We often think of herbs and spices as just a way to make a meal tastier or prettier to look at but did you know they’re jam-packed full of health benefits? Allow us to share with you some of the incredible properties of cumin.
Cumin is native to Egypt and has been cultivated in the Middle East, India, China and Mediterranean countries for millennia. Throughout history, cumin has played an important role as a food and medicine and has been a cultural symbol with varied attributes.
A new study shows cumin may also help you finally burn off those extra pounds. Just one daily teaspoon of this spice could help you lose three times as much body fat.
Researchers at Iran’s Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences randomly split 88 overweight or obese women into 2 groups.
For 3 months, both groups received nutrition counseling and decreased their daily intake of calories by 500. But one group was also eating 3 grams (a little less than 1 teaspoon) of cumin powder daily, swirled into 5 ounces of yogurt (the same amount of yogurt, minus the cumin, was also prescribed to the control group).
At the end of the 3-month trial, members in the cumin group had lost 3 more pounds than those in the non-cumin group for a total of 13 pounds weight loss.
More impressively, the cumin group members decreased body fat percentage by 14.64%—almost triple the 4.91% loss posted by the control group—apparently due to the addition of the fat-burning spice.
Other health benefits of cumin
Aids in digestion
Cumin is extremely good for digestion and related problems. The very aroma of cumin, which comes from an aromatic organic compound called Cuminaldehyde, activates our salivary glands in our mouth, which facilitates the primary digestion of food.
Next is thymol, a compound present in cumin, which stimulates the glands that secrete acids, bile and enzymes responsible for complete digestion of the food in the stomach and the intestines.
Also, cumin is Carminative, which means that it relieves you from gas troubles and thereby improves digestion and appetite, and also gives relief for stomach aches.
Help relieve stress and anxiety
Some of the components of cumin are hypnotic in nature and have calming effects, which also help to relieve stress and anxiety that commonly causes insomnia.
Boosts immune system
The essential oils present in cumin act as disinfectants and help fight viral infections which can cause the common cold. Also, cumin suppresses the development of coughing in the respiratory system since it dries up the excess mucus.
Cumin is rich in iron and has a considerable amount of vitamin C, which are essential for a healthy immune system and keeps infections from forming or becoming worse. Vitamin C is also a natural antioxidant, so it defends against other infections and toxins as well, further boosting the immune system.
Prevents diabetes
Recent studies report that cumin, among a number of other spices, can have a powerful effect in preventing diabetes by reducing the chances of hypoglycemia.
Prevents cancer
Cumin itself has detoxifying and chemopreventive properties, and accelerates the secretion of detoxifying and anticarcinogenic enzymes from the glands, as it also does to other secretions. The antioxidants have anticarcinogenic properties too, and those found in cumin are particularly good for colon cancer prevention.
Help remove toxins from the body
Those who regularly use cumin in food have a significant reduction in the occurrence of boils, rashes, pimples, and other signs of excess toxin content.
