White mustard – Sinapis alba
Mustard description:
Blue mustard (white mustard) There are two types of mustard grown in our country, namely white mustard(Sinapis alba l.) and black mustard(Sinapis nigra l. = brassica nigra Koch.). Both species are yellow-flowered annuals. The Hungarian herbal pharmacopoeia mentions only black mustard, but druggists take the seeds of both.
White mustard seeds
Mustard seeds:
The seed of black mustard is official in the pharmacopoeia under the name semen sinapis nigrae; the seed of white mustard is referred to as semen sinapis albae or semen erucae. The cultivation of white mustard is more general, because it is not only sown for its seeds, which are processed into mustard herb, but also used as green fodder. Black mustard is less demanding, but also produces less than white mustard. However, the seeds of black mustard are much more expensive than those of white mustard. The mustard seeds are used to make mustard powder, mustard paper, mustard paste, mustard spirit and mustard juice for medicinal purposes. These various mustard preparations are used to irritate the skin, redden it and blister it, and thus have a curative effect. Mustard preparations are also administered internally to strengthen the digestive organs, against scurvy and in vitalising experiments.
Black mustard seeds
Harvesting mustard seeds:
Mustard flowers from June until August and its seeds ripen from August onwards. Mustard seeds are harvested at full maturity. The mustard is harvested when it is ripe, from August to August. The mustard seed is easily sprouted, but it is possible to wait until it is fully ripe, especially because if the harvest is rushed, a lot of unripe green seed is mixed in with the ripe seed and the value of the latter is reduced. The black mustard seeds are 1,5 mm in diameter, round, reddish-brown to partly greyish-brown on the outside and yellow or greenish on the inside. When chewed, the seed has a mild, oily, slightly sourish taste, then a pungent, pungent taste. This pungent taste is due to the mustard oil it contains, which, in the presence of water, turns into mustard oil. The white mustard seeds are light yellowish and much larger than the black ones; they are 2,5 to 3 mm in diameter. Source: Béla Páter, The wild medicinal plants
