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Jeeraka

Cuminum cyminum L.

Jeeraka (Cuminum cyminum L.) is a plant drug, also called Jirakam, Ajaji and Jira, from the Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) family. Not listed in WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants; recognized in multiple national pharmacopoeias; FDA GRAS status; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia documents both Shweta (white) and Krishna (black) Jeeraka.

Key facts
Botanical nameCuminum cyminum L.
FamilyApiaceae (Umbelliferae) · other entries in this family
OrderApiales
Pharmacopoeia statusNot listed in WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants; recognized in multiple national pharmacopoeias; FDA GRAS status; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia documents both Shweta (white) and Krishna (black) Jeeraka
Taxon identifiersGBIF 3034775 · Wikidata Q132624 · NCBI Taxonomy 52462
Names in other languages
Sanskritजीरकम् (jīrakam), अजाजी (ajājī)
Hindiजीरा (jīrā), ज़ीरा (zīrā)
Tamilசீரகம், ஜீரகம்

Sources: MMPND 'Sorting Cuminum names', Cuminum cyminum, Sanskrit in Devanagari: अजाजी (Ajaji), alongside जारण, जिरण, जीर्ण, सुगंध; also in the Rāja Nighaṇṭu synonym set for jīraka via wisdomlib.; MMPND 'Sorting Cuminum names', Cuminum cyminum, Tamil in Tamil script: ஜீரகம் (Jirakam) alongside சீரகம்.; MMPND, 'Sorting Cuminum names', Cuminum cyminum: Hindi given in Devanagari as जीरा (Jiiraa/Jeera), alongside ज़ीरा, सफेद जीरा and सफेद ज़ीरा.; MMPND, 'Sorting Cuminum names', Cuminum cyminum: Hindi ज़ीरा (Zeera/zira) listed in Devanagari with nuqta, alongside जीरा.; MMPND, 'Sorting Cuminum names', Cuminum cyminum: Tamil listed in Tamil script as சீரகம் (Cirakam/Shiragam) and ஜீரகம் (Jirakam/Jeerakam).; wisdomlib's aggregated Sanskrit/Ayurveda entry for jīraka: 'Jīraka (जीरक) refers to the medicinal plant Cuminum cyminum Linn.', identified per verse 6.56-57 of Narahari's 13th-c. Rāja Nighaṇṭu, with the synonym set Jaraṇa, Jīra, Jīrṇa, Dīpya, Dīpaka, Ajājikī, Vanhiśaṃkha, Māgadha.. How we source.

The evidence at a glance

12papers on this site for this drug, published 2006 to 2024, 10 with a DOI.

  • 5Other clinical studies and reviews
  • 7Laboratory and animal studies

A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Everything listed here is laboratory or animal work, which does not show an effect in people. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.

Names and identification

LanguageName
EnglishJeeraka
Latin/BotanicalCuminum cyminum L.

Key Phytochemical Constituents

How does it work?

  • Antidiabetic mechanism through cuminaldehyde-mediated inhibition of alpha-glucosidase enzyme and enhancement of insulin secretion, with improvement of peripheral glucose disposal
  • Antimicrobial mechanism through cuminaldehyde disruption of bacterial membrane permeability and synergistic enhancement of conventional antibiotics (vancomycin, tobramycin, ciprofloxacin)
  • Anti-inflammatory mechanism through inhibition of NF-kB pathway activation and reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6), mediated by cuminaldehyde and flavonoid constituents

Which traditional uses are supported by research?

These summaries come from the source notes, which do not name the studies behind them.

  • Traditionally used as a Deepaniya (appetizer) and Pachaniya (digestive) herb. Clinical studies have reported digestive and carminative properties.
  • Traditionally used in metabolic disorders. Clinical studies have reported improvement in glycemic parameters.
  • Traditionally used in cardiovascular conditions. Clinical studies have reported hypolipidemic effects, including lower total cholesterol and triglycerides.

What do recent studies show?

Only studies that could be traced to a published paper are listed here. An absence here means we could not identify the source, not that no work exists.

Recent safety updates

  • Widely consumed spice with GRAS status and excellent safety profile at culinary doses; concentrated cumin oil may cause photosensitivity in some individuals
  • High-dose cuminaldehyde supplementation may interact with antidiabetic and anticoagulant medications; fertility effects have been reported in animal studies at very high doses; standard dietary consumption is safe

What is it made of?

