Essential Oil Caraway (15 mL)

Essential Oil Caraway

Caraway essential oil comes from the seeds of caraway plant or carum (Carum carvi or Apium carvi), a member of the Umbelliferae family, which also includes anise, dill, cumin, and fennel. It is a biennial herb that originated from Asia Minor, but is now cultivated widely in Africa, Northern Europe, and Russia.

Caraway can be identified by its smooth, furrowed stems that grow 1 ½ to 2 feet high, tender-soft, fern-like leaves, and white or pink flowers that bloom in June. The fruits, which are actually called “seeds,” are curved and laterally compressed, with a horny and translucent appearance and marked with five distinct pale ridges. When bruised, they release a pleasant and aromatic odor. This is also the part of the plant that is traditionally added to food as flavouring.

Caraway spice is popularly used in Europe and in the Indian subcontinent. Its use can be traced as far back as the Stone Age. The Egyptians added it to foods as a flavoring, while the Romans used it in bread-making. It was also used by Germans and Austrian in culinary applications during the Middle Ages.

Aroma: Caraway oil has a sweet spicy odor with a slight peppery smell.

Safety: Avoid while pregnant. Not intended for internal use.

HISTORY OF USE

Legend has it that tucking a caraway seed with any valuable object will help prevent it from being stolen from you. Another belief is that the plant helps keep lovers from losing interested in each other.

The scent, sometimes associated with Rye Bread, is strong and reminiscent of the Caraway fruit. The usefulness of Caraway essential oil is likely more therapeutic than aromatic. The undertone is fatty and harsh. The less pleasant notes have been attributed to the decomposition of proteins or the presence of glycosides or alkaloids. These dirtier harsher notes are not uncommon in the seed oils from the family of Umbelliferae (caraway, carrot, celery, coriander, fennel, etc.). Similarly, Black Pepper oil features an ammoniac aroma when first distilled. Carvone and limonene make up the lion’s share of Caraway’s composition, however the trace amounts of other constituents dictate the quality of the scent and flavor. Sometimes in crude Caraway oil sulfide compounds occur naturally. Aging actually improves these particular lots.

This is a really underrated essential oil. Caraway may help with mental clarity, gas, and colic. It blends well with cinnamon, dill, anise, and fennel essential oils, and can be conservatively used with favorable results in Jasmine Perfume Bases and Tabac perfumes.

The health benefits of Caraway Essential Oil can be attributed to its properties galactogogue, anti histaminic, anti septic, cardiac, anti spasmodic, carminative, digestive, stomachic, disinfectant, diuretic, emenagogue, expectorant, aperitif, astringent, insecticide, stimulant, tonic and Vermifuge.

HEALTH BENEFITS

This warming essential oil helps to relieve mental strain and emotional fatigue, while aiding the digestive and urinary system and clearing the respiratory system. At the same time it also fights skin and scalp conditions.

Caraway oil has antiseptic, anti-histaminic, anti-spasmodic, carminative, digestive, disinfectant, diuretic, expectorant, astringent, and tonic properties that make it beneficial for treating or alleviating many health problems, such as:

Indigestion – According to a 1999 study published in the German journalDrug Research, a blend of caraway and peppermint oil may help treat indigestion as well as cisapride, a medication for treating heartburn.
Heart ailments – Caraway oil helps strengthen the cardiac muscles, maintain proper heart rate, prevent hardening of the veins and arteries, and lower blood pressure and cholesterol level in the blood.
Urinary issues – People who are suffering from obstructed urination, high blood pressure, and renal calculi can benefit from caraway oil. The urination-stimulating effect of this oil also helps lower blood pressure, reduces fat, removes uric acid, and cleans up waste deposits from the kidney.
Internal infections – Caraway oil effectively treats infections in the colon, digestive system, respiratory system, and urinary and excretory systems. It can also heal external infections, and inhibits bacterial and fungal growth.