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Cumin seeds or jeera seeds are one of the most common and easily available ingredient in our kitchen shelves. It is practically impossible to think of our kitchen shelves without these tiny, pungent smelling ingredient. This herb is used mainly for its culinary attributes and is native to Asia. But one must remember not to get blindsided by all these benefits. These cumin seeds may be tiny in nature, but they can wreak havoc in your body of you over consume them. Shocking, isn’t it? Take a look at the side effects of jeera water.
12 Unexpected Jeera Water Side Effects
Cumin can be used or consumed in various forms such as cumin seeds, cumin powder, jeera water, cumin oil, etc. Did you know that cumin/jeera can be used for a number of other reasons as well instead of just cooking? They can be used for treatment of skin problems, hair loss, treatment of dandruff, etc.
1. Pregnancy
- The consumption of jeera water by pregnant women should be monitored carefully as there can be an abortifacient effect due to the cumin seeds. As a result, there is a risk of miscarriage or the inducement of labor.
- It is advisable to follow the prescribed diet and consult with your physician to find out how much cumin can be consumed.(1)
2. Bleeding Disorder
- Abnormal bleeding problems or clotting problems can lead to various bleeding disorders in our body.
- Consuming excessive cumin can actual slow down blood clotting and thereby worsening your bleeding disorder conditions.
- So if you notice excessive bleeding, it would be wise to check your cumin consumption.(2)
3. Diabetes
- There are chances of your blood sugar levels lowering due to the use of cumin.
- You will have to monitoring the signs of hypoglycemia which is basically a condition wherein the glucose levels in your blood are lower than the normal levels.
- You need to be extra cautious while using cumin if you have diabetes.(3)
4. Surgery
- As mentioned earlier, cumin can play a role in lowering your blood sugar levels.
- This can be problematic since it can interfere with the controlling of blood sugar during or after a surgery.
- It is advisable to stop the consumption of cumin in any form at least 2 weeks prior to a scheduled surgery.(4)
5. Heartburn
- While going through the benefits of cumin, you would notice that they are quite effective in providing relief from gastric problems but it is also quite surprising to find out that cumin can cause heartburn.
- This is because cumin can stimulate excess gas in the gastrointestinal tract.(5)
6. Liver Damage
- This side effect f liver damage occurs only when there is excess consumption of cumin. Along with damage to your liver, there are also possibilities of damage to your kidneys.
- Hence, it is extremely important to have a regular check on the amount of cumin being consumed so that there is no risk of liver or kidney damage.(6)
7. Narcotic Effects
- Another reason why cumin should be consumed cautiously is that they have known to contain narcotic properties.
- The side effects that you would have to face because of these properties are drowsiness, mental clouding, nausea, etc.
- A little extra caution can go a long way in avoiding these kind of side effects.(7)
8. Heavy Menstrual Cycle
- Remember that we had mentioned bleeding disorders as one of the side effects? Well, one of the bleeding disorder is a heavy menstrual cycle.
- Hence, it is absolutely essential to control the amount of cumin that you are consuming since it can lead to heavy bleeding during your menstrual period.
- You don’t have to completely avoid them rather just reduce the amount during your menstrual cycle.(8)
[ Read: Harmful Effects of Chia Seeds ]
9. Breastfeeding
- Were you aware that one of the reasons for low production of milk in lactating mothers was the excessive consumption of cumin?
- Though this is not a side effect which will be faced by every lactating women, it Is still advised to keep a check.
- Again because of its benefits you cannot completely exclude cumin from your diet. As long as you consume it within limits, there would be no problems.(9)
10. Belching
- Rather than being a harmful side effect, this is more like an embarrassing side effect.
- Consuming excess cumin can lead to belching because of its carminative effects.
- Belching or burping as it is more popularly known as occurs when there is extra gas and bloating in the stomach and intestinal tract.
- This excessive gas and bloating make their way out of the body through our mouths. The belching is usually accompanied by a nasty sound as well as odor.(10)
11. Allergies
- Sometime the excess consumption of cumin can result in allergies and skin rashes.
- This is why it is advised that people who are already facing skin allergies should monitor how much cumin they are ingesting so that allergies and rashes don’t get aggravated more.(11)
12. Drug Interaction
- Due to its side effects of lowering blood sugar levels, cumin have been known to interact with the medications for diabetes.
- If you are on some diabetes medication then excessive consumption of cumin can cause harm as your blood sugar levels can drop to much lower than required.
- Do avoid consuming large amount of cumin while you are on diabetes medication.(12)
The above 12 side effects prove that no matter how tiny an ingredient is, it can cause some harmful effects as well. That is why it is always important to ensure that you do not over-indulge in anything and just stick to the right and permitted limit.
Do you have any more side effects to add to our list? Have you encountered any of these side effects? We would love to hear your thoughts and comments.
Scientific Evidence:
- Study of Analgesic Activity of Methanolic Extracts of Cuminum Cyminum (L.) and Centratherum Anthelminticum (L.) in Mice- http://annals-ashkmdc.org/index.php/ashkmdc/article/view/36
- Extracts from two frequently consumed spices–cumin (Cuminum cyminum) and turmeric (Curcuma longa)–inhibit platelet aggregation and alter eicosanoid biosynthesis in human blood platelets- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2503839/
- Antihyperglycemic activity and inhibition of advanced glycation end product formation by Cuminum cyminum in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278691510002759
- Evaluation the effect of 50 and 100 mg doses of Cuminum cyminum essential oil on glycemic indices, insulin resistance and serum inflammatory factors on patients with diabetes type II: A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5506625/
- The pharmacological activities of Cuminum cyminum -A review- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ali-Al-Snafi/publication/313742829_The_pharmacological_activities_of_Cuminum_cyminum_-A_review/links/58a46696a6fdcc0e0755de90/The-pharmacological-activities-of-Cuminum-cyminum-A-review.pdf
- Toxicity Effect of Nigella Sativa on the Liver Function of Rats- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259209427_Toxicity_Effect_of_Nigella_Sativa_on_the_Liver_Function_of_Rats
- Efficacy of Cuminum cyminum (L.) seed oil on acute toxoplasmosis: An experimental study on albino mice- https://puj.journals.ekb.eg/article_236477.html
- Drug Levels and Effects- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501873/
- Cuminum cyminum – A Popular Spice: An Updated Review- https://phcogj.com/sites/default/files/10.5530pj.2017.3.51.pdf
- Potential Health Benefits- https://journals.lww.com/nutritiontodayonline/Fulltext/2021/05000/Cumin__Potential_Health_Benefits.8.aspx
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