Mention of this low, approximately 40 cm tall plant can be found in religious books of many denominations. It is mentioned in the Talmud as a measure against fever. In the Bible, inof the Gospel of St. Matthewis mentioned together withcarawayanddill , and its cultivation is shown in the books of Isaiah. Black seed in cultivation is probably known from the times ofNeolithic(4500-1700 years BC). Its black, wrinkled seeds were found in Egyptian sarcophagi. And doctors in ancientRomerecommended them, among other things, as a odor removergarlicandonions , which were eaten a lot at that time.
Nigella, nigella, black cumin (these were her names) was popular until the 16th century, both as a substitute forexpensive spiceseastern , and healing agent. It later fell out of fashion, but has not lost itsvaluableproperties.
SeedsBlack Cumin SeedNigella sativa contains 25-40% oil and 0.5-1.5% essential oil, over 1 % saponins, substancesbitter ,tannins ,glycoside melantin,alkaloid nigelinThis chemical composition influences the characteristic smell of the seeds and their pungent,spicy flavor
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Czarnuszka seed (Photo: Fotolia.com) |
Seeds and their use in medicine
It has been tested that theoilcontained in the plant has strong antibacterial properties. It is most active againstbacteria gram-positiveIt also kills molds, especially from the genus Aspergillus. It is also lethal to worms, mainlytapewormTaenia solinum species.
Black cumin seeds are effectiverelaxant , improvingdigestion ,diuretic , cholereticand increasinglactation .
A multitude of applications in cosmetics
black cumin oil is used inproduction perfume .
Black seed - cultivation and care
Soil - black cumin is not very demanding, but grows better when the substrate is fertile and permeable.
Position - doesn't like shading.
Reproduction - sowing at the turn of March and April into the ground, to a depth of approx. 1 cm, distance in rows 25-30 cm, it sprouts after about 2 weeks. Plants should be broken, leaving every 10 cm.
Care - in the first period, black seed grows slowly and then requires careful removal of other competing plants. If we do not collect seeds, but grow black cumin for decoration - cutting faded flowers causes re-flowering.
Harvesting - seeds are used, harvesting takes place in August and September, when the bolls start to turn brown. They are cut and dried whole, together with the seeds. After pouring out of the bags, the seeds still need to be dried.
Storage - seeds are susceptible to mold, so before storage they should be dried once more and stored in a dry place.
Black seeds in the kitchen
The basic use is to add black cumin seeds, also known ascumin Roman , to bread. Along with poppy seeds, cumin and anise, it belongs to the so-calledspices bakery , flavor enhancersbreadSeeds are added to the dough and sprinkled on already baked bread.
They taste exceptionally well with wheat-flour baked goods -bread ,buns ,buns . Bakers in the south of Poland are eager to add black cumin to their products.Oil from seedsis used in the production of flavored vodkas.
WIndia- in the kitchenVedic- black cumin seeds are used to season the curd,milkandbread . There, also today, oil is obtained from the seeds.
WTurkeyseeds are used asspicy ,spicy spice , somewhat reminiscent ofpepper . It was also used in this way in Europe during the Middle Ages, when spices imported from the East were expensive and scarcely available.
In Europe, e.g. in France, black cumin is considered a universal spice forsoup ,bread ,curdandmeat But it's best to add it to various types of flour dishes, e.g.patties ,dumplings , croissants with spicyfillingBlack cumin leaves are also used, which contain a lot ofvitamin C(studies have shown that it is over 15 times more than parsley leaves valued for centuries). Flowers also contain vitamin C. For these reasons, black cumin is a good addition tosaladsandsalads
Other uses
Fresh flowers are used for decoration anddried seed headsSeed bags easily dry up, notlosingof colorThey are an excellent raw material used for compositions in dry bouquets. Black seed is also a plantpollen-andhoney-bearing
