Useful and medicinal properties of azhgona
Synonyms: ayuan, indian caraway( Carum ajowan Benth. Et Hook.)
Description. Annual herbaceous plant of the family of celery - Apiaceae. Root stem, spindle-shaped. Stem erect, cylindrical, smooth, branched, 40-80 cm high. Leaves regular, thrice-pinnately divided into small linear segments. The flowers are small, collected in complex six-, eight-ray umbrellas, varying in color from white to violet. Fruit is an oblong, ribbed, two-seeded with a fragrant smell and a sharp taste. Flowering period - June-July;the fruit ripening period is August-September. The mass of 1000 seeds is 0.30-0.35 g.
Medicinal raw materials: fruits.
Biological features. Azgon is a heat-loving plant, which requires 130-150 warm days for full development. It grows well in the southern regions of Ukraine, the Krasnodar Territory and Central Asia. When ripe azhgona, its seeds are greatly crumbled. At present, wild azhong does not occur in the wild. His homeland is considered to be India( it is known that in the mountainous regions of India there are many similar species).Azgon is growing in North Africa and Southeast Asia. The leading place in the culture of Azhgon belongs to India. In significant areas it is cultivated in North and East Africa, China, Iran, Afghanistan and other countries.
Chemical composition. Seeds of aszhon contain 2-11% of essential oil, which includes up to 40-60% of thymol. In the climatic conditions of Kiev, azhgon gives an output of essential oil 3.5-5.5% for air-dry material. The composition of the essential oil, in addition to thymol, includes: cymol, pinene, mosslen, P-terpinene, P-flalandrene, dipentene, etc.
Application. Seeds of azhgon contain an essential oil, the main component of which is the valuable substance thymol. The latter is widely used in medicine as a strong antiseptic, and in the perfume industry
in the manufacture of toothpastes and elixirs. In addition, the essential oil contains the thyme remaining after thymol stripping and used in soap production. In Africa, Azgone seeds are used as a seasoning for various dishes. From the scrap of azhgon( from straw), different types of paper are produced.
Agrotechnics of cultivation. Site selection. Under azhgon should be taken away areas protected from cold north-east winds. The most favorable are loose, well-permeable moisture, loamy and gravelly soils, quite fertile. In the crop rotation, azhgon should be placed on winter crops that are fertilized in pairs. A good predecessor is considered and row crops( beets, potatoes), as well as sage and basil.
Soil treatment. If the predecessor of azhgon was winter, soil preparation begins with peeling of stubble, and in September the main plowing is carried out to plowing to a depth of 22-25 cm with a plow with a skimmer. In spring, after the moisture is closed, the soil is plowed to a depth of 14-15 cm, followed by harrowing.
Application of fertilizers. Manure or humus is applied to the preceding culture. If azhgon is sown on an unhandled predecessor, then under the autumn plowing, mineral fertilizers should be introduced from the calculation: ammonium sulphate - 2 c / ha, superphosphate - 3 c / ha and potassium salt - 1 c / ha.
Reproduction. Azhgon is propagated by sowing seeds in the soil. Sow it early( along with early grain crops).The seeding is carried out by tractor seeders at rows of 45 cm. The seeding depth is 2-3 cm, and the seeding rate is 5-6 kg / ha. When sowing the sowing season, the seeding rate is increased to 7-8 kg / ha, and the depth of the closure is reduced to 1 cm.
If the sub-winter crops follow the row crops, the plowing plowing is carried out no later than the first half of October at the same depth. Pre-sowing treatment( harrowing, then cultivation with harrowing) is carried out at the end of October.
Caring for plantations. In the early spring, the podzimnius sowing should be pierced across the rows. Shortly thereafter, the
spends the row of row spacing and weeding the weeds in rows. To accelerate the emergence of shoots of the spring sowing season, fermentation of the seeds is carried out beforehand by soaking in warm water at a temperature of 45 ° C for 15 minutes. When there are shoots, produce a saucer. Further care for the plantations consists in loosening the rows and weeding the weeds.
Harvesting is performed during the wax ripeness of seeds on second-order umbrellas. This moment in any case should not be missed, as the seeds of azhgon quickly crumble, and this leads to a loss of harvest. They clean the morning in the morning or in the evening, i.e.on dew, harvesters, and in the absence of the latter you can use conventional harvesters with grain scrapers.
Drying. The harvested plants are knitted into small sheaves, which are put into the dried-out soils for drying for two to three days. The dried sheaves in the morning are taken to the current and immediately threshed on grain threshed. Cleaning of seeds is carried out on windmills and sorting.
Azhgona polish is also processed, since it contains up to 1.0-1.5% of essential oil. The average yield of azhgon seeds is 8-10 c / ha, but the best farms get a yield of up to 20 c / ha.
Storage. Fruits of azhgon should be stored in a dry, well ventilated room, in bulk in bins or bags. Bags are installed on podtovarnike stacks.
Quality requirements. Seeds( fruits) must be well dried;Their moisture content should not exceed 14%;foreign impurities( fruits of other plants, earth, sand, etc.) are not allowed. Azgonovoy oil should be a colorless, yellow or brown liquid in which there may be released crystals of thymol. The specific gravity of the oil should be equal to 0.897-0.916, and the content of phenols - at least 35%.