Description

Anethum graveolens, dill, is a tall annual herb of the family Apiaceae, native to the eastern Mediterranean and Central Asia, now cultivated globally as a culinary and medicinal herb. In India — particularly Gujarat and Rajasthan — the seeds are known as Soya, Sowa, or Shepu and are a common kitchen spice distinct from European culinary dill applications. The oval, flat seeds carry a characteristic warm, anise-like fragrance from the essential oil components carvone and limonene. Documented in ancient Egyptian papyri, in the Charaka Samhita as Shatapushpa and in the Ebers Papyrus, dill is among the oldest documented culinary-medicinal herbs in world history. Traditionally incorporated in Ayurvedic and Unani preparations for digestive stimulation, carminative action, and lactation support in postpartum formulations. Listed in the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India.