Anethum graveolens - Common Dill

Family: Apiaceae ^[E-flora]

"Anethum graveolens is a ANNUAL growing to 0.8 m (2ft 7in) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a medium rate.
It is hardy to zone (UK) 8. It is in leaf 11-May It is in flower from Apr to July, and the seeds ripen from Jul to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.The plant is self-fertile.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil." ^[PFAF]

General: "Annual herb from a taproot; stems erect, glabrous, 0.3-1 (1.5) m tall." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
Leaves: "Stem leaves compound, dissected into linear segments, 4-8 cm long; without well-defined leaflets; aromatic." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
Flowers: "Inflorescence terminal, flat-topped, of umbrella-like clusters; flowers yellow." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
Fruits: "Numerous, 4 mm long, elliptic, strongly flattened crosswise with winged lateral ribs." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

Status: Exotic ^[E-flora]

Habitat / Range "Mesic to dry fields, roadsides and waste places in the lowland zone; rare in SW BC, known from SE Vancouver Island and the lower Fraser Valley; introduced from Asia." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}
"Fields, waste places etc in the Mediterranean[100]. W. Asia. Naturalized in Europe in the Mediterranean[100]." ^[PFAF]

Hazards

"Dill is said to contain the alleged 'psychotroph' myristicine[218]. There are also reports that dill can cause photosensitivity and or dermatitis in some people[218]. Avoid dill oil during pregnancy." ^[PFAF] “Hazards and/or side effects not known for proper therapeutic dosages” (PH2). Contact photodermatosis possible as in most umbellifers. Fresh juice may possibly cause photodermatosis (PHR). We might extend to all apiaceous oils Bisset’s comments on celery seed oil, “The drug is contraindicated in inflammation of the kidneys,” since apiaceous EOs may increase the inflammation as a result of epithelial irritation (BIS). TRAMIL conservatively cautions for dill and fennel; contraindicated in women of reproductive age; limit dosage to 3 days (TRA)." ^{[HMH Duke]} "Photodermatosis is possible after contact with the juice of the freshly harvested plant." ^[PDR]

Edible Uses

• Seed
  • "Raw or cooked. Very pungent and bitter in taste[4]. It is used as a flavouring in salads, preserves etc[2, 7, 9, 21, 46, 183], its chief uses being perhaps in making dill vinegar and as a flavouring in pickled gherkins[4]. It can also be sprouted and used in breads, soups and salad dressings[183]. An essential oil from the seed is used as a flavouring in the food industry[46, 105]. A tea is made from the leaves and/or the seeds[183]." ^[PFAF]
    
• Leaves
  • "Raw or cooked[2, 4, 9, 14, 21]. Used as a flavouring in salads etc[132, 183]. The leaves lose their flavour if the are cooked for any length of time and so are best used raw or added to cooked dishes only a few minutes before the cooking is complete[244]. The leaves can be harvested at any time the plant is growing, but are best just before the plant flowers[244]." ^[PFAF]
    

Other Uses

• Essential Oil
  • "The seed contains up to 4% essential oils[244]. It is used in perfuming soaps[4], medicines and as a food flavouring[244]." ^[PFAF]
    
• Misc
  • "Some compounds of dill (d-carvone is mentioned as one of them), when added to insecticides, have greatly increased the effectiveness of the insecticides[218]." ^[PFAF]
    

Medicinal Uses

"The medicinal part is the seed, the fresh or dried leaves and the upper stem." ^[PDR]

• Seed
  • "Dill has a very long history of herbal use going back more than 2,000 years. The seeds are a common and very effective household remedy for a wide range of digestive problems. An infusion is especially efficacious in treating gripe in babies and flatulence in young children. The seed is aromatic, carminative, mildly diuretic, galactogogue, stimulant and stomachic[4, 21, 46, 165]. It is also used in the form of an extracted essential oil[243]. Used either in an infusion, or by eating the seed whole, the essential oil in the seed relieves intestinal spasms and griping, helping to settle colic[254]. Chewing the seed improves bad breath[254]. Dill is also a useful addition to cough, cold and flu remedies, it can be used with antispasmodics such as Viburnum opulus to relieve period pains[254]. Dill will also help to increase the flow of milk in nursing mothers and will then be taken by the baby in the milk to help prevent colic[254]." ^[PFAF]
  • "Indian Medicine: Dill is used for halitosis, worm infestation, complaints of the repiratory tract and syphilis." ^[PDR]
  • "The fruit of the Dill plant has an antispasmodic effect on the smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract, and a bacteriostatic effect." ^[PDR]
• Herb
  • "Dill herb consists of the fresh or dried leaf and upper stem of Anethum graveolens. Dill seed consists of the dried fruit of Anethum graveolens." ^[PDR]
  • "Unproven Uses: Dill herb is used for prevention and treatment of diseases and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, kidney and urinary tract, for sleep disorders and for spasms." ^[PDR]

Select Indications (Dill) — Anorexia (2; APA; PHR); Aposteme (f; CRC; JLH); Bacteria (2; APA; KOM; PH2; TRA; ZUL); Cancer (1; CRC; JLH; TRA); Cancer, abdomen (f; CRC; JLH); Cancer, anus (f; CRC; JLH); Cancer, breast (f; JLH); Cancer, colon (fCRC; JLH); Cancer, liver (f; CRC; JLH); Cancer, mouth (f; CRC; JLH); Cancer, stomach (f; CRC; JLH); Cancer, throat (f; CRC; JLH); Colic (1; CRC; PNC; ZUL); Cough (2; APA; CRC; PHR); Cramp (2; APA; KOM; PHR; PH2; TRA); Dyspepsia (2; APA; CRC; KOM); Enterosis (2; APA; PHR; PH2); Gas (1; JFM; PNC; TRA; ZUL); Gastrosis (1; APA; PHR; PH2; TRA); Halitosis (1; APA; PH2); Hemorrhoid (1; APA; CRC); High Blood Pressure (1; APA; FNF; TRA); Induration (f; CRC; JLH); Infection (2; APA; PHR; TRA); Insomnia (2; APA; CRC; PHR; PH2; TRA); Mastosis (f; CRC; JLH); Nephrosis (f; APA; PH2); Stomachache (f; APA; CRC; JFM); Tumor (1; CRC; TRA); Urethrosis (1; APA; PH2); UTI (f; APA; PHR); Water Retention (1; APA; CRC; JFM); ^{[HMH Duke]}

