Khella
Other Names: Ammi, Ammi daucoides, Ammi visnaga, Ammi Visnage, Bischofskrautfruchte, Biznaga, Daucus visnaga, Fenouil Annuel, Fruits de Khella, Herbe aux Cure-Dents, Herbe aux Gencives, Khellin, Khelline, Noukha, Toothpick Ammi, Toothpick Plant, Visnaga, Visnagae, Visnagafruchte, Visnaga Fruit, Visnagin, Ajwain weed , Picktooth, Toothpick Weed, Daucus visnaga, False Queen Anne’s Lace, Honeyplant, Spanish toothpick, Greater Ammi, Khellin, Carum copticum, Ajmud , Carom, Omum, Ajowan
is a small annual plant and it belongs to the cumin and parsley family. This erect plant grows to approximately 120 cm in height. It looks pretty much like celery or wild parsley. Khella bears wispy soft, fine feathery leaves clusters of small white flowers. Tiny fruits bear irregular, grey colored seeds. Seeds have a characteristic odor and are lingering on taste. Khella flowers in about two months and the fruits become ready for harvesting when the flower heads turn brown. Khella is one of the oldest herbs cultivated by the ancient Egyptians. This aromatic shrub is also native to the Mediterranean area of North Africa and the Middle East, and now cultivated in different countries, such as United States, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and others. Khella grows on all kinds of soil but prefers well-drained soil, which consists of easily crumbled or pulverized mixture of clay, silt and sand. It tolerates the shades, but likes sunny places. In herb medicine fruits and seeds are used. The ripe fruits are picked and dried, as well as seeds. The seeds of the herb are the most important part that has medicinal value.
Khella is available in the form of tinctures, tablets, and prescription creams (for vitiligo). In the form of oil (omam) it is almost colorless (slightly brownish) with characteristic odour and a sharp hot taste. Another form of it – Omam water - water distilled from the seeds (which is extremely popular in some Arabian countries, south India, Malaysia and Srilanka. Khella also is an ingredient in many products and herbal remedies.
Special Precautions of Ajwain
- Be careful not to confuse khella with its less commonly used relative, Bishop's Weed. The two species contain some of the same chemicals and work similarly in the body, but khella is more commonly used for heart and lung conditions, and bishop's weed is more commonly used for skin conditions.
- Khella is POSSIBLY UNSAFE when taken in high doses or used for a long time. It can cause side effects including liver problems, nausea, dizziness, constipation, lack of appetite, headache, itching, trouble sleeping, and skin sensitivity to sunlight (photosensitization).
- Too much exposure to sunlight while using khella can cause skin hypersensitivity to sunlight.
- It takes a few weeks of daily use with khella before attacks diminish. Using it during attacks is considered unreliable. Lobelia is better for fast relief during acute attacks.
- Keep within recommended dosages. Prolonged excessive use can create liver complications.
- Pregnancy and breast-feeding: it’s UNSAFE to take khella if you are pregnant. It contains khellin, a chemical that can cause the uterus to contract. This might cause a miscarriage.
- It’s also best to avoid khella if you are breast-feeding. There isn’t enough information to know if it is safe for the nursing infant.
- Liver disease: Khella might make liver disease worse. Don’t use it if you have liver problems.
- Avoid using it if there are bleeding problems.
- Digoxin (Lanoxin) interacts with KHELLA
- Medications that can harm the liver (Hepatotoxic drugs) interacts with KHELLA
- Medications that increase sensitivity to sunlight (Photosensitizing drugs) interacts with KHELLA
The benefits and uses of Ajwain are
Bishop’s Weed contains thymol (35 to 60%), which has antibacterial, anti-fungal, and preservative properties. Khella’ herbal properties conclude also antispasmodic, smooth muscle relaxing action. It is a non-stimulating bronchial dilator and vasodilator. Its other important constituents are: the essential oil (2.5 to 5% in the dried fruits), isothymol (50%), α-pinene, p-cymene, γ-terpinene and limonene. In fruits there are also coumarins and furocoumarins (psoralens), the most important of which are khellin (1%) and visnagin (0.3%), and a small amount (less than 0.03%) of a volatile oil.
- Kidney Stones : Several preliminary studies suggest that ammi visnaga may help protect against kidney stones. In a 2011 study published in Urological Research, for instance, tests on rats revealed that treatment with ammi visnaga helped prevent the buildup of minerals known to form kidney stones.
- Diabetes : Ammi visnaga shows promise in the treatment of diabetes, according to an animal-based study published in the Journal of Pharmacotherapy in 2002. In tests on diabetic rats, the study's authors found that ammi visnaga helped reduce blood sugar levels.
- Asthma (cardiac, bronchial asthma)
- Bronchitis, emphysema, spastic coughs (khellin (a constituent) is considered a bronchio-dilator, and along with its antispasmodic qualities, is said to alleviate spasms of the smooth muscles that line bronchial airways)
- Angina (relieves the pain of angina pectoris)
- Spastic heart
- Coronary insufficiency
- Arteriosclerosis (help to increase the levels of "good" cholesterol (HDL), thus helping to reduce plaque formation in the linings of arteries) It also diminish the risk of stroke and heart attack
- Spasms and constriction of the urinary tract and bladder
- Gallbladder and bile duct
- Relieves gallbladder colic and facilitates passage of gallstones
- Relieves urinary colic and facilitates discharge of urinary stones and thick mucous-pus discharge
- It is indicated as a recovery after heart attack and during spastic menstruation (begin taking three to five days before expected period and continue until period ends).
- Khella is shown to be very beneficial for good heart health (as a vasodilator). It doesn’t reduce blood pressure while improving the circulation in the heart muscle (coronary arteries), so that it gives the heart a mild boost to its pumping action. Moreover, the visnagin component of Khella acts as a calcium channel blocker. It can eventually help to prevent blood vessel constriction that could result in raised blood pressure.
- All kinds of spasm (spastic coughs, abdominal cramps and painful periods) are treated with Khella rather successfully, due to its antispasmodic properties.
- The plant has been used for treating of a disease, in which the skin loses its pigment-carrying melanocytes (vitiligo). The khellin component of Khella together with sun exposure gives 76-to-86 percent effectiveness.
- Wounds treating, inflammation, psoriasis and other dermatological problems
However, research reveals no clinical data as the use of Khella for most of these conditions yet.
