Many common illnesses in children can be cured using ajwain or carom seeds. Read on to find more about the ajwain remedies which you can used for treating common health issues in children.Carom seed or ajwain is easily available in every house in India and is used in many forms, like adding the seeds to pakora, paratha, poori etc, or making ajwain water and buttermilk.
Ajwain has been used for hundreds of years and is known for the health benefits that it offers. It helps in curing digestive disorder, cold and cough, sinuses and congestion. It also helps in relieving flatulence, nausea, indigestion and colic pain in children. Ajwain oil is used to treat various ear infections, earache and toothache.
Important Nutrients of Ajwain
Ajwain has various medicinal qualities and is used as an antiseptic, antipyretic and expectorant. It contains various nutrients, such as fibre, fat, protein, sugar, minerals, calories, etc. It also contains various
essential oils including terpinene, thymol, pinene, cymene and limonene.
Important Things to Remember Before Giving Ajwain to Children
Ajwain should always be given to children after consulting their paediatrician. Ajwain sometimes counteracts with medications and it reduces the rate at which medicines are broken down in the liver. Counteraction can also cause photosensitization or sensitivity to sunlight. Ajwain can also increase the side effects of some medications and aggravates anti-coagulation.
Ajwain Remedies for Treating Common Problems
Let us take a look at some
home remedies using ajwain for treating common health problems in children.
1. Treats Cough and Cold
Ajwain is very useful for children who are suffering from cold and cough as it helps in getting rid of the phlegm. These are a few methods in which ajwain can be used to treat cold and cough. Please make sure that you consult your doctor before trying these remedies.
Prepare Ajwain or Herbal Drink
Boil 1 teaspoon ajwain, 8 to 10 Tulsi leaves, 1/2 teaspoon dry
ginger powder (optional), 5 black peppers, 1 clove, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric in 1/2 cup water for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid and let it cool. Add 1-2 tablespoons of honey or jaggery and give this herbal drink to your child.
Ajwain Water
Boil 2 teaspoons of roasted ajwain in 1 cup of water until the water changes its colour to brown. Mix with sugar or honey and give it to your child.
Ajwain Hot Pad
Roast two tablespoons of ajwain until you can smell the seeds. Put this in a muslin cloth to make a pouch and place it on your child’s chest as a warm pad (it should not be very hot but bearable by a child. Make sure that it does not burn your child’s skin). It helps in relieving congestion in chest and stuffy nose.
Ajwain and Garlic Smoke Pouch
Roast 1 tablespoon ajwain with 2 cloves of
garlic. Put in it in a muslin cloth to make a pouch and place it (after it cools) near your child while he or she is sleeping. The smoke will help clear the nose blockage and relieve chest congestion.
Ajwain Oil
Add 4-5 ajwain seeds to baby massage oil and heat it for a few seconds. Once it becomes warm, massage the child gently by applying the oil on the chest and back. Take care that it is not too hot otherwise it can burn your child’s skin.
Ajwain Expectorant
1 teaspoon of ajwain along with buttermilk makes an expectorant that helps in getting rid of phlegm. Giving steam of boiled ajwain seeds helps in curing common cold.
2. Eases Digestion and Colic Pain
Many children face colic pain and as a result are crying most of the time. To provide them relief, a teaspoon of ajwain water can be given 4-5 times throughout the day at regular intervals.
3. Cure for Diarrhoea
Boil 1 teaspoon of ajwain with rock salt in one glass of water. Strain the water and give in doses of 1 or 2 drops to your child to cure
diarrhoea, dysentery, indigestion, colic and flatulence.
4. Relieves Teeth Pain
For pain in teeth, boil 1 teaspoon of ajwain and 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of water. Gargle when the mixture is warm to relive pain in teeth.
5. Cure for Gastric Ulcers
Ajwain has gastro protective properties and has shown antiulcer activities too. It can be very useful for children who are suffering from gastric ulcers.
6. Remedies for Intestinal Worms
Ajwain along with jaggery is the best remedy and it helps in destroying intestinal worms. One way is to give the mixture of ajwain powder and jaggery to your child twice daily. The other way is to give 10gm jaggery early morning to your child and allow him or her to rest for next 15 minutes. Then give 0.5gm of ajwain powder with water. This will destroy all the worms in the stomach.
7. Allows Detoxification
Ajwain reduces the effect of toxins on our body which can accumulate over time.
8. Controls Infections
Ajwain has antimicrobial properties even against some of the resistant and persistent bacteria that resist all kinds of antibiotics.
Ajwain is known to have medicinal qualities and is best for digestive issues for children. However, before introducing this to your child, we suggest to consult his or her doctor.
What are the benefits of including ajwain or carom seeds in the diet of children? Which illnesses can be cured with the help of ajwain? Is it safe to give ajwain or carom seeds to children? Discuss here. 