"Dosages (Dill) — Chew 1/2–1 tsp seed (APA); 2 tsp crushed seed/cup water (APA); 3 g seed (KOM; PHR); 0.3–1 ml concentrated dill water (PNC); 0.1–0.3 g EO (KOM; PHR); 0.05–2 ml (I’d have said 0.05–0.2) EO (PNC); cf celery seed, close kin (PNC)" ^{[HMH Duke]} "Mode of Administration: Whole seeds and crushed fruits are used to make teas and other galenic preparations for internal application." ^[PDR] "Daily Dosage: The average daily dosage of the seeds is 3 gm; essential oil daily dose is 0.1 to 0.3 gm." ^[PDR]

Phytochemicals

Chemicals in: Anethum graveolens L. (Apiaceae) -- Dill, Garden Dill ^[DukePhyto]

Phytochemicals in Anethum graveolens L. (Dill)

Seed and Pericarp
Mass of 1,000, g: 2.2 [1]
Oil, % dry wt: 9.9 (1), 6.8 (2) [1]
FAs: 18:1 (6)–45.0 [2] ^[LLCEOPS]

In dill weed (Anethum graveolens L.) the content on essential oil rises from 0.1% only in young sprouts to more than 1% in herb with milk ripe umbels (Gora et al., 2002). In the herb, oil a-phellandrene prevails until the beginning of f owering with up to 50%, followed by dill ether, p-cymene, and limonene. The oil from green as well as ripe umbels contains, on the other hand, mainly (S)-carvone and (R)-limonene. The f avor of dill oil changes therefore dramatically, which has to be considered when determining the harvest time for distillation.[CRC HEO]

Herb
Volatile oil (0.5 to 1.5%): chief constituents are carvone, dill apiole, (+) limonene ^[PDR]
Phthalides ^[PDR]

Seed
Volatile oil (2.5 to 4.0%): chief constituents are carvone (approximately 50%), dill apiole, (+) — limonene ^[PDR]
Phtalides ^[PDR]
Fatty oil ^[PDR]
Furanocoumarins: including bergaptene ^[PDR]
Hydroxycoumarins: including umbelliferone ^[PDR]

"Activities (Dill) — Antibacterial (2; APA; KOM; PH2; TRA; ZUL); Antiseptic (1; ZUL); Antispasmodic (2; APA; KOM; PH2; TRA); Antitumor (1; TRA); Aperitif (f; APA); Cardiodepressant (1; APA); Carminative (1; JFM; PNC; ZUL); Detergent (f; CRC); Digestive (f; CRC); Diuretic (1; APA; CRC; JFM); Fungicide (1; TRA); Hypoglycemic (1; TRA); Hypotensive (1; APA; FNF; TRA); Insectifuge (1; ZUL); Lactagogue (1; APA; CRC; JFM; TRA); Laxative (f; CRC); Myorelaxant (1; APA); Narcotic (f; CRC); Psychedelic (f; CRC); Respirastimulant (f; APA); Sedative (1; TRA); Soporific (f; JFM); Stimulant (f; CRC); Stomachic (1; PNC; ZUL); Vasodilator (1; TRA)" ^{[HMH Duke]}

Cultivation & Propagation

"Days to Germination: 21 to 25 days at 600F to 70 0F (160C to 21 0C) When to Plant: Direct-seeding, as early in spring as the ground can be worked, works best with dill, and you can plant it either in spring or fall."^{[NSSH Bubel]}

"How to Plant: Sow the seeds one every inch or so. Thin the feathery seedlings to 4 to 6 inches apart for use as greens and 10 to 12 inches apart for seed production. I like to make one or two extra plantings during the season for a continuous supply of the tender thready leaves that are so good snipped on potatoes or fish. Dill seeds need light to germinate, so they shouldn’t be covered with more than a light dusting of garden sometimes beat those we’ve hand-sown."^{[NSSH Bubel]}

"Growing Conditions: Dill grows well under a wide variety of conditions, as long as it is reasonably free of weeds."^{[NSSH Bubel]}

Synonyms
Peucedanum graveolens.

References

• [E-flora] http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Anethum%20graveolens, Accessed April 24, 2015
• [DukePhyt] http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/duke/farmacy2.pl, Accessed Dec 24, 2014
• [LEOVP]A.I. Glushenkova (ed.), Lipids, Lipophilic Components and Essential Oils from Plant Sources, DOI 10.1007/978-0-85729-323-7, # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012
• [PFAF] http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Anethum+graveolens, Accessed Dec 24, 2014
• Illustration_Anethum_graveolens0.jpg: Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thoméderivative work: Aroche, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
• Tepeyac, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
• Bff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Anethum Sp.

1 sp. (Latin: dill) ^[Jepson]

Local Species;

1. Anethum graveolens - Common Dill ^[E-flora]

References

• [Jepson] Lincoln Constance & Margriet Wetherwax, 2013. Anethum, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=13393, accessed on Dec 24 2014