Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague (Apiaceae/Umbelliferae)

Abstract

The plant[aut]Ptychotis copticais native to Mediterranean countries, India, and Iran. Galen described it as anti-inflammatory and diuretic, and Dioscorides mentioned it as emmenagogue and diuretic, while Tabri said that it ‘purifies’ urinary tract and expels stones. The drug has a reputation for its antiseptic properties, and is used to promote healing of foul sores, and to remove offensive odor of the discharges from them. The fruits combine the powerful stimulant qualities of mustard or capsicum, the bitter property of chiraita and the antispasmodic virtues of asafetida. As stomachic they increase flow of saliva, and augment gastric secretions, and used in the treatment of atonic dyspepsia, eructations, heartburn, flatulency, intestinal colic and diarrhea. A poultice of crushed fruits is applied to painful rheumatic joints, and hot fomentation to the chest in bronchitis and asthma. In Iranian traditional medicine, they are used for the treatment of headache and joint pains. They are also prescribed in the traditional systems of medicine for the treatment of immune disorders, such as asthma and rheumatism. During World War I, the fruits were in much demand for their thymol content, which is antiseptic. Fruits contain carbohydrates, glycosides, saponins, phenolic compounds, volatile oil, protein, fat, fiber, minerals including Ca, P, Fe and nicotinic acid, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins and cardiac glycosides. Cultivation conditions, location, time of cultivation, and different extracting methods all contribute to the variations in the yield and composition of the EO. AjwainAjwainseeds (fruits) demonstrated antioxidant, antimicrobial, antinociceptive, cytotoxic, hypolipidemic, antihypertensive, bronchodilation, abortifacient, antilithiasis, diuretic, antitussive, antifungal, nematicidal, anthelmintic, antifilarial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic and antispasmodic activities. Aqueous fruit extract demonstrated significant anticonvulsant, sedative and anxiolytic effects in rats, while hydroalcohol and polyphenolic extracts suppressed naloxone-induced withdrawal symptoms in morphine dependent mice. Boiled aqueous fruit extract to patients with bronchial asthma significantly improved pulmonary function, but significantly lower than theophylline.