Tukhm-e-Karafs (Celery Seed): Not Ajwain, Unani Uses, BP Trials
Tukhm-e-karafs (tukhm e karafs) is celery seed: the tiny, bitter, brown seed of the same plant (Apium graveolens) whose crunchy stalks go into salads and juice. It is not ajwain, though pansaris and recipe sites swap the names freely. Unani medicine keeps it as a diuretic and a joint remedy, Western supplement shelves sell its extract for blood pressure, and the seed itself carries a safety list long enough to deserve a page of its own.
Quick facts
- English: celery seed
- Urdu/Hindi: tukhm-e-karafs; loosely “ajmod” or “ajmoda” (a name that also covers a different seed, see below)
- Arabic/Persian/Unani: karafs, bazr-ul-karafs
- Scientific: Apium graveolens L., family Apiaceae (the carrot family)
- Part and form: dried ripe seed (strictly a tiny fruit); whole, powdered, or as oil and extract capsules
- Traditional roles: diuretic, joint pain, wind and digestion, menstrual flow
- Safety flag: HIGH. Pregnancy, kidney disease, lithium, warfarin and blood-pressure medicines, celery allergy, sun sensitivity
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Is tukhm-e-karafs the same as ajwain?
No. Three small seeds get sold under overlapping names across Pakistan and India, and the mix-up is the first thing to clear:
| Seed | Plant | Smell and taste | Names you will hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Celery seed | Apium graveolens | Smells of celery stalk; warm, bitter, slightly salty | tukhm-e-karafs, karafs, “ajmod” in Punjab and much of Pakistan |
| Ajwain (carom) | Trachyspermum ammi | Sharp thyme-like smell from thymol; hot and numbing on the tongue | ajwain, ajowan, “bishop’s weed” |
| Radhuni | Trachyspermum roxburghianum | Strong, parsley-like smell with a celery-like taste; a pinch dominates a dish | radhuni (Bengali), “ajmod” or “ajmoda” in Hindi and some Urdu usage |
The word “ajmod” is the troublemaker. In a Lahore pansari shop it usually means celery seed; in Kolkata or Dhaka, and in many Indian Ayurvedic lists, it means radhuni, a different plant in the same family. Our ajwain guide covers carom seed itself, and ajwain vs saunf handles the fennel confusion. This page stays with celery seed.
The pansari’s check: smell before you pay
Crush two or three seeds between finger and thumb and sniff. Celery seed smells unmistakably of fresh celery stalk, because the same aroma oils (limonene and the selinenes, with a bitter note from phthalides) are in both. Ajwain hits you with thymol, the smell of a medicated throat lozenge or thyme, and leaves the tongue slightly numb. Radhuni smells green and parsley-like. The smell test separates the three in seconds, where colour and shape do not: all three are small, ribbed, greyish-brown ovals. If you want certainty, ask the seller for the botanical name; a shop that sells to hakeems will know whether its “ajmod” is Apium or Trachyspermum.
Where celery seed comes from
Celery is a marsh plant from the Mediterranean and western Asia, and the wild form (smallage) was a medicine long before anyone bred the fat sweet stalks. The seed crop is a second-year harvest: plants are left to flower, the umbrella-shaped flower heads set thousands of tiny fruits, and these are threshed and dried. India is a major exporter of celery seed, mostly from Punjab, with Amritsar as a trading hub, which is why pansari stock in Pakistan and north India is usually local rather than imported.
The seed is far more concentrated than the stalk. A stalk is mostly water; the seed is packed with essential oil, bitter compounds and the furanocoumarins (psoralens) that make the whole celery family a sun-sensitiser. That concentration is why the seed is the medicinal part and why the cautions below are stricter than those on our celery stalk and juice page.
What Unani medicine uses tukhm-e-karafs for
Karafs is classed as hot and dry. Hakeems prescribe the seed as a mudirr (diuretic that increases urine), a kasir-e-riyah (expeller of wind), and for joint pain where “cold” humours are blamed, which in modern language covers much of what people call gout and arthritis. It appears in compound powders for kidney stones and in preparations meant to bring on a delayed period. The root and leaf are used too, but the seed is the standard drug.
Ayurveda’s use of the related ajmoda overlaps heavily: digestion, bloating, urinary complaints and joints. Whatever the exact seed in the drawer, the folk picture across the region is consistent: a warming seed for water, wind and joints.
Celery seed and blood pressure: what the trials actually say
What people say
“Celery seed for BP” is a large English-language search, driven by supplement sellers and by one memorable fact: celery juice and seed have been part of traditional blood-pressure advice in Chinese and Persian medicine for centuries.
