Herb library · Spice · Anethum graveolens
Dill
A feathery herb of the carrot family; the leaves (dill weed) flavor fish and pickles and the seeds are a spice. Small trials in people have looked at dill seed for cholesterol and blood sugar, period pain and labor, with mixed or preliminary results.
Traditional use
Dill has been grown in European and Indian gardens for centuries. Culpeper described the seed as the more useful part, for wind, and the boiled herb for hiccups. In India the seed (sowa, Sanskrit shatapushpa) is a condiment. Ainslie's Materia Indica (1826) records that Tamil practitioners (spelled Tamool in the book) counted it a very valuable medicine, giving it as an infusion for the stomach and as a drink for women just after childbirth. It is sold today as a kitchen herb and seed, and in teas for nursing mothers.
What studies show
- Limited
Cholesterol and blood sugar: a 2021 meta-analysis of 7 small randomized trials (330 adults) found dill supplements lowered LDL cholesterol and insulin resistance but did not change total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL or fasting blood sugar. The authors say more research is needed.
- Limited
Period pain: a 2016 Cochrane review found no consistent evidence that dill beat placebo and no clear difference from anti-inflammatory painkillers, from single small trials. A 2026 meta-analysis of Apiaceae seeds judged dill and fennel potentially useful alongside standard care, and called for better trials.
- Limited
Labor: a 2020 systematic review found two small randomized trials in Iran in which boiled dill seed shortened the stages of labor. This is a small evidence base and not something to try without your midwife or obstetrician.
- Insufficient
Breast milk supply: LactMed says no scientifically valid trials support dill for this; one small, old study found no effect of its main component, d-carvone.
Be careful of
Cautions
- AllergyOccasional allergic skin reactions have been reported, especially after touching fresh dill. People allergic to other plants in the carrot family may react to dill.
- NoteDill is generally recognized as safe as a food in the US and is generally well tolerated.
- PregnancyDill seed has been studied in labor, but no source used here establishes its safety as a supplement in pregnancy. LactMed found no adverse effects in nursing mothers or infants in two studies of d-carvone, a dill component.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“This seed, which is sometimes sold in India under the name of caraway; and which Dr. Pearson considers as a superfluous addition to the materia medica list; is reckoned a very valuable medicine by the Tamool practitioners. It is given in infusion, as a stomachic, and also as a grateful cordial drink to women immediately after lying in.”
“The common Dill grows up with seldom more than one stalk, neither so high, nor so great usually as Fennel, being round and fewer joints thereon, whose leaves are sadder, and somewhat long, and so like Fennel that it deceives many”
“Dill seed is much esteemed by the natives of India, who use it as a condiment and medicine. An infusion of it is given as a cordial drink to women after confinement.”
In scripture
Where the Bible names this plant, and which plant scholars think is meant.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.
The Greek word is anethon, dill (Anethum graveolens), the herb on this page. The King James Version renders it "anise"; Tristram (1898) explains that the plant meant is dill, grown in gardens and fields in Palestine. H. B. Tristram, The Natural History of the Bible (1898), p. 419 (opens in a new tab)
Sources
- Dill — Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), NCBI Bookshelf (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- The effects of Anethum graveolens (dill) supplementation on lipid profile and glycemic control: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2022) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Dietary supplements for dysmenorrhoea (Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2016) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Efficacy of herbaceous Apiaceae plants in primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs (Ann Pharm Fr, 2026) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Effect of dill (Anethum graveolens Linn) seed on the duration of labor: a systematic review (Complement Ther Clin Pract, 2020) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.