Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Sciences

Volume: 46 Issue: 3

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Trachyspermum ammi (Ajwain): A comprehensive review of pharmacological property from traditional to recent developments

Surabhi Baghel1,2, Anirban Pal1,2*

1Bioprospection and Product Development Department, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.

2Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India.

*Corresponding author; email: [email protected]

 

Year: 2024, Page: 76-86, Doi: https://doi.org/10.62029/jmaps.v46i3.baghel

Received: Aug. 15, 2024 Accepted: Nov. 29, 2024 Published: Feb. 10, 2025

Abstract

Scientific exploration of traditional knowledge and its allure use in the treatment of various ailments is one of the thrust areas of research. Herbal medicines are in excellent demand in developed as well as developing countries for primary healthcare by way of their expansive biological and medicinal benefits, higher safety borders and lower costs. In the list of medicinal plants, Trachyspermum ammi (Apiaceae) ajwain is a plant encompassing a good record as a traditional Persian and Ayurvedic cure. Essential oil obtained from fruits or seeds of ajwain, known as ‘ajwain oil,’ holds various phytoconstituents and shows numerous biological and pharmacological properties. The present review aims to investigate the medical significance of different diseases and metabolic disorders in human beings. The ajwain seeds and their extracts contain different chemical constituents, including thymol (a principal constituent), β-pinene, α-terpinene, α-pinene, p-cymene, γ-terpinene, etc., revealed to retain antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic, antiplatelet, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, spermicidal, antiepileptic, antitussive, ameliorative, antihypertensive, antispasmodic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects. They also show digestive stimulant and gastro-protective properties as well as broncho-dilatory effects. Due to the presence of a broad spectrum of pharmacological properties, this plant holds good potential for its utilization in novel pharmaceutical preparations in the future. The present review is, therefore, an effort to summarize the detailed literature on phytochemical constituents and the pharmacological properties of T. ammi to explore its possible therapeutic application.

Keywords: Essential oil, Trachyspermun ammi, Herbal medicine, Pharmacological property, ajwain

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Cite this article

Baghel, S., & Pal, A. (2024). Trachyspermum ammi (Ajwain): A comprehensive review of pharmacological property from traditional to recent developments. Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, 46(3), 76-86. https://doi.org/10.62029/jmaps.v46i3.baghel

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