Our honest take Promising small trials, not a replacement for medicine
The evidence is real but thin. An Iranian group ran a randomised, triple-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial of celery seed extract capsules in about fifty adults with hypertension over four weeks, measured with 24-hour ambulatory monitors, and reported a meaningful fall in systolic and diastolic pressure with no serious side effects. A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis pooled nine small trials of celery preparations (511 people in all), found a reduction in both systolic and diastolic pressure, rated the evidence moderate at best, and flagged very high variation between trials, small numbers, short durations and the fact that every trial came from Asia.
So: celery seed extract may nudge blood pressure down in people who already have hypertension. Nobody has shown that it keeps anyone off medicine, protects against stroke or heart attack, or works as a kitchen seed rather than a standardised extract. The trials used concentrated capsules, not a pinch in pickle. If you have high blood pressure, the numbers that matter are the house ones: 140/90 in the clinic or about 135/85 at home means you need a doctor’s plan; 180/120 with headache, chest pain or vision change is an emergency. Never stop or reduce a prescribed tablet because you have started a seed.
Joints, gout, digestion: where the rest of the evidence sits
- Reasonably supported: the blood-pressure signal above, in extract form, in short trials.
- Preliminary (lab or animal): anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects of celery seed compounds, uric-acid lowering in animals, antioxidant activity. These explain why the joint tradition exists; they do not prove it works in people.
- Tradition only: wind and bloating, “cold” joint pain, delayed periods, kidney stones.
- Unsupported or unsafe: celery seed as a weight-loss aid, as a fertility tonic, or as a replacement for gout or blood-pressure medicine.
How it is used: kitchen, pickle and the Unani way
In the kitchen the seed is a spice, and that is the safest way to meet it. Half a teaspoon toasted and crushed into a jar of mixed pickle, a quarter teaspoon in a pot of dal or a tomato chutney, a pinch over coleslaw or potato salad, or ground with salt in a 1:2 ratio to make celery salt for eggs and soups. It is strong; more than a teaspoon in a family dish turns bitter. Store the whole seed in an airtight jar away from light and it keeps its smell for about a year; ground seed fades within months. It fits a home spice blend by weight only in small amounts, as a background note.
In Unani practice the seed is given powdered, often with honey or in a decoction, and sometimes as the distilled water (arq-e-karafs). This page gives no medicinal amounts. The pack or a qualified practitioner sets the quantity and the duration, and the sections below set out who should not take it at all and what means stop. If you are considering the extract capsules sold online for blood pressure, treat them as a medicine, not a food, and tell your doctor before you start.
Buying celery seed in Pakistan and India
- Ask for tukhm-e-karafs by name, then run the smell test above. “Ajmod” alone can land you with radhuni.
- Look at the seed: small ribbed ovals, grey-brown to olive, uniform in size. Lots of stalk fragments and dust mean an old or badly cleaned lot.
- Taste one seed only (if you have no celery allergy): warm, bitter, a little salty, with the celery aftertaste. Flat or musty means stale.
- Buy small, 50 to 100 g, from a shop with turnover. Prices move with the Indian harvest; compare per 100 g and expect it to cost more than ajwain, less than cumin’s premium grades.
- Skip loose “celery seed powder”. Powder hides adulteration and loses aroma fast. Grind at home.
Side effects and who must avoid tukhm-e-karafs
Pregnancy: avoid the seed, the oil and extracts. Celery seed has a long reputation as a uterine stimulant and emmenagogue, and standard drug references class medicinal amounts as likely unsafe in pregnancy. A pinch in cooked food is a different matter from a hakeem’s dose. Breastfeeding: food amounts only; no extracts. Kidney disease or kidney inflammation: a diuretic seed is the wrong thing to add to a struggling kidney; ask your doctor. Lithium: anything that increases urine can raise lithium levels in the blood to toxic ranges. Do not combine. Warfarin and other blood thinners: celery may increase bleeding risk; bruising, nosebleeds or black stool mean stop and get an INR checked. Blood-pressure and water tablets: additive effect; dizziness on standing or fainting means stop and report it. Thyroid medicine: a possible interaction is listed; take advice. Children: as a spice in food only.
Allergy: celery is one of the fourteen allergens that European and UK labels must declare, and it is a known cause of anaphylaxis, especially in people with birch or mugwort hay fever. Dried seed and celery salt still trigger reactions; heat does not remove the allergen. Lip or tongue swelling, hives, wheeze or faintness after celery in any form means emergency care. Sun sensitivity: celery contains psoralens; large amounts, or celery oil on the skin, can cause blistering sunburn. Never put the oil on skin and go out in the sun.
Signs that this is a doctor’s problem, not a seed’s: blood in urine, pain in the side with fever, swelling of the legs or face, a hot red swollen joint, blood pressure readings of 180/120 or above, or chest pain.
