Caraway for Appetite Control

Research suggests that caraway may play a role in appetite regulation, though the direction of its effects appears to depend on the form used and the population studied. A 2016 clinical trial and a 2021 review of Apiaceae plants both found that caraway aqueous extract reduced appetite and hunger, particularly in overweight and obese women, while animal studies using high-fat diet models similarly reported reduced food intake. However, findings are not entirely consistent — a 2024 randomized controlled trial and a 2026 study in mice found that caraway essential oil actually increased hunger and food intake, with compounds d-limonene and d-carvone identified as potential appetite-enhancing agents, and a 2006 RCT in piglets suggested mild appetite suppression, adding further complexity. The evidence base includes a mix of human clinical trials, randomized controlled trials, animal studies, and one review, but the available human trials are limited in scale and population diversity, and the contrasting effects between caraway extract and caraway essential oil highlight that form and active compound profile may be critical variables that warrant further investigation.