Benefits of Cumin & Where to Buy Black Cumin Seed in Nigeria

If you're already aware of all Nice benefit of Cumin and just looking for where to buy Black cumin seed in Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, Port Harcourt or anywhere else in Nigeria » CLICK HERE

However, if you're here to learn more about cumin then keep reading we are about to get started.

What Is Cumin (Brief Summary) 

Cumin is a spice gotten from the dried seed of the Cuminum cyminum plant.
They come in a flat or rectangular shape and are yellow-brown

It is interesting to know that after black pepper, Cumin is the second most popular spice.
As a matter of fact, Cumin is one of the most mentioned herbs in the Bible.

Cumin is native to Asia, Africa, and Europe. However, it is commonly used as a spice in cooking throughout the entire world.

Aside from cumin being a typical ingredient in many spice blends, cumin has also long served as a traditional medicine in many parts of the world.

For example in Southeast Asian countries, people used cumin to help with indigestion, pain, coughs, and liver health. In Iran, it is used in treating seizures. And in Tunisia, it used in lowering blood pressure and fighting infections.

That's why lately, Cumin has been gaining popularity in the modern research world. In fact, some research studies have started confirming some of the traditional-claimed health benefits.

Shortly, we will be exploring some of these Cumins juicy potential health benefits.

Local Name For Cumin In Nigeria 

Cumin is not a seed native to Nigeria. So most tribes don't have a name for Cumin. Cumin seed in Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo language is not available.

Nutritional Facts Of Cumin 

One tablespoon of whole cumin seed has about:

Cuminaldehyde, cymene and terpenoids are the major volatile components of cumin seeds.

NB: RDI means Recommended Dietary Intake. And note the RDI values are based on 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Where To Buy Black Cumin Seed In Nigeria

You can buy black cumin seed here: » CLICK HERE To Buy Organic Cumin Seeds (100g)

Or you can buy in any Major Supermarket in Nigeria (Check the spice section)

Health Benefits Of Cumin & Uses

Here are all of the potential benefit of using Cumin seed:

May Help With Weight Loss

Cumin may be helpful for weight watchers. You see...

A study involving 88 obese women found that the set who took yoghurts containing 3g of cumin had a noticeable decrease in waist size and overall weight compared to the set took without cumin it [1].

Also, another study revealed that the participants who were on 75 mg of cumin supplements daily lost an average of 1.4 kg more than people who on a placebo supplement [2].

However, not all studies are in support of cumin being effective on weight-loss like...

These studies [3, 4]that  did not see any weight-loss difference between participants that used 25 mg per day dose and those that didn't.

Anyways, If you're interested in losing weight, check out this:

May Improve Blood Cholesterol

Cumin may help in improving blood cholesterol.

An 8 weeks study found that taking 75 mg of cumin 2 times daily lead to a reduction in unhealthy blood triglycerides in the participants [5]. 

Another study found almost a 10%  decrease in  levels of oxidized "bad" LDL cholesterol in participants who took cumin extract over one and a half months [6]. That said, unknown if cumin used as a seasoning in everyday diet would have equivalent blood cholesterol benefits as the supplements used in the above studies.

Also, not all studies agree on the Cumin effect on blood cholesterol like this one study (24) that  no difference in blood cholesterol in patients who consumed a cumin supplement.

Enhance Digestion

One of the most common traditional use of cumin is said to be for indigestion.

 As a matter of fact, In Sanskrit, cumin is popularly called Jira, which directly translate to  “that which helps digestion”

Modern research has also confirmed this claim.

For example, one study revealed that cumin may improve digestive enzymes activity,  which has the potential to speed up digestion [7].

Cumin has also been found to up  Bile release from the liver. And Bile helps in digestion of fats and certain other nutrients in the stomach [8].

Lastly, a study on 57 patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) found that after 2 weeks of taking concentrated cumin, there were significantly improved symptoms [9].

Decreases Brain Disorders

Cumin is rich in iron, therefore it can help improve blood circulation into many different organs (especially the brain). Which can lead to an increased cognitive function.  Cumin can also assist in lowering the risk of cognitive disorders like Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease [10].

May Reduce Risk Of Having Food-Borne Illnesses

Another popular traditional use of Cumin is in safe-guarding of food.

Science has shown that many chemical components in cumin may slow down the growth of food-borne bacteria and certain kinds of infectious fungi, thus lowering the risk of food-borne infections [11, 12].

Also, when Cumin is digested, a compound antibiotic property known as "megalomicin" is released [13].

May Help Reduce Drug Dependency

Cumin has the potential to help reduce dependency on drugs like Opioid narcotics.

A study  revealed that compounds in cumin help decrease addictive behaviour and withdrawal symptoms in rats [14].

Also, another study found cumin compounds to help decrease the addictive behaviour and withdrawal symptoms of opioid narcotics [15]

That said, much more research is needed in this area. 

Fights Common Cold

Cumin essential oils double as potential disinfectants and  fighter of viral infections  which are known to cause the common cold. 

