Caraway
Caraway is therapeutic and other qualities as medicine and as a food were known as far back as Biblical times. The ancient middle easr called the seeds Karawya. The digestive properties of the fruit are identical to those of aniseed. But, the flavor is stronger and reminiscent of the zesty bite of orange or lemon peel. Caraway seeds, and the leaves and root also, are especially good for assisting the activity of the glands and increasing the action of the kidneys.
Caraway is used in a great many over the counter prescription medicines , like cough syrups , decongestants, etc . You can harness the use of the properties , yourself , without any external processing as the extract is potent enough for the raw section to be useful
As caraway is so good for the digestion, it is probably the reason that Dioscorides, the great Greek physician who lived in the first century A.D., prescribed it for “girls of pale face.” Dr Nicholas Culpeper, another famous herbalist, also mentions its digestive and cleansing properties, which are conducive to a clear complexion.
Caraway is indigenous to all parts of Europe and is also claimed to be native to parts of Asia, India, and North Africa. Its qualities were recognized by the ancient Egyptians and the early Greeks and Romans. The herb was widely known in the Middle Ages and was popular in Shakespeare’s day. Like aniseed, the fruit has been used for centuries in breads and cakes and with baked fruit, especially roast apples. Caraway-seed cake is as traditional in England as apple pie or gingerbread. The oil expressed from the seeds goes into
the liqueur Kummel. Because caraway was said to prevent lovers from straying, it was once an essential ingredient in love potions. The seed, baked in dough, is given to pet pigeons to keep them, it is said, from wandering away.
