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Caraway seeds

Caraway is a plant that has been the subject of several legends throughout history. It was once believed that caraway had the power to prevent the theft of an object containing its seeds and that caraway had the ability to prevent two lovers from losing interest in each other. Today, caraway is said to have healing powers and the oil, seeds and fruit of the plant are used as medicine by some people. Caraway is used for digestive problems including heartburn, bloating, flatulence, loss of appetite and mild stomach and intestinal cramps. Caraway oil is also used to help cough up phlegm, improve control of urine flow, kill bacteria in the body and relieve constipation. Women use caraway oil to induce menstruation and relieve menstrual cramps. Breastfeeding women use caraway oil to increase milk flow. Caraway is used in mouthwashes and skin lotions to improve local blood circulation. In food, caraway is used as a spice. In industrial production, caraway oil is used as a flavoring agent in certain medicines. It is also used as a fragrance in toothpaste, soap and cosmetics.

How does caraway work?

Carawayoil may improve digestion and relieve cramps in the stomach and digestive tract.

How effective is caraway?

Carawayoil may be effective in combination with other medicinal herbs for heartburn. Taking caraway oil as part of a specific combination with peppermint oil appears to relieve heartburn, bloating and mild cramps in the digestive tract just as well as the drug Cisapride. Another combination product that contains extracts of bitter bowflower, angelica root, chamomile flowers, milk thistle fruit, lemon balm leaves, peppermint leaves, celandine and licorice root (Iberogast) also appears to relieve symptoms of indigestion. This specific combination appears to have a significant effect on heartburn, digestive tract cramps, nausea and vomiting. There is not enough scientific data to make a statement about the effectiveness of caraway for poor appetite, constipation, flatulence, a bloated feeling, menstrual cramps, poor circulation and infections, as well as for inducing menstruation or increasing milk flow in breastfeeding women. Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of caraway in these applications.

Safety and side effects

The use of caraway in medicinal quantities appears to be safe and harmless for most people when used for up to 8 weeks.

Caraway oil can cause belching, heartburn and nausea when used in combination with peppermint oil. It may cause skin rashes and itching in sensitive people when applied to the skin.

Precautions and warnings

Pregnancy and lactation: The use of caraway in medicinal quantities may not be safe or safe for pregnant women. Caraway oil is used to induce menstruation and could therefore cause a miscarriage.

Diabetes: There are concerns that caraway may lower blood sugar levels. For this reason, diabetics taking caraway should carefully monitor their blood sugar levels. It is possible that the dosage of diabetes medication may need to be adjusted.

Surgeries: Caraway could lower blood sugar levels. There are concerns that caraway may affect blood sugar control during and after surgery. For this reason, you should stop taking caraway at least 2 weeks before an operation.

Interactions

Care should be taken when taking caraway in combination with the following medications:

Diabetes medication

Caraway could lower blood sugar. Diabetes medication is also used to lower blood sugar levels. Taking caraway extracts 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 diabetes medication may need to be adjusted.

Dosage

The following dosages have been investigated in scientific studies:

Oral:

  • For heartburn: 50 to 100 mg caraway oil in combination with peppermint oil per day. A specific combination product containing caraway and several other medicinal herbs (Iberogast) was used in a dosage of 1 ml three times a day.

References

  1. Eddouks M, Lemhardri A, Michel JB. Caraway and caper: potential anti-hyperglycaemic plants in diabetic rats. J Ethnopharmacol 2004;94:143-8.
  2. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Title 21. Part 182 -- Substances Generally Recognized As Safe. Available at: http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid= 786bafc6f6343634fbf79fcdca7061e1&rgn=div5&view= text&node=21:3.0.1.1.13&idno=21
  3. Fetrow CW, Avila JR. Professional's Handbook of Complementary & Alternative Medicines. 1st ed. Springhouse, PA: Springhouse Corp, 1999.
  4. Herb Info Canada. Caraway website. www.herb.plant.org/caraway.htm (Accessed September 11, 2000).
  5. Holtmann G, Madisch A, Juergen H, et al. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial on the effects of an herbal preparation in patients with functional dyspepsia [Abstract]. Ann Mtg Digestive Disease Week 1999 May.
  6. Madisch A, Heydenreich CJ, Wieland V, et al. Treatment of functional dyspepsia with a fixed peppermint oil and caraway oil combination preparation as compared to cisapride. A multicenter, reference-controlled, double-blind equivalence study. Arzneimittelforschung 1999;49:925-32.
  7. Madisch A, Holtmann G, Mayr G, et al. Treatment of functional dyspepsia with a herbal preparation. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. Digestion 2004;69:45-52.
  8. May B, Kohler S, Schneider B. Efficacy and tolerability of a fixed combination of peppermint oil and caraway oil in patients suffering from functional dyspepsia. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2000;14:1671-7.
  9. May B, Kuntz HD, Kieser M, Kohler S. Efficacy of a fixed peppermint oil/caraway oil combination in non-ulcer dyspepsia. Arzneimittelforschung 1996;46:1149-53.
  10. Melzer J, Rosch W, Reichling J, et al. Meta-analysis: phytotherapy of functional dyspepsia with the herbal drug preparation STW 5 (Iberogast). Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2004;20:1279-87.
  11. Micklefield GH, Greving I, May B. Effects of peppermint oil and caraway oil on gastroduodenal motility. Phytother Res 2000;14:20-3.
  12. Zheng GQ, Kenney PM, Lam LK. Anethofuran, carvone, and limonene: potential cancer chemopreventive agents from dill weed oil and caraway oil. Planta Med 1992;58:338-41.
  13. Zheng GQ, Kenney PM, Lam LK. Anethofuran, carvone, and limonene: potential cancer chemopreventive agents from dill weed oil and caraway oil. Planta Med 1992;58:338-41.