CUMIN

/ Jeanne Rose

CUMIN seed has 5,000 years of history in food, folklore, perfumery, and folk medicine.
Learn more about it.

CUMIN essential oil, herb, hydrosol Profile

By Jeanne Rose ~ September 2023

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COMMON NAME/LATIN BINOMIAL ~ Cumin, Cuminum cyminum,

OTHER COMMON NAME/NAMING INFORMATION ~ The English name Cumin comes from the Latin Cuminum, which was borrowed from the Greek kyminon. Cumin has many names, including Roman caraway and spice caraway, and is often mixed up with the unrelated black cumin.

FAMILY ~ Apiaceae also includes Celery, Carrots, Parsley, Dill, Fennel, and some poisonous plants such as Poison Hemlock.

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COUNTRIES OF ORIGINS ~ Cumin has been cultivated since the time of the Minoans who originated in the Bronze Age civilization of Crete that flourished from about 3000 BCE to about 1100 BCE. Cumin originated in the western part of Asia and has been cultivated for these many thousands of years. 

It is grown and harvested in many parts of the world, including Asia, Central and South America, Argentina, Egypt, Iran. The largest producer is India, Mexico, Morocco, and Turkey, and the oil is often distilled in France.

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ENDANGERED OR NOT ~ Not on the list of endangered or threatened species.

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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF PLANT HABITAT AND GROWTH ~ A slender, pretty, annual herb, Cumin grows up to one foot high and is confused with the Caraway plant. The scent is the primary difference. It needs a long, hot period to grow and mature, and rain will cause a lower production of the seed.

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PORTION OF PLANT USED IN DISTILLATION, HOW DISTILLED, EXTRACTION METHODS, and YIELDS ~ The seeds of this plant are harvested and steam distilled in several places, including France, and whose product often has the most clean and pleasant odors of the essential oil.

Yield – 2.5%.   

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ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTICS of CUMIN seed oil ~

  • Color – golden yellow-orange
  • Clarity – clear
  • Viscosity – non-viscous
  • Taste – bot, spicy, umami
  • Intensity of odor – 7 at first and then reduces to 5-6 and dries down to a 2
  • Tenacity – 5-8 depending upon the other ingredients in the blend,

CUMIN Seed ODOR DESCRIPTION/ AROMA ASSESSMENT ~ Peppery-spicy, vegetative, and fruity-green is the scent that this seed has with its relationship to odors, both human and doggy.  I likson’s then I am reminded of my son’s reaction to this odor, and I smile and put it away again (see the Tomato tale, later in the article).

CHEMICAL COMPONENTS of Cumin ~ Mainly 60% Aldehydes, including Cuminaldehyde at 35-65%, and up to 52% monoterpenes, terpinenal, terpinene and others.

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GENERAL PROPERTIES of the Cumin Seed and Oil

PROPERTIES AND USES ~ The seed of this plant is mainly a culinary that is also used in traditional medicine and sometimes in perfumery. Both oil and seed are a digestive stimulants; the seed is for seasoning food, and the essential oil is anti-inflammatory and used via inhalation or application.

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Properties (by IG=ingestion or IN=inhalation or AP=application)

Application (AP) – Anti-inflammatory, calming, improve circulation
Ingestion (IG) – Strongly antispasmodic, digestive stimulant

Inhalation (IN) – Soporific, calmative, stupefying                                                                  

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Physical Uses & How used (IG or AP) ~          

Application -Hyperthyroid function, orchitis, in massage oil for poor circulation and lymphatic congestion.

Ingestion – Dyspepsia, gas, spasms

Inhalation – Ease constipation and to stimulate the appetite

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APPLICATIONs of Cumin seed oil  ~ It is steam distilled in France. The Cumin seed and oil have antibacterial, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties that can help calm the skin and keep it free of blemishes. Cumin essential oil can help tone the skin and increase blood flow and circulation.

This natural ingredient, when ground, can also be used as a great exfoliator and an anti-bacterial in acne medications.

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DIFFUSE/DIFFUSION ~ Personally, I would not use this oil in a diffusion blend, as the side effect might be to stimulate the digestive system. The essential oil is calming by inhalation and anti-spasmodic by application on the abdomen.

_____EMOTIONAL/ENERGETIC/RITUAL USE – Inhaling Cumin oil is calming, and some have told me it can also be stupefying. It is used, a drop or two, as a rub on the abdomen as an antispasmodic and for internal protection.

Cumin seed has been known since at least 2,000 B.C. The seeds were used for protection and are used in rituals; seeds and oil placed in the corners of the home for protection and used for internal protection.       

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JEANNE ROSE’S TOMATO TALES with CUMIN OIL & HERB

CUMIN ~ the scent of Cumin oil made my baby poop on demand. Recently, I was writing about Cardamom, and I received a message online about a story I would tell in class about the power of using essential oils.  The person who wrote to me misremembered the story and thought it was Cardamom mentioned, but it was actually Cumin scent that was the culprit.

“When I was working on the Aromatherapy Book, I was also nursing my baby. As I looked at and studied new oils, I would waft the scent near my baby and see his reaction. He was born in November and had a very pleasant disposition except for the odd but also normal habit of only pooping once every 5-7 days. This was wonderful if we wanted to go out with him because there was newasn’tneed to change a stinky diaper. However, it wasn’t so wonderful towards the end of those 5-7 days if we expected to go out because the thought of changing those enormous overflowing diapers was frightening.”When I was working on the Aromatherapy Book, I was also nursing my baby. As I looked at and studied new oils, I would waft the scent near my baby and see his reaction. He was born in November and had a charming disposition except for the odd but also regular habit of only pooping once every 5-7 days. This was wonderful if we wanted to go out with him because there was never a need to change a stinky diaper. However, it wasn’t so wonderful towards the end of those 5-7 days if we expected to go out because the thought of changing those enormous overflowing diapers was frightening.

