MILDRED E. MATHIAS (1906-1995)*
Caraway, a European plant, is cultivated and weedy throughout temperate parts of the world. Seeds [actually portions of a fruit that splits in two] have been found in Mesolithic campsites and lake habitations in Switzerland. Caraway seeds were used medicinally by the Sumerians in 5000 B.C., Egyptians in 1000 B.C., and mentioned in the Old Testament (6). Dioscorides recommended the oil for pale-faced girls (3). Pliny, Galen, and Columella mentioned caraway. To cure a bewitched child, Albertus Magnus prescribed a plaster of caraway seed mixed with oil of almond, deer's tallow, and rose vinegar, placed on a blue paper on the child's stomach, and seeds and baked roots were used for bread (chara) by Caesar's troops (3, 4). Sixth century Persians paid taxes with bags of caraway seeds valued for medicine, particularly by the wealthy, as a cure for indigestion. Anne Boleyn's romance with Henry VIII was reputed to have begun with caraway seeds that she gave him to stop his indigestion and hiccups (3, 4). These uses persist with caraway infusions, teas, and inhalants recommended to improve appetite, help digestion, relieve stomach cramps, flatulence, colic, and hiccups, and to drive out "cold humors"(2, 3, 6(9).
In German tradition caraway bread was used to drive away dwarfs and demons, and brought into the house it caused distress and fright, while bread without caraway relieved distress. As a protection against hexes, sorcery, and demons, seeds were sprinkled with salt in coffins and placed into jars under the bed of a restless child.
Caraway seeds were thought to confer "the gift of retention," preventing theft of an object containing them and holding the thief in custody; keeping lovers from becoming fickle; and sprinkled with pigeon food keeping them from straying (3, 4). Eating a caraway cake on Maundy Thursday was recommended to keep the whole year free of fleas, and seed sprinkled in the house rid it of fleas (3, 4).
Medieval uses of caraway persist as a flavoring in bread, cakes, cheese, sweets, wines, and cordials. Kummel and huile de Venus are used as a love potion (3, 4). European medicinal uses, some of which were brought to America (1, 9(11), recommended seed, oil, roots, cordials, tea, or bread as a nerve tonic, for mania, hysteria, and epilepsy; for uterine cramps, inducing menstruation, and the flow of milk; for bladder pains, dropsy, and a diuretic; obstructions of the liver, spleen and lungs, jaundice, asthma, earache, to improve hearing, to induce perspiration, for plague, bruises, high blood pressure, appendicitis, spasms, worms, as a strong antiseptic, and to induce sleep (2(4, 6, 7).
References.
1. Cabrera, L.G. 1950. Plantas Curativas de Mexico. Ed. 4. Colonia Vallejo, Mexico City.
2. Culpeper, N, 1653. Culpeper's Complete Herbal. Ed. 1995. Wordsworth Editions, Ware, UK.
3. Grieve, M. 1971. A Modern Herbal. Dover, New York.
4. Keville, K. 1991. The Illustrated Herb Encyclopedia. Mallard Press, New York.
5. Lewis, W.H., and M. Lewis. 1977. Medical Botany. John Wiley, New York.
6. Lust, J. 1974. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, New York.
7. Meyer, C. 1973. American Folk Medicine. Thomas Crowell, New York.
8. Nuņez Melendez, E. 1986. Plantas Medicinales de Costa Rica y su Folklore. Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica, San Jose.
9. Parker, J. 1955. Plantas Medicinales de la Republica Argentina y la America del Sur. Buenos Aires.
10. Scully, V. 1971. A Treasury of American Indian Herbs. Crown, New York.
11. Soukup, J. 1970. Vocabulario de los Nombres Vulgares de la Flora Peruana. Colegio Salesiano, Lima.
*Before UCLA Professor Mildred Mathias died in February 1995, she had submitted for publication in a folklore and mythology encyclopedia (edited at UCLA) several article on members of umbels, her favorite plant family. Extramural funding to publish that encyclopedia was terminated, hence these articles were never published. So, to pass along this parcel of knowledge, her last research articles will be published in the MEMBG letter, with only small amounts of editing and the removal of references that regrettably do not occur in the open literature.