Black Mustard Seeds - Brassica nigra Seeds - Medicinal Edible Herbs

Brassica nigra Seeds

Black Mustard Herb

Brassica is a genus of plants in the cabbage and mustard family, Brassicaceae. The members of the genus are informally known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages or mustard plants. Crops from this genus are sometimes called cole crops, derived from the Latin caulis, denoting the stem or stalk of a plant. A dislike for cabbage or broccoli can result from the fact that these plants contain a compound similar to phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), which is either bitter or tasteless to people depending on their taste buds.

Brassica nigra (black mustard) is an annual weedy plant cultivated for its seeds, which are commonly used as a spice. The plant is believed to be native to the southern Mediterranean region of Europe, and has been cultivated for thousands of years. The spice is generally made from ground seeds of the plant, with the seed coats removed. The small (1 mm) edible seeds are hard and vary in colour from dark brown to black. They are very flavourful, although they have almost no aroma. The seeds are commonly used in Indian cuisine, for example in curry, where it is known as 'rai'. The seeds are usually thrown into hot oil or ghee after which they pop, releasing a characteristic 'nutty' flavour. The seeds have a significant amount of fatty oil. This oil is used often as cooking oil in India. Medicinally the ground seeds of the plant mixed with honey are widely used in Eastern Europe as cough suppressant. In Eastern Canada, the use of "mouche de moutarde" to treat respiratory infections was popular before the advent of modern medicine. It consisted in mixing ground mustard seeds with flour and water, and creating a cataplasm with the paste. This cataplasm was put on the chest or the back and left until the person felt a stinging sensation. The plant itself can grow from 40 to 240 cm tall with racemes of small yellow flowers. The leaves can wilt on hot days, but recover at night. It is theorized that black mustard is the seed mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 13:31-32.