1 Spec. Plant. Willd. i. 1470.

Cl. 5. Ord. 2. Pentandria Digynia. Nat. Ord. Umbelliferae.

G. 561. Fruit ovate-oblong, striated. Involucre one-leafed. Petals keeled, inflex, emarginated.

Sp. 1. C. Carui. Common Carraway. Med. Pot. 3d ed. 102. t. 41. Eng. Pot. Smith's Flora Britan. 330.

Officinal. Carui, Lond. Edin. Carum Carui; semina, Dub. Carraway seeds.

Syn. Carvi (F.), Kummelsamen (G.), Veldkemyn (Dutch), Koramer (Dan.), Brodkummin (Swed.), Karny (Pol.), Tmin (Russian), Carvi (I.), Alcaravea (S.), Alcaravia (Portug.), Dshintan (Javanese).

Carraway is an indigenous, biennial, umbelliferous plant, growing wild in meadows and pastures; but cultivated in several parts, particularly in Essex, for the sake of its seed. The flowers expand in May and June, and the seeds ripen in August. The root is fuciform; the stem smooth, channelled, branching, and seldom exceeding three feet in height; with smooth, doubly pinnate, incised leaves, the pinnulse or segments of which are narrow, linear, pointed, and of a deep green colour. The flowers are in numerous, terminal, erect umbels, generally of ten rays, furnished with an involucre consisting of narrow leaflets, solitary, or two to three together, often altogether deficient; and without any partial involucre. The petals of the flowers are five, nearly equal, obtuse, inflective, white, or of a pale blush colour; the filaments slender, rather longer than the petals, and bearing small roundish anthers; and the germen inferior, supporting very short capillary styles with simple stigmas. The seeds are two, oblong, bent, about one fourth of an inch in length, of a brown colour, with five moderately elevated, longitudinal, straw-coloured ridges, the interstices being also obscurely furrowed. Carraway plants do not perfect their seeds until the second year.

They are cut down in July, and the seed thrashed out on a cloth. The seeds are used by the London confectioners and bakers, as well as for medicinal purposes.

Qualities.-Carraway seeds have a pleasant aromatic odour, and a sweetish, warm, pungent taste, depending on a volatile oil which is almost completely extracted by rectified spirit, and in an inferior degree by water. By distillation with water the whole is elevated, and an insipid extract remains.

Dioscoridis. Careum, non Carum, Latine did deberet. Conf. Plin. 1. xix. sect. 49. Gaerlner.

Medical properties and uses. - These seeds are carminative and stomachic. They are used in flatulent colic and hysteria; and to give warmth to purgatives and other active remedies.

The dose in substance is from grs. x. to 3 ij.

Officinal preparations. - Oleum Carui, L. D. A qua Carui, L. D. Spiritus Carui, L. E. D. Spiritus Juniperi comp. L. D. Tinctura Cardamomi composita, L. D. Tinctura Sennae composita, L. D. Confectio Opii, L. D. Confectio Rutae, D. Decoctum Anthemidis nobilis, E.