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A panoramic view on phytochemical, nutritional, ethanobotanical uses and pharmacological values of Trachyspermum ammi Linn.
Authors: Hafiz Muhammad Asif, Sabira Sultana, Naveed Akhtar
Number of views: 399
Trachyspermum ammi Linn. (T. ammi) is an aromatic, grassy, annual plant belonging to
Umbelliferae family which grows in the east of India, Pakistan, Iran, and Egypt. T. ammi has been
used traditionally to treat arthritis, colic, diarrhea and gastrointestinal problems. In addition to
these medicinal uses, T. ammi continues to be valued around the world as an important cooking
spice and is believed to relief the common cold, flu-like symptoms, headaches, and even painful
menstrual periods. These multiple uses can be explained by its several active compounds. The
phytochemical studies on T. ammi seeds have revealed the presence of alkaloids, steroids, fixed
oils, glycosides, tannins, saponin and flavonoids, cumene, thymene, amino acids and dietary
fi
ber essential oils like thymol, c-terpinene, p-cymene. Several pharmacological studies on antitussive effect, inhibitory effect on histamine (H1) receptors, antihypertensive, antispasmodic,
bronchodilator, hepato-protective, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti mutagenic
activities of T. ammi seed extracts have been reported in the literature. The present review is
therefore, an effort to give a detailed survey of the literature on traditional, phytochemical and
pharmacological properties of T. ammi.