            “One evening, while breastfeeding my son and also smelling some delicious essential oils, I opened the Cumin oil. It smelled rich and delicious, like a really good curry. I let the baby have a whiff, and he immediately rewarded me with a very full and yeasty diaper.  Well, this was very interesting.  When next we had to go out of the house, I gave the baby a smell of the Cumin oil, and he again filled his diaper, and this after only 3 days had passed since his last. And this became a standard treatment to encourage him to have a BM prior to any event or any fami”y holiday dinner – And it worked 100% of the time.” – The Aromatherapy Book: Applicadoesn’t Inhalations.  

The negative is that he now doesn’t tolerate this odor or foods that contain it, and I also almost always object.

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PERFUMERY AND BLENDING WITH CUMIN ~ Cumin has a powerful scent that is very peppery-spicy, and eponymous. It is either a hated or loved smell. If used with a delicate touch in a perfume, it can add to the deep odor of a perfume, lending a woody and spicy-amber scent.

“Blending within formula – When used in perfumery, the essential oil can add a depth of fragrance and a spicy note. “Many reject cumin because they associate its smell with the odor of sweat, feet, or armpits, … this is due to a molecule called 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid, which is also released by the human body on the soles of the feet and underarms…This note, when used with mastery and great delicacy, can transform simple perfumes into complex and multifaceted perfumes.1.“Blending within formula – When used in perfumery, the essential oil can add a depth of fragrance and a spicy note. “Many reject cumin because they associate its smell with the odor of sweat, feet, or armpits, … this is due to a molecule called 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid, which is also released by the human body on the soles of the feet and underarms…When used with mastery and great delicacy, this note can transform simple perfumes into complex and multifaceted perfumes.1.

 ~ This work is supported by Prima Fleur Botanicals. ~

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HYDROSOL ~ I think this would be a good hydrosol to have available and to use in cooking certain spicy dishes.

PLEASE NOTE: A true hydrosol should be specifically distilled for the hydrosol, not as a co-product or evenplant’sroduct of essential oil distillation. The plant’s cellular water has many components; most are lost under pressurized short steam runs for essential oil or by using dried material. We recommend that the producers specifically distill for a product by using plant material that is fresh.

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“HERBAL USES OF “UMIN ~ This is what Wikipedia says of Cumin seed, “Cumin to accentuate the sweetness of root vegetables, like carrots and beets, as well as adding complexity to vegetarian dishIt’sfrom vegetable and bean stews to grilled tofu. It’s a must-have for enhancing the savory flavor of rich meats like beef and lamb,2” and I totally agree. Also,”HERBAL USES OF CUMIN ~ This is what Wikipedia says of Cumin seed, “Cumin to accentuate the sweetness of root vegetables, like carrots and beets, as well as adding complexity to vegetarian dishes, from vegetable and bean stews to grilled tofu. It’s a must-have for enhancing the savory flavor of rich meats like beef and lamb,2” and I totally agree. Also,

            The seed is used as an aromatic digestive tonic in seasoning and many types of food. The Cumin seed and oil have antibacterial, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties that can helpCumin’she skin and keep it free of blemishes. Cumin’s essential oils can help tone the skin and increase blood flow and circulation. This natural ingredient, when ground, can also be used as a great exfoliator and an anti-bacterial in acne medications. It is an easy-to-use natural ingredient.

            If you grow Cumin, place the flowering seeding clusters into a paper bag and cut off close to the stem. The clusters will fall into the bag. Fold the top and attach the bags to a clothesline or wire with a clip of a clothespin. The clusters will dry, and then you can shake the bag to release the seeds. Place the seeds into clean, dry, scent-free glass bottles, label them, and store them in a warm, dry place.  Use them up within the year.

The seed is used as an aromatic digestive tonic in seasoning. This natural ingredient, when ground, can also be used as a great exfoliator and an anti-bacterial in acne medications. It is an easy-to-use natural ingredient.

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HISTORICAL USES ~ The Cumin seed has a long history of use in many cultures as food and also in traditional medicine. The use of cumin goes back so far that it is even mentioned in the Old Testament and in various Greek writings. The oldest trace of use is dated to at least 5000 years ago and located in the Nile Valley region. It was present in the pharaonic tombs, probably for its unique scent. In the Middle Ages, it was used as currency. And in ancient times, it was used as a pepper in cooking thanks to its very aromatic flavor. Now it is used as a room fragrance.3.

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KEY USE ~ The seed for seasoning and the EO as a digestive stimulant

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SOURCES

  1. https://www.fragrantica.com/news/Cumin
  2. Wikipedia
  3. Source unknown

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References
Aromatherapy Course – Home & Family
Copeland, Dawn. Essential Oil Profile (course work)
Herbal Studies Course/ Jeanne Rose & Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, 1992
http:wMabberley’splantproject.com
Mabberley, D. J. Mabberley’s Plant-Book, 3rd edition, 2014 printing, Cambridge University Press.
McWorld’srold. Nose Dive, A Field Guide to the World’s Smells. Penguin Press, 2020.
Rose, Jeanne.  375 Essential Oils and Hydrosols.  Berkeley, California: Frog, Ltd., 1999
Rose, Jeanne.  The Aromatherapy Book: Applications & Inhalations.  San Francisco, California.
Rose, Jeanne. 375 Essential Oils and Hydrosols

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Cumin seed maturing on the plant

Thank you for reading and your comments.