Taste. The taste of the seeds is strikingly peppery, slightly bitter and pleasantly spicy. Black cumin seeds do not have much in common with the typical caraway flavor. Only at the beginning the aroma is reminiscent of a milder flavor variant of the real caraway.
Effect. In the folk medicine of Asia as well as in the European naturopathy, the black cumin is established as a medicinal plant. The seeds of the plant contain mainly saturated and unsaturated oils, essential oils, amino acids, coumarins, saponins and some alkaloids. Known are, among others, high proportions of linolenic acids, linoleic acids as well as the phytosterol β-sitosterol. Among the essential oils, the substances thymoquinone, cymene and pinene are particularly noteworthy.
