Along with the many dill health benefits, this plant is one of the oldest medicinal herbs. The Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans knew and appreciated its medicinal properties and used the plant as a seasoning herb and remedy. Dill looks quite similar to fennel. The 16th-century Spanish physician Andrés de Laguna said, “It would be easy to mistake dill for fennel by sight alone, but they are easily distinguished by taste.” Dill has a harder, more spicy taste than fennel, though the properties of both plants are similar.
Dill Plant Scientific Facts
- Scientific Name – Anethum graveolens L.
- Scientific Synonyms – Anethum sowa Rob.
- Other Names – Dilly, garden dill.
- French – Aneth.
- Spanish – Eneldo.
- Environment – Native to Asia Minor and currently spread, both wild and cultivated, all over America and Mediterranean areas of Europe.
- Description – Herbaceous plant of the Umbelliferae family, which grows from 30 to 50 cm high, has a hollow stem and yellow flowers growing in umbels with unequal radii.
- Parts of the plant used medicinally – The seed.
Dill Health Benefits
Dill SEEDS contain an essence (3 to 4 percent), whose most important component is carvone. This essence has a powerful carminative (eliminates intestinal flatulence and gas), appetizer, diuretic, galactogenic (increases milk production), and mild sedative properties. It also has emmenagogue (stimulant of menstruation) properties.
Its most important use is for hiccups and belching in children, as excessive gas in the stomach (aerophagia) and intestinal flatulence in adults. It is also used as a sedative stimulating substance for breastfeeding women.
How to use Dill
- Infusion with a tablespoonful (about 15 grams) of seeds per half a liter of water. Drink two or three cups a day after meals.
REFERENCES
George D. Pamplona-Roger, M.D. “Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants.” George D. Pamplona-Roger, M.D. Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Ed. Francesc X. Gelabert. Vols. 1 San Fernando de Henares: Editorial Safeliz, 2000. 349. Print. [dill health benefits]
