Mustard Seed

History and Uses:
Mustard Seed is widely-cultivated annual that may be found growing wild in many parts of the world. The part of this plant used medicinally is the seed, which is collected when ripe in late summer. The English word, Mustard, is derived from the Latin words, mustum ardens, meaning "burning must," describing the popular grape wine (mustum) that was mixed with ground mustard seeds. In Medieval Europe, Mustard was one of the most common spices used to flavor the bland diet of the time. By the fourteenth century, Dijon, France, had been established as a Mustard center, supported by the Dukes of Burgundy, and today, Düsseldorf is one of the main Mustard regions of Germany. At one time, surgeons disinfected their hands with a paste of mustard. The primary chemical constituents of Mustard Seed include glucosinolates (sinigrin), sinapine, enzyme (myrosin), mucilage, protein and sulphur. When taken internally, the seeds are laxative, mainly because of the mucilage they produce, but only small doses are advised as they may inflame the stomach. The stimulating, diaphoretic action can also be utilized for fevers, colds and influenza. But this well-known herb has its primary medicinal use as a stimulating external application. The rubefacient action causes a mild irritation to the skin, stimulating the circulation in that area to relieve muscular and skeletal pain. An infusion or poultice of Mustard will aid in cases of bronchitis and pleurisy, and it is often taken as a tea, or ground and sprinkled into a bath. There are other Mustard species that can be used interchangeably with White Mustard (Sinapsis alba), and they include Black Mustard (Brassica nigra) and Brown Mustard (Brassica juncea).