Caraway tea - learn top 10 health benefits

Caraway tea is made from caraway seeds. It is a very valuable spice – its seeds are used in cooking, baking various breads, fermenting vegetables, etc., and its essential oil is also used in the food industry for vodka and liqueurs.

Caraway (Carum avi) is a species of plant in the saltbush family, the only one of the caraway genus to grow in most countries. It is 30-100 cm tall, biennial or perennial, flowering in May-July with umbels of small white or brownish flowers and later producing elongated, dark brown, aromatic seeds. Caraway grows in meadows in woodland, on hedgerows, and in undergrowth.

Caraway seeds contain essential oils, coumarins, flavonoids, steroids, resins, waxes, proteins, tannins, trace elements (copper, iron, zinc, manganese, etc.). Caraway essential oil contains a special substance, carvone (up to 50-60%), which, according to studies, blocks the growth of various tumours. It also contains vital vitamins such as B vitamins (pyridoxine, riboflavin, thiamine), tocopherol, beta-carotene and vitamin C.

Health benefits of caraway tea

The plant has a wide range of beneficial substances, so its tea is suitable for alleviating the symptoms of various diseases. In folk medicine, caraway tea is used to treat the following disorders:

Caraway tea is commonly used for digestive disorders, easing flatulence, nausea, diarrhoea and digestion.
According to Lolita Rapolienė, PhD, Associate Professor of Biomedicine and family physician, cumin is one of the herbs that helps in the fight against gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and stomach acid imbalance.
Eases expectoration. As the immune system fights antibodies, the biologically active substance histamine is produced, which causes coughing. The active substances in cumin help to neutralise histamine.
Caraway has antiseptic properties and therefore helps to treat respiratory disorders and to relieve sinusitis, bronchitis, pneumonia and colds.
The aroma of the tea helps to relax the respiratory tract, so caraway tea is also very suitable for treating respiratory disorders. Caraway seeds are added to throat rinses for laryngitis.