Synonyms

Anethum graveolens L.: Anethum arvense Salisb.; Anethum graveolens subsp. sowa (Roxb. ex Fleming) N.F. Koren; Anethum graveolens var. anatolicum N.F. Koren; Anethum sowa Roxb. ex Fleming; Angelica graveolens (L.) Steud.; Ferula graveolens (L.) Spreng.; Ferula marathrophylla Walp.; Peucedanum anethum Baill.; Peucedanum graveolens (L.) Hiern.; Peucedanum sowa (Roxb. ex Fleming) Kurz; Selinum anethum Roth; Selinum graveolens (L.) Vest

Local Names

Russian, Укроп (ukrop); Azeri, шюют (shjujut), шивит (shivit); Armenian, самит (samit); Georgian, (k’ama), (tseretso), ( (didi k’ama), (rusuli k’ama) (Grossheim 1952; Ketskhoveli et al. 1971–2011; Makashvili 1991; Sokolov 1988); Farsi, (mitkham), (shabat), (shevet), (shevid), (toragh); English, Dill.

Botany and Ecology

Annual; entire plant glabrous, dark green, with distally indistinct blue striae with pungent spicy odor; root thin, fusiform; stem 40–12 cm high, single, erect, branching or nearly simple, thinly furrowed, with alternate narrow whitish and green striae, branching above, curved between branches; leaves tri- or quadripinnate, ovate, lobules of last order linear-filiform or nearly setaceous; lower leaves with petioles expanding to oblong, 1.5–2-cm-long sheath with broad scarious margin; upper leaves with smaller and less dissected blade, sessile on sheath. Umbels to 15 cm across, of 30–50 smooth, nearly equal rays; involucre and involucels lacking; calyx teeth very short; petals yellow, tapering to flat, hardly notched involute lobule; stylopodium pale yellow, pulviniform; styles very short, nearly erect at flowering, becoming recurved in fruit, stigma claviform-capitate; fruit ovoid or broadly ellipsoid, dorsally compressed, 3–5 mm long, 1.5–3.5 mm wide; mericarps with three prominent, carinate, dorsal ribs, lateral ribs extended into thin, straw-colored margin; canals solitary in valleculae, two toward commissure; albumen semi-elliptic in cross section, nearly flat toward commissure. Flowering June–July. Ural, Caucasus, cultivated and escaped near dwellings, kitchen gardens, fields, and roads (Shishkin 1951) (Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4).

Fig. 1
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Anethum graveolens (Apiaceae) in garden in Adjara, Georgia. (Photo R.W. Bussmann & N.Y. Paniagua-Zambrana)

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Fig. 2
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Anethum graveolens (Apiaceae) in garden in Adjara, Georgia. (Photo R.W. Bussmann & N.Y. Paniagua-Zambrana)

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Fig. 3
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Anethum graveolens (Apiaceae) in garden in Adjara, Georgia. (Photo R.W. Bussmann & N.Y. Paniagua-Zambrana)

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Fig. 4
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Anethum graveolens (Apiaceae) in garden in Adjara, Georgia. (Photo R.W. Bussmann & N.Y. Paniagua-Zambrana)

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Phytochemistry

Essential oils (carvone) (Sokolov 1988)

Local Medicinal Uses

The seed and leaves of A. graveolens help to treat digestive problems such as gastritis and nausea (Ghorbani 2005; Sharififar et al. 2010; Mikaili et al. 2011; Dolatkhahi et al. 2012; Dolatkhahi and Nabipour 2013, 2014; Amiri et al. 2014) and respiratory system disorders such as dyspnea (Mikaili et al. 2011). Infusion of leaves is used against bloating and hiccup (Mahdavi Meimand and Mirtajadini 2010; Sharififar et al. 2010; Amiri et al. 2014; Moein et al. 2015). They also serve as carminative and digestive (Moein et al. 2015). The leaves and seeds are used as a diuretic and against hyperlipidemia (Amin 2005), and the leaves are eaten to relieve abdominal pain, back pain (Mikaili et al. 2011), and joint pain (Sharififar et al. 2010). It has a positive influence on the cardiovascular system (Dolatkhahi et al. 2012). It can cause abortion (Amiri et al. 2014). In Iranian traditional medicine, the leaves and seeds are used to treat amenorrhea (missed period), menstrual cramps, dysmenorrheal problems, and impotence (Mikaili et al. 2011; Dolatkhahi and Nabipour 2013; Khajoei Nasab and Khosravi 2014), to reduce blood sugar (Sharififar et al. 2010), and to increase lactation in nursing mothers (Mahdavi Meimand and Mirtajadini 2010; Dolatkhahi and Nabipour 2013; Amiri et al. 2014). The leaves are also used to cure genitourinary system problems, for example, bladder inflammation and nephritis (kidney inflammation) (Mikaili et al. 2011).

The leaves and shoots are used for digestive system disorders (Batsatsashvili et al. 2017; Bussmann et al. 2014, 2016a, b, 2017a, b, 2018; Bussmann 2017). Similar uses are, e.g., recorded in India (Raj et al. 2018), and Anethum is known for its antibacterial properties (Malik et al. 2018).

Local Food Uses

The young shoots are used as vegetables, often as a seasoning for food and pickles.

The seeds are used as flavoring agent for liquor and as spice. Used as spice for meals but also for canning and liquor (Grossheim 1952; Sokolov 1988).

A. graveolens leaves are eaten fresh and dry as vegetable, and the leaves can be used as a condiment (Hooper et al. 1937; Mozaffarian 2013).

The seeds and leaves are an important ingredient of Svanetian salt (Batsatsashvili et al. 2017; Bussmann et al. 2014, 2016a, b, 2017a, b, 2018; Bussmann 2017). Anethum is known for its vitamin C content and used as food in Nepal (Kunwar et al. 2010) (Figs. 5 and 6).

Fig. 5
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Anethum graveolens (Apiaceae) in market in Telavi, Georgia. (Photo R.W. Bussmann & N.Y. Paniagua-Zambrana)

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Fig. 6
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Anethum graveolens (Apiaceae) leaves ready to eat, Tusheti, Georgia. (Photo R.W. Bussmann & N.Y. Paniagua-Zambrana)

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Local Handicraft and Other Uses

The seed oil is used in soaps (Sokolov 1988).