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Most common oils
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Glossary |
Dill |
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Anethum graveolens The botanical genus name Anethum derives from Greek áneeson or áneeton, which also gave rise to the name of anis; the species name means "strongly smelling" (Latin gravis "grave, heavy" and olens "smelling" from the verb olere). Ancient Romans believed dill had fortifying qualities. Gladiators were given food covered with dill, to give them strength. It is one of the earliest medicinal herbs known in Europe, widely regarded as one of the best stomachics for young children. Dill, an annual or biennial herb native to Europe and south-western Asia, is naturalized to North America and the West Indies. Principal dill production areas are India and Pakistan, however Egypt, Fiji, Mexico, the Netherlands, the United States, England, Hungary, Germany, and Holland also have commercially productive areas. The characteristic, sweet taste of dill is popular all over central and eastern Europe, & western, central and southern Asia, but hardly used at all in France or Italy. Dill is almost indispensable in Russian and Scandinavian cookery and is a kind of "national spice" in Scandinavia, where fish or shellfish dishes are usually either directly flavoured with dill or served together with sauces containing dill. The taste of dill leaves resemble that of caraway, while the seeds are pungent and aromatic. Freshly cut, chopped leaves enhance the flavour of dips, herb butter, soups, salads, fish dishes, and salads. The seeds are used in pickling and can also improve the taste of roasts, stews and vegetables. Ground seeds are used as a salt substitute. Both the flowering heads and seeds are used in flavoured vinegars and oils.
Indian dill or
east Indian dill, Anethum sowa is a perennial herb grown
and utilized similarly to dill. Indian dill has a higher specific
gravity than common dill, and is more pungent than European and American
varieties, attributed to the presence of dillapiole and a
lower carvone content. The high dillapiole content may make Indian dill
a source of pyrethrum synergists. It is an essential ingredient in curry and is commonly used to
flavour lentil and bean dishes. It's fruits are larger but less
fragrant; therefore, when dill is asked for
by an Indian recipe, it is advisable to reduce the amount of dill by
about 30 to 50%, unless the book was explicitly written for western
tastes. As a medicinal plant, dill has been used as an antispasmodic, carminative, detersive, digestive, diuretic, laxative, narcotic, sedative, stimulant, and stomachic. It has also been used as a remedy for insomnia. Dill promotes menstruation, so it can be used to encourage a late period. Dill is also used to promote the flow of breast milk. Dill seed is for children, what fennel seed is for adults. Called "the secret of British nannies," dill, combined with fennel, is the active ingredient in the famous "gripe water," the miraculous infant colic remedy taken around the world in the British Empire.
It is used in European hospitals to treat flatulence, indigestion, constipation, nervousness, gastric upsets, headaches, bruises, cough, dropsy, dyspepsia, flatulence, jaundice, sclerosis, scurvy, sore, stomach ache, stomach ailments and tumor. This plant is also used to treat bad breath, kidney and urinary problems, sleep disorders, intestinal problems, and spasms. For adults, dill, along with fennel, treats heartburn. Dill oil has been researched at Cairo University for its effects in glucose and insulin levels and supporting pancreatic function. The clear essential oils of dill differ in flavour and odour depending upon whether they are obtained from mature seed or dill weed. The oils from leaves (0.35%) and fruits (2 to 4%) differ slightly in composition: In the fruit oil, the main components are carvone (40 to 60%) and limonene (40%), but other monoterpenes appear only in traces (phellandrene, carveol, terpinene and dihydrocarvone). The fruit oil resembling the essential oil of caraway because of the high carvone content. In the leaf oil, the aroma is determined by carvone (30 to 40%), limonene (30 to 40%), phellandrene (10 to 20%) and other monoterpenes; dill ether (a monoterpene ether) is characteristic of leaf oil. The quality of dill oil can fluctuate greatly, depending on the percentage of seed oil, and the physiological maturity of the seeds used for oil. The time of harvest may also be significant, because carvone is synthesized during the day from phellandrene breakdown. Dill herb oil is sometimes adulterated with terpenes from other sources. Myristicin, apiol, and dillapiol present in dill oil are effective naturally occurring insecticides. Myristicin is also known to be responsible for psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties in some other plants, and the apiol content may be responsible for diuretic properties. It is a middle
note with a fresh, sweet, herbaceous, slightly earthy aroma but loses
much of its delicate flavour after drying. Care: Dill will provoke photo dermatitis and contact dermatitis in humans. DISCLAIMER: This page is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for accurate diagnosis and treatment by a qualified health care professional. The author is neither a chemist nor an herbalist and has had no medical training whatsoever. The content herein is the product of research, not practical experience. |
Grown best as an annual crop, timeliness of harvest is crucial to
maximize seed yield, because seeds tend to ripen at different times and
seed shattering is a potential problem. Generally, harvesting for dill
weed or the essential oil of dill weed is done before the plant flowers.
Harvesting for seed is initiated when the bulk of the seed crop is
physiologically mature. Plants used for essential oil production are
steam distilled on the day of harvest to minimize volatilization losses.