Parsley

Ajamoda (Trachyspermum ammi Linn. Sprague) is much used as a medical plant in Ayurvedic & Unani medicine. It is called Carum, Ajwan, Lovage; in Sanskrit as Yavani, Yavana, Yavanaka, Ajamoda, Ajamodika; in Hindi as Ajowanj, Ajwain; in Tamil as Omum; in Telugu as Omamu and in Kannada as Omu, Ajamoda.
English 'Ajwan' is just the Romanized spelling of the Hindi name ajvan. Most European languages have similar names, although the spelling is sometimes varied, e.g., in Dutch ajowan or German Adiowan. Hindi name can be traced back to Sanskrit yavanaka, which is derived from the adjective yavana Greek. Modern Northern and Southern Indian names like Gujarati yavano, Bengali jowan, Punjabi aijavain and Tamil omum have the same source. This suggests that the spice originated from the Eastern Mediterranean and arrived in India in course of the Greek conquest of Central Asia. The Sanskrit term yavana for Greece belongs to the same kin as Arabic al-Yunan. Another group of names for ajmoda is derived from Sanskrit ajamoda or ajamodika. Examples in modern Indian languages include Kannada ajamoda and Sinhala asamodagam.

Ajmoda grows well in a wide variety of soils and sun exposures. Plant the seeds in the spring after the last frost by first soaking them overnight in water to increase the germination rate. Sow the seeds about 1/4 inch deep and 4 to 6 inches apart, and in rows about 12 to 18 inches apart in the garden.