FOODS OF THE NOBLE QURAN AND SUNNAH – CUMIN

by karimah bint Dawood, Muslim chaplain and well being writer

Cumin, Latin botanical name, Cuminum cyminum. Its from the same family as dill, parsley and caraway called (Umbelliferae). It has dull brown oblong seeds that are surprisingly sweet nutty, slightly citric in flavour. It’s one of the main spices in curry powder blend and is  use a lot middle eastern food  as well as in Mexican and Mediterranean  food.As a medicine its been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians, and is also mentioned  in ,Medicine of the Prophet by Ibn Qayyim Al Jawziyyah  Volume 7, Book 71, Number 591: Narrated Khalid bin Sad:

“We went out and Ghalib bin Abjar was accompanying us. He fell ill on the way and when we arrived at Medina he was still sick. Ibn Abi ‘Atiq came to visit him and said to us, “Treat him with black cumin. Take five or seven seeds and crush them (mix the powder with oil) and drop the resulting mixture into both nostrils, for ‘Aisha has narrated to me that she heard the Prophet saying, ‘This black cumin is healing for all diseases except As-Sam.’ Aisha said, ‘What is As-Sam?’ He said, ‘Death.” 

OTHER HEALTH BENFITS INCLUDE :

• Iron for Energy and Immune Function  Cumin seeds, whose scientific name is Cuminum cyminum, are a very good source of iron, a mineral that plays many vital roles in the body. Iron is an integral component of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen from the lungs to all body cells, and is also part of key enzyme systems for energy production and metabolism

• Good For Immune System – iron is necessary for keeping your immune system healthy. Iron is particularly important for menstruating women, who lose iron each month because of bleeding
• Seeds For Stomach      Scientific research is proving that cumin’s age-old reputation to be of benefit to the digestive system, although traditionally this has been known for thousands of years