities. Antifungal effects against Candida albicans have also been reported. Cumin’s essential oil shows a broad-spectrum antimycotic effect against various pathogenic Candida strains and other fungi.

Scientific studies have reported fungistatic, larvicidal, repellent, and ovicidal activities of cumin seed essential oil, as well as its four main components (cymene, cuminaldehyde, γ-terpinene, and (–)-β-pinene). Cumin is considered a highly useful ecological alternative for controlling insect infestations in food products.

Anticancer Effects

In mice, cumin seeds inhibited the development of squamous cell carcinoma in the stomach. Cumin also showed a protective effect against colon cancer in rats, with notable reductions in enzyme activity (beta-glucuronidase, mucinase), fewer polyps, and less morphological change. No clinical data are available regarding cumin’s use in cancer treatment.

Antidiabetic Activity

Supplementing with cumin has reportedly improved fasting blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin. Cumin essential oil also displayed strong antidiabetic activity via inhibition of α-amylase.

Animal studies showed cumin lowered blood glucose levels, possibly by inhibiting aldose reductase and alpha-glucosidase. Other animal studies documented reduced plasma and tissue cholesterol, phospholipids, free fatty acids, and triglycerides. A 1991 study suggested cumin seeds may benefit patients with diabetes.

Anti-inflammatory Activity

Cumin treatment has been shown to affect several inflammatory biomarkers, including adiponectin, highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and TNF-α. A 2018 study explored cumin’s anti-inflammatory effects in detail.

Immunomodulatory Activity

Cumin is an effective immunomodulator; its administration significantly and in a dose-dependent manner increased CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte counts and modulated T lymphocyte expression.

Active Compounds

Cumin contains cuminaldehyde, cymene, and terpenoids as the main components of cumin oil, which is widely used for flavoring, perfumes, and essential oils. Cumin’s distinctive taste and aroma come from the essential oil, aromatic compounds, and cuminaldehyde. Further aromatic compounds include substituted pyrazines, 2-ethoxy-3-isopropylpyrazine, 2-methoxy-butylpyrazine, and 2-methoxy-3-methylpyrazine. Other constituents are γ-terpinene, safranal, p-cymene, and β-pinene.

Cumin contains significant amounts of fat (especially monounsaturated fats), proteins, and fiber. It is also a source of B vitamins, vitamin E, and several minerals, notably iron, magnesium, and manganese.

Shoots and flowers contain similar terpenoid compounds, with highest concentrations in the flowers. Notably, α-pinene and β-pinene are absent from the roots; α-phellandrene is the only terpenoid detected in the leaves, while flowers have the highest concentrations of α-pinene.

Cumin fruits contain cellulose, oils, minerals, proteins, sugar, volatile oils (about 1.5%), and numerous phenolic compounds.

Traditional Dosage

Cumin powder at a dose of 3 g/day (1.5 g twice daily with lunch and dinner) significantly improved lipid parameters and body composition in overweight/obese women. A dose of 300 mg/day (as cumin supplement) for 8 weeks significantly improved weight, BMI, insulin levels, insulin sensitivity, and beta-cell function in overweight adults. Other optimal dosages have not been established.