Key Active Markers

  • Cuminaldehyde
  • Safranal
  • Cuminol
  • Flavonoids
  • Apigenin
  • Luteolin
  • Magnesium
  • Gamma-terpinene
  • Beta-pinene
  • P-cymene

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Churna (powder), Capsule, Tablet, Essential oil, Jeerakadyarishta (fermented preparation), Kashayam (decoction), Arka (distillate)

Standard Dosage: 3-6g powder daily (culinary use); 300-600mg extract twice daily; 15-30ml Arishta; 15-30ml Arka

Optimal Timing: After meals for digestive support; Jeerakadyarishta after meals with equal water

Storage: Cool, dry place below 25°C. Whole seeds far more stable than ground. Ground cumin in nitrogen-flushed or vacuum-packed containers. Essential oil in amber glass.

Marker Compounds: Cuminaldehyde (4-isopropylbenzaldehyde), Cuminol, Gamma-terpinene, Beta-pinene, p-Cymene, Apigenin, Luteolin

Synergistic Combinations

Published research

Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.

Other clinical studies and reviews5

  1. Singh N, Yadav SS, Kumar S and others. 2021. A review on traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and clinical research of dietary spice Cuminum cyminum LPhytotherapy research : PTR. PMID 33893678 · doi:10.1002/ptr.7133
  2. Khan AU, Akram M, Daniyal M and others. 2020. Awareness and current knowledge of epilepsyMetabolic brain disease. PMID 31605258 · doi:10.1007/s11011-019-00494-1
  3. Mnif S, Aifa S. 2015. Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) from traditional uses to potential biomedical applicationsChemistry & biodiversity. PMID 26010662 · doi:10.1002/cbdv.201400305
  4. Sowbhagya HB. 2013. Chemistry, technology, and nutraceutical functions of cumin (Cuminum cyminum L): an overviewCritical reviews in food science and nutrition. PMID 23035918 · doi:10.1080/10408398.2010.500223
  5. 2006. Cumin PMID 30000933

Laboratory and animal studies7

  1. Osanloo M, Ranjbar R, Zarenezhad E. 2024. Alginate Nanoparticles Containing Cuminum cyminum and Zataria multiflora Essential Oils with Promising Anticancer and Antibacterial EffectsInternational journal of biomaterials. PMID 38725434 · doi:10.1155/2024/5556838
  2. Yang X, Chen Y, Liu W and others. 2024. Combined transcriptomics and metabolomics to analyse the response of Cuminum cyminum L. under Pb stressThe Science of the total environment. PMID 38453091 · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171497
  3. Chen G, Kang R, Wang Z and others. 2023. The complete mitochondrial genome of Cuminum cyminum (Apiales: Apiaceae) and phylogenetic analysisMitochondrial DNA. Part B, Resources. PMID 37521907 · doi:10.1080/23802359.2023.2238357
  4. Ranjbar R, Zarenezhad E, Abdollahi A and others. 2023. Nanoemulsion and Nanogel Containing Cuminum cyminum L Essential Oil: Antioxidant, Anticancer, Antibacterial, and Antilarval PropertiesJournal of tropical medicine. PMID 36793773 · doi:10.1155/2023/5075581
  5. Amrutha DS, Joseph J, Vineeth CA and others. 2021. Green synthesis of Cuminum cyminum silver nanoparticles: Characterizations and cytocompatibility with lapine primary tenocytesJournal of biosciences. PMID 33737496
  6. Sharifi A, Mohammadzadeh A, Salehi TZ and others. 2021. Cuminum cyminum L. Essential Oil: A Promising Antibacterial and Antivirulence Agent Against Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureusFrontiers in microbiology. PMID 34421837 · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2021.667833
  7. Zhou J, Liu Z. 2020. The complete chloroplast genome and phylogenetic analysis of Cuminum cyminumMitochondrial DNA. Part B, Resources. PMID 33366883 · doi:10.1080/23802359.2020.1722037

Reference lists that include it

Flavonoids

Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.

Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.

Educational reference only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take anything. Traditional uses and research findings are reported as published, not as claims about what any product does. If you take prescribed medication, raise any interaction with the prescriber rather than acting on a page. See our editorial standards.