Bioavailability / bioefficacy enhancing activity of cuminum cyminum and extracts and fractions thereof

A process for the preparation of an aqueous extract, aqueous alcoholic extract or bioactive fraction from the plant Cuminum cyminum, said process comprising the steps of (a) extracting crushed plant material of Cuminum cyminum with water or 50% aqueous alcoholic solvent at a temperature range of 95-100° C. to obtain an aqueous extract or aqueous alcoholic extract respectively, (b) extracting a portion of the aqueous extract of step (a) with n-butanol (n-BuOH), separating the n-butanol layer and a an aqueous layer, (c) evaporating and freeze drying the n-BuOH layer of step (b) to obtain fraction 1, or (d) evaporating, and freeze drying the aqueous layer of step (b) to obtain fraction 2, or (e) refluxing a portion of the aqueous layer of step (a) with alcohol, pooling the alcohol extract and separating the residue left over, and (f) evaporating the pooled alcohol extract of step (e) to obtain a residue as fraction 3, or (g) extracting the residue of step (e) with 50% aqueous alcoholic solvent to obtain 50% aqueous alcoholic soluble portion and residue as fraction 5, or (h) evaporating the aqueous alocoholic soluble portion of step (g) to obtain a residue as fraction 4.