Bishop's Weed, Ajwain Benefits
Ajawayan is a well – known home remedy and used in medicine with great faith by even learned physicians due to its valuable properties and the success it has achieved.
It is cultivated throughout world. It has aromatic oil. The seeds are a stimulant, useful in stomach disorders. Ajwain relieves gas and spasms and has an antiseptic effect in the intestinal canal.
The use of its seeds has been found effective in the treatment of gas, indigestion, colic and hysteria. The powder of the seeds is given with lukewarm water to relieve colic.A well-known formula in ayurveda contains Ajwain, rock salt, sanchal salt asafetida, harad and yavakshara. All these are taken together in equal quantities and the powder is given in doses of 12-24 grains with lukewarm water. It is the best carminative.
The distilled water prepared from the seeds is known as Ajwayana-ka-arka and given in dose of 1 oz. it is very effective in the preliminary stages of cholera when there is vomiting, and servesas a stimulant to the system of the patient, if needed.
Housewives use Ajawayan as a spice in cooking due to its specific property of relieving gas and improving3digestion. Seeds of Ajwain, black pepper and ginger, each ½ part and 1 part of cardamom should be well powdered andgiven in dose of 10-12 grains with water for relieving gas and colic.
The chief importance of Ajwain seed is for production of thymol which is an anthelmintic.
The ancient physicians used to give the leaves of the tender plant as a vermicide; The juice extracted from them may be given for the same purpose.
Omam seeds are used in poultices to relieve pain in the joints. There are several ayurvedic classical preparations which contain Ajwain. They increase appetite, improve digestion and tone up the muscles of the digestive tract.
For th nervous type of woman having occasional attacks of hysteria due to gas and improper digestion, the use of Ajwain seeds has been found highly effective.
According to one great authority, Ajwain seeds possess the stimulating capacity of mustard, the bitter property of chirayatta and the anti-spasmodic virtue of asafetida. Hence Ajwain should have a place in the kitchen of every home.
Those who complain of flatulence and gas can regularly take Ajwain along witdh their meals. It should not, however, be taken in excess.
