Know2eat

Caraway seed

Carum carvi

What caraway seed has been studied for

2 associations assessed — 1 with at least some human evidence behind it. Strongest first.

  • 1 Moderate
  • 1 Insufficient
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About caraway seed

The curved, ridged fruit of a carrot-family biennial, dominated by carvone and central to rye bread, sauerkraut and much of central European cooking. The USDA entry is per 100 g of seed; a teaspoon is around two grams.

Also known as caraway, caraway seed, meridian fennel, Persian cumin

Gut & Digestive HealthWeight Management

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Moderate

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Digestive comfort

Gut & Digestive Health
Moderate evidence

A fixed combination of peppermint oil and caraway oil has been tested repeatedly in functional dyspepsia and reviews generally find reduced pain and fullness compared with placebo. The caveat matters more than the finding: the trials use an enteric-coated pharmaceutical preparation of two essential oils, caraway is never tested alone, and eating the seed does not reproduce that exposure.

What may be going on: Both oils relax gastrointestinal smooth muscle in laboratory preparations, which is the proposed basis for reduced cramping and fullness.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Body composition

Weight Management
Insufficient evidence

Caraway extract is sold for weight loss on the strength of one small trial in women combined with exercise. That is not a body of evidence, and the preparation tested was a concentrated aqueous extract rather than the spice.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Caraway seed

Ask about Caraway seed

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories333 kcal17%
Protein19.8 g40%
Total fat14.6 g19%
Carbohydrate49.9 g18%
Fibre38 g136%
Total sugars0.64 g—
Water9.87 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.62 g3%
Monounsaturated fat7.13 g—
Polyunsaturated fat3.27 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)3.12 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A18 µg2%
Vitamin C21 mg23%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E2.5 mg17%
Vitamin K0 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.383 mg32%
Riboflavin (B2)0.379 mg29%
Niacin (B3)3.61 mg23%
Vitamin B60.36 mg21%
Folate10 µg3%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline24.7 mg4%
Minerals
Calcium689 mg53%
Iron16.2 mg90%
Magnesium258 mg61%
Phosphorus568 mg45%
Potassium1351 mg29%
Sodium17 mg1%
Zinc5.5 mg50%
Copper0.91 mg101%
Manganese1.3 mg57%
Selenium12.1 µg22%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene206 µg—
Alpha-carotene8 µg—
Lycopene20 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin454 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash5.87 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Spices, caraway seed (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170918).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • roastedChanges aroma compounds

    Dry-toasting caraway before use shifts its aroma from sharp and camphorous towards nutty. This is a flavour change with no demonstrated nutritional consequence.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Allergy

    Carrot-family allergy

    Caraway is an Apiaceae species and shares allergens with celery, carrot, fennel, anise and coriander. Reactions range from oral itching to anaphylaxis, and are more likely in people sensitised to mugwort or birch pollen.

  • Worth knowing

    Caraway oil preparations are a pharmaceutical dose

    The peppermint-and-caraway oil capsules used in dyspepsia trials are enteric-coated products delivering tens of milligrams of essential oil. Taking undiluted caraway oil by mouth is not the same thing and can irritate the stomach and oesophagus.

  • Worth knowing

    Not established for infant colic

    Caraway water is a traditional infant remedy in several countries. Essential-oil preparations have not been shown safe in babies, and anise, fennel and caraway infusions given to infants have caused problems often enough that paediatric bodies advise against them.