English Name: Black Mustard

Botanical name: Brassica nigra

Urdu Name: کالی سرسوں / کالی راءی

Uses:

Black mustard is cultivated for its seeds, the source of commercial table-mustard, used as a condiment and medicine. Seeds contain both a fixed and an essential oil, used as a condiment, illuminant, lubricant, and soap constituent. Black mustard is mixed with white mustard (Sinapis alba) to make mustard flour, used in various condiments as "English Mustard" when mixed with water and "Continental Mustard" with vinegar. Mustard flowers are good honey producers. Mustard is agriculturally used as a cover crop. Mustard oil (allyl isothiocyanate) is used in cat and dog repellents.

Folk Medicine

Mustard is considered diuretic, emetic, rubefacient and stimulant. Mustard plaster is used externally for many afflictions, as arthritis and rheumatism. A liquid prepared from the seed, when gargled, is said to help tumors of the "sinax." Seed decoctions are used for indurations of the liver and spleen. It is also used for carcinoma, throat tumors, and imposthumes. Mustard relieves congestion by drawing the blood to the surface as in head afflictions, neuralgia, spasms. Hot water poured on bruised seeds makes a stimulant foot bath, good for colds and headaches. Old herbals suggested mustard for alopecia, epilepsy, snakebite, and toothache. Mustard Oil is said to stimulate hair growth. Mustard is also recommended as an aperient ingredient of tea, useful in hiccough. Mustard flour is considered antiseptic. Oil also useful in pleurisy and pneumonia.

Chemistry

Most important consituent in mustard is a glucoside sinigrin, or potassium myronate, which, upon hydrolysis, yields allyl isothiocyanate, a volatile liquid known as Oil of Mustard. Sinigrin is toxic to certain insect larvae, harmless to others (Leung, 1980). Per 100 g, the leaf is reported to contain 31 calories, 89.5 g H2O, 3.0 g protein, 0.5 g fat, 5.6 g total carbohydrate, 1.1 g fiber, 1.4 g ash, 183 mg Ca, 50 mg P, 3.0 mg Fe, 32 mg Na, 377 mi, K, 4200 mg b-carotene equivalent, 0.11 mg thiamine, 0.22 mg riboflavin, 0.8 mg niacin, and 97 mg ascorbic acid. Per 100 g, the mature seed is reported to contain 7.6 g H2O, 29.1 g protein, 28.2 g fat, 0.2 g total carbohydrate, 11.0 g fiber, and 0.5 g ash.

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Last modified: 06/21/09