Black Cardamom

An erect, glabrous, or minutely pubescent, branching annual. The stems are striate, the leaves are distal and 23 pinnately divided, and the segments are linear. Flowers are white and small terminal or seemingly lateral pedunculate compound umbels; fruits are ovoid, muricate, aromatic cremo carps, greyish brown; fruit components, the mericarps, are compressed, with distinct ridges and tubercular surface, and 1 seeded. Ajwain originated in the Middle East, possibly in Egypt and the Indian Subcontinent, but also in Iran, Egypt, and Afghanistan. In India, the major ajwain producing states are Rajasthan and Gujarat, where Rajasthan produces about 90% of India\'s total production. It is traditionally used as a digestive aid, relieving abdominal discomfort due to indigestion and acting as an antiseptic. In the southern parts of India, dry ajwain seeds are powdered and soaked in milk, which is then filtered and fed to babies. Many assume that it relieves colic in babies and that for kids it also improves digestion and appetite. Ajwain can be used as a digestive mixture in large animals. In the northern part of India, ajwain is often consumed after a heavy meal. It is commonly offered after dinner parties.