Caraway (Carum carvi): Uses, Evidence and Safety
Caraway fruit (Carum carvi): traditional use for bloating, what trials found for peppermint-and-caraway oil combinations, and EU cautions on liver, gallbladder and allergy.
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Safety first: liver, gallbladder, allergy and young children
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) herbal committee says use of caraway fruit in people with liver disease, cholangitis (inflamed bile ducts), achlorhydria (no stomach acid), gallstones and other bile-duct disorders is not recommended. [1] It lists hypersensitivity to caraway, to other plants of the carrot family (fennel, anise, celery, coriander and dill), to mugwort or to birch as contraindications. [1] It does not recommend use under 12 years, and says safety during pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established. [1] See herbal allergy and cross-reactivity.Overview
Caraway is Carum carvi L., a plant in the carrot family (Apiaceae); GBIF lists this as the accepted name. [2] The part used is the fruit, usually sold as caraway seed. This page covers caraway as a herb. It is a common cooking spice, but food amounts and medicinal products are not the same thing. Related herbs with similar uses are fennel and anise; blends are discussed at teas for gas and bloating.Traditional use (not proof of benefit)
The EU classifies caraway fruit as a traditional herbal medicinal product for the symptomatic relief of digestive disorders such as bloating and flatulence. [1] The monograph says this use is exclusively based upon long-standing use, not on clinical trial results. [1]What research shows
| Use | What the sources found | Strength of evidence | Form and population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloating and gas, caraway alone | The EU accepts this as a traditional use only. [1] Proper evidence not found in the sources we read for caraway used alone: we searched PubMed, the Cochrane review of herbs for functional dyspepsia and EMA documents, and the trials we found tested caraway oil combined with peppermint oil. | Traditional use only | Herbal tea of the fruit |
| Functional dyspepsia (indigestion without a clear cause), peppermint plus caraway oil | A 2023 Cochrane review said peppermint and caraway oil probably gives a large improvement in global dyspepsia symptoms at four weeks (moderate certainty), with little to no difference in adverse events compared with placebo (low certainty). [3] A 2019 meta-analysis of 5 trials (578 people) agreed, but said the evidence was of low or very low quality. [4] | Promising but limited (applies to those fixed combinations only) | Combination of two oils in capsules; adults |
The combination result tells us about two oils together. It does not show what caraway alone does, and it does not apply to caraway tea, seeds in food or other products. Similarly, NCCIH says there isn't any evidence showing that peppermint oil taken alone helps indigestion. [5] See peppermint for the peppermint side.
Forms and why the form matters
The EU monograph covers caraway fruit as a herbal tea for oral use, for adolescents, adults and older adults, and says to see a doctor if symptoms last longer than 2 weeks. [1] Combination oil capsules in trials are a different product class. No home-made oil or extract instructions are given here.Safety in more detail
- Side effects: the monograph says none are known for the tea. [1]
- Medicines: the monograph reports no interactions in its sources; other interactions are not described in the sources we read. See how interactions work.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: safety not established; use not recommended in the absence of sufficient data. [1] See pregnancy and breastfeeding safety.
- Genes, cancer and reproduction: the monograph notes that adequate tests on reproductive toxicity, genotoxicity and carcinogenicity have not been performed. [1]
- Bleeding and surgery, kidney: not described in the sources we read; tell your surgical team about any herbal product (supplements before surgery).
- Quality: adulteration is not discussed in the sources we read. See quality testing and certifications.
Official statements
- EMA (EU), 2015: EU herbal monograph on Carum carvi L., fructus (traditional use for bloating and flatulence in adolescents, adults and older adults). [1]
Related pages
Frequently asked questions
Does caraway help indigestion?
The best studied form is a fixed combination of peppermint oil and caraway oil, which a Cochrane review judged probably helpful for dyspepsia symptoms. [3] Caraway alone: Proper evidence not found in the sources we read.
Is caraway tea safe?
The EU monograph lists no known side effects for the tea, but cautions people with liver or bile-duct disease, and says use under 12 years and in pregnancy is not recommended. [1]
Can caraway cause an allergic reaction?
It can if you are sensitive to caraway or related plants (fennel, anise, celery, coriander, dill), to mugwort or to birch, according to the EU monograph. [1]
How long can I use caraway medicines?
The monograph says to consult a doctor if symptoms persist longer than 2 weeks. [1]
Is caraway safe in pregnancy or for children?
The EU monograph says safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established, and that use under 12 years is not recommended. [1]
References
- European Medicines Agency, HMPC. European Union herbal monograph on Carum carvi L., fructus (EMA/HMPC/715092/2013), adopted 7 July 2015. Read 2026-10-23.
- GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy species match. Names checked through the GBIF species match service. Read 2026-10-23.
- Non-Chinese herbal medicines for functional dyspepsia (Cochrane review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023. PubMed record PMID 37323050. Read 2026-10-23.
- A Combination of Peppermint Oil and Caraway Oil for the Treatment of Functional Dyspepsia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2019. PubMed record PMID 31827561. Read 2026-10-23.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH). Peppermint Oil. Read 2026-10-23.