Cumin Seeds (Jeera)

Cumin seeds also known as Jeera, is a dried seed of the herb and a member of parsley family. Being a herb, it also used to make medicines. It is very popular as a spice all over the world. Indians cannot imagine their kitchen without cumin seeds or jeera as it’s a very important Indian spice. Indians are using cumin since ages in their Food and they love its tinge flavor. There are some incredible benefits of Cumin like it promotes digestion, helps in diabetes, improves blood cholesterol, helps in fat reduction, prevent food-borne illnesses. It is also highly rich in magnesium, calcium, iron and also contains antioxidant.

Also, Cumin seeds (jeera) water helps in weight loss, get rid of acidity, bloating and gives relief from indigestion. It performs like a painkiller and helpful in curing stomach ache and pain. It also cures Insomnia, fights cold, cures piles and increases Lactation. In India, cumin seeds are very important for nursing mothers.

Cumin is very useful for weight loss as it burns the calories faster by improving the digestion and increasing the metabolism rate.

Side-effects of Cumin (Jeera)

Cumin is considered to be very safe and nontoxic. But it’s also known to have narcotic properties, so they should be consumed carefully. Some of the side effects are drowsiness, nausea and mental clouding. Too much consumption of cumin may cause nausea and downiness. It may cause heavy bleeding in menstrual cycle. Some more side effects includes heartburn, low blood sugar level, liver damage, belching and also causes allergy. People with skin allergy should low down the consumption of cumin.

 Jeera as Indian Spice

India is the largest consumer and producer of cumin (jeera) in the world. It is mainly grown and found in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. It is sown in October to November and harvested in February & March. Iran, Turkey and Syria are also the important producers of Jeera.

There are two types of Jeera used in Indian cooking, one is the common cumin seeds and second one is the darker one. Smaller one is called kala jeera or black cumin.

Indians temper/tadka dals, curries, vegetables/sabzi, curd/raita and buttermilk by heating up the jeera (cumin seeds) in cooking oil and let them sputter to release their taste.