Cumin

Cumin is a plant whose seeds are used to make medicine. Cumin is used for digestive problems including diarrhea, colic, abdominal cramps and flatulence. Cumin is also used to increase urine flow to flush out water retention, to induce menstruation and to increase sexual arousal. In food and drink, cumin is used as a spice and flavoring. In industrial production, cumin oil is used as a fragrance in cosmetics.

How does cumin work?

It is not known what effect cumin might have on the ailments for which it is used.

How effective is cumin?

There is not enough scientific data to make a statement about the effectiveness of cumin for diarrhea, colic, flatulence, abdominal cramps, water retention and menstrual problems, as well as for increasing sexual arousal. Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of cumin in these applications.

Safety and side effects

Cumin is safe and harmless in food-grade amounts and appears to be safe and harmless for most adults in appropriate medicinal doses. The potential side effects of cumin are not known.

Precautions and warnings:

Pregnancy and lactation: not enough is known about the use of cumin during pregnancy and lactation. For this reason, pregnant and breastfeeding women are better off avoiding cumin.

Surgeries: Cumin could lower blood sugar levels and there are therefore concerns that it could affect blood sugar control during and after surgery. For this reason, you should stop taking cumin two weeks before an operation.

Interactions

Care should be taken when combining cumin with the following medications:

Diabetes medications

Cumin could lower blood sugar. Diabetes medication is also used to lower blood sugar levels. Taking cumin in combination with diabetes medication could result in an excessive drop in blood sugar levels. For this reason, blood sugar levels should be carefully monitored. It is possible that the dosage of the diabetes medication may need to be adjusted.

Dosage

An appropriate dosage of cumin depends on various factors such as age, health status and others. At the present time, there is insufficient scientific data to make a statement about appropriate dosage ranges for cumin. For this reason, you should follow the dosage instructions on the label and/or consult a doctor or pharmacist before use.