Cumin is also a cough-suppressant since it helps dry up excess mucus in the  respiratory system [16]

Furthermore,  Cumin's high vitamin C and Iron content can generally strengthen the body's overall immunity system. 

May Relieve Diarrhea & IBS

Cumin has long been used traditionally as a go-to herb for relieving severe diarrhoea [17].  

A four-week pilot study [18] IBS(Irritable Bowel Syndrome) patients found that consuming cumin essential-oil significantly reduced the symptoms associated with IBS.

So it's worth giving a try when you're suffering from diarrhoea. 

May Prevent Memory Loss

A research study was carried out on rat to find out if Cumin extract has any impact on memory. And it was discovered that there was a faster and better recall in rats that had received cumin extract compared to the ones that didn't [19]

May Help Diabetes Patients

A compound found in cumin has been shown to be promising in managing diabetes.

Also, cumin compound has been shown to help reverse some long-term damaging effect of diabetes.

A research study showed an improvement in early indicators of diabetes in obese people who took concentrated cumin supplement [20].

Test-tube studies revealed that some Cumin compounds helped reduced AGEs (Advanced Glycation End-products) [21]. AGEs are likely the cause of damaging effects to eyes, kidneys, nerves and small blood vessels in diabetes patients [22].

Although most of the above studies use mostly concentrated cumin supplements, however, using cumin in spice quantity may help in blood sugar control in diabetes patients [23, 24].

May Ease Stress

Cumin may have a hand in helping the body cope with stress better. A study on rats revealed that intake of cumin extract before a stressful activity lead to a significantly less of a stress response in the animal's body than without the cumin extract [25].

It is suspected that Cumin combats the effects of stress by acting as an antioxidant.

Helps With Piles

Due to Cumins anti-fungal, and antimicrobial properties, it may help in getting rid of the causes and symptoms of piles (haemorrhoids)

Anti-Inflammatory Effect

Several compounds in Cumin  has been shown to poses anti-inflammatory effects [26, 27, 28, 29].

Cumin extracts have been shown in a test-tube study to inhibit inflammation [30].

That said, there is still not enough research studies to tell whether or not Cumin in the diet or cumin as a supplements extract are useful in treating inflammatory diseases.

Useful For Anaemia Relieve 

Because Cumin is rich in Iron, it particularly useful for anaemic people when added to their daily diet. It may help in relieving anaemia symptoms  like anxiety, fatigue, digestion problem and cognitive malfunction

Help Increases Lactation

Cumin is rich in  both iron and calcium, two nutrients are key in milk production.

Also, due to the presence of thymol in cumin is said to ease and improve the secretion of milk in lactating mums.  

It is said that cumin is more beneficial when taken with honey.

Helps With Insomnia 

Since Cumin may help in relieving stress and anxiety (2 common culprits of insomnia), thus it might help people suffering from insomnia.

Also, cumin essential oil is said to have tranquillising  and hypnotic effects.

Promotes Bone Health

Cumin is very rich in calcium and calcium is well known to help to increase the bone density.  So in essence, Cumin may help improve bone health and reduce the risk of  bone-related issues like osteoporosis.

May Prevent Boils, Pimples & Rashes

Cumin contains detoxifying compounds like cuminaldehyde, thymol, and phosphorus, which helps the body get rid of toxins. This means that regular intake of cumin may help prevent boils, pimples, rashes and other signs of excess toxins in the body.

May Help Prevents Cancer

Due to Cumin's antioxidant component (chemopreventive) and its anti-carcinogenic properties may help in preventing numerous cancers, most especially breast and colon cancer [31]

Skin Care

As Cumin is rich in Vitamin E, it works as an antioxidant that fights against free radical that cause premature ageing, age spots, sagging skin and wrinkles.

Also, because of cumin's disinfectant and anti-fungal properties, it helps in protecting skin against fungal and microbial infections.

Side Effects Of Cumin And Risk

Intake of cumin might have some minor side effects like nausea, stomach pain, dizziness, and burping in a few persons.

Excess intake of cumin may result in severe side effects like:

Hypoglycemia: Since Cumin tends to lower blood sugar levels, diabetics patients should be should not over consume it. Also, it is advised to stop using cumin when undergoing surgery as it may affect the blood sugar levels.

Blood clotting: Cumin may slow down blood clotting process, so, people with bleeding disorders are advised to avoid excess intake.

Heartburn and liver damage: Cumin may cause heartburn, liver and kidney damage when taken in excess.

Infertility and miscarriage: Cumin may lead to a decrease in testosterone levels and  reduced fertility in men. Also, pregnant women should avoid excess use as it may trigger a miscarriage.

Summary

Conclusion

Cumin is a versatile spice, which is not only useful in cooking but used as a potent traditional medicine in treating many various conditions like diarrhoea and more.

It is rich in many nutrients and has been scientifically shown to be promising in preventing and releasing treating many health-related issues such as cancer.

Excess intake of cumin can have severe side effects, too.