Bottom line
Tukhm-e-karafs is celery seed, not ajwain and not always what a pansari calls ajmod. Tradition uses it for water, wind and joints; the only claim with decent human trials behind it is a modest blood-pressure effect from concentrated extract, in small short studies. As a spice it is safe and worth having. As a medicine it needs a practitioner, and it is off the table in pregnancy, kidney disease, with lithium or warfarin, and for anyone with a celery allergy. More honest explainers are in Unani & Herbal, Decoded.
Tukhm-e-karafs and celery seed: common questions
What is tukhm e karafs in English?
Celery seed. Karafs is the Arabic and Persian word for celery, and tukhm means seed. The plant is the ordinary salad celery, Apium graveolens.
What is the botanical name of tukhm e karafs?
Apium graveolens L., in the Apiaceae (carrot and parsley) family. The seed sold as “ajmod” in India may instead be Trachyspermum roxburghianum (radhuni), so ask which one you are buying.
Are celery seeds and ajwain the same?
No. Ajwain is Trachyspermum ammi and smells sharply of thymol, like thyme. Celery seed is Apium graveolens and smells of celery stalk. They look alike but taste completely different.
What are celery seeds called in Urdu and Hindi?
Tukhm-e-karafs in Urdu and Unani usage. “Ajmod” or “ajmoda” is used loosely in both languages, but in eastern India that name means radhuni, a different seed. When in doubt, use karafs or the English name.
Does celery seed lower blood pressure?
Small randomised trials of concentrated celery seed extract report a modest fall in blood pressure in people with hypertension, and a 2025 meta-analysis of nine small trials agrees while rating the evidence moderate at best. It is not a substitute for prescribed medicine, and the kitchen seed has not been tested that way.
What are tukhm e karafs benefits in Unani medicine?
Hakeems class it as hot and dry and use it to increase urine, expel wind, ease “cold” joint pain and bring on delayed periods. These are traditional uses; human evidence exists only for the blood-pressure effect of extracts.
What are celery seed side effects?
Allergic reactions up to anaphylaxis in people sensitive to celery, increased sun sensitivity from psoralens, and interactions: it can raise lithium levels, add to blood-pressure and water tablets, and increase bleeding with warfarin. In medicinal amounts it may stimulate the uterus.
Can celery seed be taken in pregnancy?
Not in medicinal amounts, as seed powder, oil or extract. Drug references class it as likely unsafe in pregnancy because of its traditional use to stimulate the uterus. A pinch in cooked food is generally considered fine.
Is celery seed safe for kidneys?
Tradition uses it as a diuretic and for stones, but anyone with kidney disease or kidney inflammation should not add a diuretic herb without a doctor’s say-so. Blood in the urine, flank pain with fever or swelling needs a doctor, not a seed.
What is celery seed vs celery salt?
Celery salt is ground celery seed mixed with salt, usually about one part seed to two parts salt. It is a seasoning, not a medicine, and it carries the same allergy warning as the seed.
How is celery seed used in cooking and pickling?
Whole or lightly crushed in pickles, brines, coleslaw, potato salad, tomato dishes and dal, in small amounts: a quarter to half a teaspoon per family pot. Toast briefly to lift the aroma. Too much turns bitter.
Can I use celery seed instead of ajwain in a recipe?
Only if you accept a different flavour. Ajwain gives a thyme-like heat that celery seed cannot copy. For ajwain’s digestive role in parathas and pakoras, keep ajwain; use celery seed where a savoury, slightly bitter celery note fits.
Where do I buy celery seeds in Pakistan and what is the price range?
Any pansari or spice wholesaler, asking for tukhm-e-karafs. Prices follow the Indian harvest and change often, so compare per 100 g on the day; it typically costs more than ajwain. Buy whole seed, not powder.
Is celery seed good for uric acid or gout?
Animal and lab work suggests uric-acid lowering and anti-inflammatory effects, which is why the tradition exists, but there are no good human trials. A hot, red, swollen joint needs a doctor; gout medicine should not be swapped for a seed.
Sources
- Effects of celery (Apium graveolens) on blood pressure, glycemic and lipid profile in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2025
- Shayani Rad M et al. Effect of celery (Apium graveolens) seed extract on hypertension: a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over clinical trial. Phytotherapy Research, 2022
- Allergy UK: Celery allergy (one of the 14 regulated allergens; seed, spice and celery salt; heat stability)
- WebMD / Natural Medicines monograph: Celery, precautions and interactions (pregnancy, lithium, anticoagulants, antihypertensives, thyroid, photosensitising drugs)
- Trachyspermum roxburghianum (radhuni, “ajmod”): names, flavour and the confusion with celery seed