Chemical composition & medicinal importance of Bunium persicum (Boiss.)B.fedtsch. – A review

Bunium persicum also known as ‘Black Cumin’ is one of the economically and medicinally important plant species. The economic production of B.persicum is through seeds (schizocarp fruits) that are used as medicine and spices. Black cumin essential oil is used in pharmaceutical, food sweetening, soft drink, food and hygiene industries. Ripe black cumin fruits contain an essential oil rich in monoterpene aldehydes with the main components as cuminaldehyde, p-mentha-1,3-dien-7-al and p-mentha-1,4-dien-7-al; terpene hydrocarbons are the main components of fruits collected in the wild or harvested unripe (?-terpinene, p-cymene, ?-pinene, limonene).