Medicinal Properties of Jeera or Cumin Seeds

Cumin seeds also called Jeera are widely used in the Indian households and play a major part in spicing up a dish. The usual Indian masala never goes without jeera added in it. Let it be the most flavorful rasam or veg/non-veg gravy, without jeera, the cooking is incomplete.

Jeera/cumin seeds are not widely used abroad, but are slowly gaining popularity for its medical benefits. Before knowing what it is useful for, read these quick tips on how to choose and store cumin seeds:

• It is always better to choose the natural seed variety than cumin powder
• Pressing a cumin seed in between two fingers should give you a crisp and peppery fragrance
• The seeds should be fresh and crisp and not soggy and old
• Store it in an air tight container and powder them fresh every time you want jeera powder
• To buy trustable cumin seeds, browse for Ayurveda products online and choose the one you want

Also, cumin seeds play an essential part in Ayurveda. It is one of the chief Ayurveda products in all the herbal preparations and has a lot of importance attached to it. Let’s look at a few of its medicinal benefits:

Takes care of your hair’s needs

Let it be dandruff, dryness or lack of luster and shine, using jeera for your hair packs will do the wonder. Here’s how you can use jeera for your hair.

• When you have a hair loss problem, baldness, mix up equal quantities of jeera seeds to olive oil, boil it well and store this oil in an air tight container. Using this oil as your regular hair oil or at least at nights will help in promoting hair growth.
• When you are suffering from dandruff or oily/dry scalp, boil a few teaspoons of jeera in 2-3 liters of water, strain away the seeds and bring the water to room temperature. Use this jeera water to wash and rinse your hair.
• When you want your hair to be healthy and shining, soak a few jeera seeds overnight and grind it to a fine paste the next day morning. Stir in this paste to an egg white & yellow and whisk the mixture well. Apply this pack to your hair; leave it on for 15-30 minutes before rinsing it off with a mild shampoo and conditioner.

Blood sugar levels are kept under control

If you are suffering from high sugar levels and struggling to keep it under control, then jeera seeds are the answer for you. Drinking jeera water (boil 2 teaspoons of jeera with 1 liter of water, cool it down and drink) instead of plain water, adding jeera seeds to spice up all your recipes and munching on jeera seeds once or twice in a day (has a mild bitterness to it, if you can resist), will keep your sugars under super control.

Improves immunity

Jeera seeds contain a lot of antioxidants and free radicals and strengthen your immune system. Having jeera water and using jeera seeds in your dishes will keep you away from asthma attacks, respiratory infections, common cold and fever etc.

Digestion is made easier

The southern part of India, Kerala is very specific on the usage of jeera. The reason being infinite, the most prominent one involves easy digestion without any hassles. People of Kerala prefer drinking in warm water (boiled with jeera) to plain water. This water helps in increasing the metabolic rate of the intestines, thus cutting behind unwanted fat in the body. Also, including jeera in every recipe keep you away from flatulence and gastric troubles.

When you are feeling sick at stomach, munching down on a few jeera seeds provide instant relief.

Skin and acne problem reliever

Jeera seeds are one of the best Ayurvedic products that help in relieving skin problems like acne and pimples. Adding jeera powder to face packs will help keeping your skin healthy without acne and pimples approaching you. Also because cumin seeds are loaded with antioxidants, it will be able to supply a lot of antioxidants to your skin, thus keeping it hale and healthy.