Caraway Seed Extract

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Caraway seed extract is derived from the dried fruit (seeds) of Carum carvi L., a member of the Apiaceae family, and is rich in volatile compounds—primarily d-carvone (up to ~70%) and d-limonene (~28%). It is used in food and beverages as a flavouring and natural preservative agent, and has a long history in traditional medicine for digestive complaints.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Caraway is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the U.S. FDA, and human studies show it is well tolerated at typical dietary and therapeutic doses with no reported toxic effects. The primary side effects are gastrointestinal in nature, such as heartburn, eructation, flatulence, and nausea. The established ADI for its primary active constituent d-carvone is 0.6 mg/kg body weight per day; EFSA has evaluated carvone across all exposure sources to ensure overall safe intake levels.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Caraway oil assessed as safe for animal feed use at species-specific maximum levels (e.g. 9–35 mg/kg complete feed depending on species). The additive is considered an irritant to skin and eyes and a respiratory and skin sensitiser for handlers.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Caraway oil (Carum carvi L.) is separately listed as GRAS for use as a flavouring substance; also evaluated by FEMA GRAS expert panel.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Pregnancy — Caraway has been traditionally used as an emmenagogue and galactagogue; while food-level use is generally considered safe, high-dose supplemental extracts have not been adequately studied for safety during pregnancy and should be avoided beyond culinary amounts.

Lactation — Studies have detected small but measurable amounts of d-carvone (the primary active component) in breast milk following maternal ingestion, and while no adverse effects were observed in infants in limited studies, caution is warranted with high-dose supplemental extract use.

Infants — Transfer of d-carvone into breast milk has been documented; direct supplemental use in infant preparations is not well studied, and culinary/trace-level exposure via breast milk appears tolerated.

Ibs — The primary documented side effects of caraway extract are gastrointestinal (heartburn, eructation, flatulence, nausea), which may exacerbate symptoms in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome.

Other — Individuals with known allergy to plants in the Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) family (e.g. celery, fennel, dill, coriander) may experience cross-reactive allergic responses to caraway seed extract.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FDA. FDA GRAS Food Substances Database: Caraway (Carum carvi L.). hfpappexternal.fda.gov
2PubMed. Caraway (LactMed® – Drugs and Lactation Database, NCBI Bookshelf). ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3PubMed. Caraway Essential Oil as a Post-Preservative Agent in Low-Salt Cheese Brine, 2025. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4EFSA. Safety and efficacy of a feed additive consisting of an essential oil obtained from the fruit of Carum carvi L. (caraway oil) for all animal species, 2024. efsa.europa.eu
5PubMed. Caraway as Important Medicinal Plants in Management of Diseases, 2019. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
6EFSA. Scientific Opinion on the safety assessment of carvone, considering all sources of exposure, 2014. efsa.europa.eu

Independently researched6 citations