When I’ve had a particularly stressful day, I often come home and make a cup of caraway tea. Caraway tea! I hear some exclaim. Yes, caraway tea can calm and relax as well as the better known chamomile tea.
Caraway is an ancient herb and spice seed that was commonly cultivated and used in Europe during the Middle Ages. Writers in the 17th century described caraway as being helpful for digestive aids, teas, broths and baked in breads and cakes. Most people are acquainted with caraway through it’s modern use in rye breads, flavoring in sauerkraut, cabbage and cheeses, like Havarti.
Caraway seed is harvested from the Carum Carvi biennial plant and is grown in Europe, North America and Western Asia, with the chief exporter of caraway being Holland. What we call a seed is actually the fruit of the plant, small crescent shaped achenes. These “seeds”, used whole, have a pleasantly strong distinctive anise flavor and smell from the essential oils of carvone and limonene.
Caraway if more often found in European cuisines and diets and while native to Europe, it is grown in many other parts of the world, where the fruit or seeds are used for medicinal purposes. The roots are often cooked and eaten like a parsnip or carrot and have an agreeable flavor similar to parsnips.
Herbally, caraway seeds can be made into a tea or tisane that is used to treat colic, digestive disorders, worms and to increase appetite. Caraway has been used to treat several other diseases and ailments including colds, fevers, sore throat and even gingivitis, when used as a oral mouthwash.
The active ingredient in caraway is an oil which is made of carvone and limonene, two essential ingredients in many digestive medicines. Caraway oil is considered a soothing and calming herb and is highly valued for that purpose.
Caraway Tea
Caraway tea is made by adding 1 -2 tsps of seeds to 2 cups. boiling water, brewed for 10 to 15 minutes, then drained. Add a tsp of honey for flavoring and sip as needed. It’s a very pleasant taste. When under stress of any form, a cup of caraway tea can bring immediate relaxation.
You can buy caraway in the form of an essential oil. It’s a bit pricey, but can then be added 2 to 3 drops to make your own herbal tea blends.
Caraway is one of those seldom used herbs that nature has packed with it’s own unique share of nutrition and healing elements, proving once again, that the herb and plant world can provide for all of our physical needs, if we just know exactly what to harvest, and how to use the fruit of the harvest. Wild and cultivated, the herb and plant world can provide.
Sprinkle some caraway seed in your next batch of bread or sauerkraut and sausage casserole for a distinctly Bavarian taste. Slice some Havarti to go with it and sip a cup of Caraway essential oil tea when you’ve had too much junk food or just need to relax from a tough day at work. It’s so relaxing it could be sinful!
If you’d like to look and see the actual plant, how it’s grown and see the archenes, or seeds of the caraway plant, this Plant Guides website is an excellent tool for looking up any herb and learning about it in more detail.
Resources used in research
http://www.culinarycafe.com/Spices_Herbs/Caraway_Seed.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caraway
http://www.nutrasanus.com/caraway-seed.html
