cumin plant

Cuminum cyminum · Accepted scientific name

Scientific literature: Very Extensive (963 studies) · ★★★★★

Cumin plant, scientifically known as Cuminum cyminum, is a highly aromatic annual herb belonging to the Apiaceae family. Renowned for its essential oils, this plant serves as a vital culinary spice and a potent medicinal agent, widely utilized in traditional medicine to aid digestion and reduce systemic inflammation.

Family
Apiaceae
Native range
Europe
Parts used
Seed · Fruit
Common names
Cumin
Scientific synonyms
Cuminia Cyminum · Cuminum Sativum · 8 more

Names

Common Names

Regional and Traditional Names

Spanish:

  • Comino comun
  • Cuminum odorum
  • Cuminum officinale
  • Ligusticum cuminum
  • Comino
  • Comino hortense
  • Cuminum hispanicum
  • Cyminon longeinvolucellatum
  • Alcamonia
  • Cominos
  • Comino fino
  • Comino real
  • Comino común
  • Luerssenia cyminum
  • comino

German:

  • Kreuzkümmel
  • Mutterkümmel
  • Kumin
  • Cumin
  • Römischer Kümmel
  • Weißer Kümmel
  • Welscher Kümmel
  • Kreuzkümmel

French:

  • cumin
  • Cumin
  • cumin blanc
  • cumin de Maroc
  • faux anis
  • cumin de Malte

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Cuminum cyminum

Synonyms

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Apiales, it is classified under the family Apiaceae. Finally, it is identified by its specific genus, Cuminum.

Rank Classification Source
Kingdom Plantae WCVP
Phylum Streptophyta WCVP
Class Equisetopsida WCVP
Subclass Magnoliidae WCVP
Order Apiales WCVP
Family Apiaceae WCVP
Genus Cuminum WCVP

Distribution

This plant exhibits a diverse presence across several key regions of the European continent. In Northern Europe, its distribution can be traced to the landscapes of Great Britain. Moving into Middle Europe, the species is found within the borders of Germany. Its range extends significantly through Southwestern Europe, encompassing both France and Spain. Finally, the geographical spread reaches into Southeastern Europe, specifically within Bulgaria.

Region Area Source
Northern Europe Great Britain WCVP
Middle Europe Germany WCVP
Southwestern Europe France WCVP
Southwestern Europe Spain WCVP
Southeastern Europe Bulgaria WCVP
Southeastern Europe Sicilia WCVP
Northern Africa Algeria WCVP
Northern Africa Egypt WCVP
Northern Africa Libya WCVP
Northern Africa Morocco WCVP

Plant Parts

This plant, Cuminum cyminum, is widely cultivated for its various components that contribute to its medicinal and culinary value. The most significant parts utilized are the small, aromatic fruits that develop from the flowers, which are commonly referred to as cumin seeds in both medical and culinary contexts. Within these seeds, a high concentration of essential oils is found, providing the plant with its characteristic pungent aroma and therapeutic properties. When these essential oil components are extracted, they serve as a potent source for various traditional remedies used to aid digestion and reduce inflammation.
Plant Part Sources Consensus
seed Phytotherapy research : PTR (and other 6 sources) ★★★☆☆
fruit Natural product research (and other 3 sources) ★★☆☆☆
leaf Journal of plant research (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆

Chemicals

Cuminum cyminum has 166 reported phytochemicals identified across 10 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include cuminaldehyde, Cumin aldehyde, Flavonoid, Linalool, luteolin.

Chemicals reported in Cuminum cyminum
Chemical Supporting sources Consensus
cuminaldehyde 7 supporting sources ★★★★☆
Cumin aldehyde 3 supporting sources ★★☆☆☆
Flavonoid 3 supporting sources ★★☆☆☆
Linalool 3 supporting sources ★★☆☆☆
luteolin 3 supporting sources ★★☆☆☆
1,8-Cineole 2 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆
Carotenoid 2 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆
Caryophyllene 2 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆
Flavonoids 2 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆
IRON 2 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆

cuminaldehyde

  1. Dr. Duke
  2. Drug research
  3. Reviews on recent clinical trials
  4. BMC plant biology
  5. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
View 2 additional sources
  1. Frontiers in bioscience (Landmark edition)
  2. Scientific reports

Cumin aldehyde

  1. Scientific reports
  2. Veterinary research forum : an international quarterly journal
  3. Journal of the science of food and agriculture

Flavonoid

  1. Scientific reports
  2. PloS one
  3. Genetics and molecular research : GMR

Linalool

  1. Dr. Duke
  2. Jundishapur journal of natural pharmaceutical products
  3. Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France)

luteolin

  1. Dr. Duke
  2. Natural product research
  3. PloS one

1,8-Cineole

  1. Dr. Duke
  2. Jundishapur journal of natural pharmaceutical products

Carotenoid

  1. PloS one
  2. Scientific reports

Caryophyllene

  1. Dr. Duke
  2. Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine

Flavonoids

  1. Saudi journal of biological sciences
  2. Chemistry & biodiversity

IRON

  1. Dr. Duke
  2. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry

Activities

Cuminum cyminum has 538 reported activities identified across 10 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antibacterial, Antioxidant, Anticancer, Cytotoxic, Analgesic.

Most Reported Activities

Activity Sources Consensus
Antibacterial Dr. Duke (and other 6 sources) ★★★☆☆
Antioxidant Dr. Duke (and other 6 sources) ★★★☆☆
Anticancer Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) ★★☆☆☆
Cytotoxic Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) ★★☆☆☆
Analgesic Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Antidiabetic Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Antiepileptic Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Antihypertensive Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Antimicrobial Journal of integrative medicine (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Antiproliferative Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆

Medicinal Uses

Cuminum cyminum has 55 reported medicinal uses identified across 10 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include Staphylococcus aureus, cancer, overweight, Escherichia coli, Helicobacter pylori.

Most Reported Uses

Use Sources Consensus
Staphylococcus aureus Natural product communications (and other 4 sources) ★★☆☆☆
cancer Chemistry & biodiversity (and other 3 sources) ★★☆☆☆
overweight Iranian Red Crescent medical journal (and other 3 sources) ★★☆☆☆
Escherichia coli Natural product communications (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Helicobacter pylori World journal of gastroenterology (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Journal of tropical medicine (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
constipation The Libyan journal of medicine (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
diarrhea Pharmaceutical biology (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
fever Phytotherapy research : PTR (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
flatulence Pharmaceutical biology (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆

Preparations

Preparations Sources Consensus
essential oils Integrative medicine research (and other 5 sources) ★★★☆☆
methanolic extract Current issues in molecular biology (and other 3 sources) ★★☆☆☆
essential oil Journal of clinical and experimental dentistry (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
CMT Journal of personalized medicine (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Chloroformic extract Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
EO Scientific reports (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Essential oils Plants (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Et Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand = Chotmaihet thangphaet (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
acetonic extract Current issues in molecular biology (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
aqueous extract Current issues in molecular biology (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