KALONGI
English : Black seeds/Black cumin
Urdu : Kalonji
Telugu : Nallajilakarra
Description :
This is a small plant with pungent odour, about 30-60 cm high, having 2.5-5 cm long leaves and pale, blue flowers. Seeds are 3- angled tubercular, very black in colour and bitter in taste.
Action and Uses:
Seeds are aromatic, digestive, carminative, stomachic, anti-billious, diuretic, lithontriptic, anthelmintic, emmenagogue and galactagogue. They are used indigestion, billiousness ,dropsy, worm infestation, renal calculi, oligo-galactia , mild puerperal sepsis, amenorrhoea and dysmenorrohea. In large doses seeds cause abortion. Seeds are also anti-phlegmatic , expectorant,
and used in chronic bronchitis and bronchial asthma. They are locally anaesthetic especially their oil, which is externally used in rheumatic pains, vitiligo, exzema and skin eruptions.
Ibn sina’s view:
It is pungent,expectorant, cleansing and carminative. It is used externally to cut and remove warts and moles. Also applied to ulcerative scabies and vitiligo. It is used internally in nasal catarrh and orthophoea.It is vermicidal for round worms and tape worms. It is diuretic, lithontriptic and emmenagogue. It is useful in renal stones and amenorrhoea.