Black Seed Oil

 Black Seed Oil




The use of medicinal plants to help treat various diseases is a practice that's as old as mankind. For example, the Egyptian medical book known as the Ebers Papyrus, written in 1550 B.C., details the use of 700 different plant species for therapeutic purposes. Mentioned plants include pomegranate, garlic, willow, coriander, juniper and onion. During the seventh century, Slavic people used cucumber, nettle and yarrow to help fight against various insect bites.¹

Another example that has stood the test of time is black seed, which comes from the Nigella sativa (N. sativa) plant. In Indian Ayurveda and Unani traditional medicine, black seed figures greatly in their practice. For Muslims, black seed is known as the "Habbatul barakah" or the blessed seed. In fact, it is believed that the prophet Mohammed considered it to be a "remedy for all diseases except death."² One of black seed's most popular applications is as an herbal oil.

There is sometimes some confusion between the terms "black cumin," "cumin," and "black seed," and there are instances when these are used interchangeably. But these are different plants. What makes it even more confusing is that black seed oil is sometimes called "black cumin seed oil."

But "black cumin" actually refers to Bunium bulbocastanum, and is not same as black seed or the N. sativa plant. To help you understand the difference between these terms, read my article "Cumin Versus Black Cumin — What's the Difference?"

Benefits of Black Seed Oil

Plenty of research has been conducted regarding the potential benefit of black seed oil. Here are some of the most notable ones:

• Helps fight fungal infections — In a study published in the International Journal of Health Sciences, researchers studied the cytoprotective effect of black seed oil in male rats. Results show that the group of rats treated with the oil showed reduced effects of AFB1 (aflatoxin-B1), a toxin produced by the Aspergillus flavus group of fungi.^3,4
• Helps manage diabetes — In a study published from Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia, researchers tested the ability of black seed oil to manage diabetes in rats. They discovered that upon administration of the oil, all immunological parameters (serum glucose, Pan T- and B-lymphocytes and innate cell marker) were reduced while simultaneously increasing serum insulin levels.⁵
• Controls inflammation — Black seed oil contains anti-inflammatory compounds that may help manage certain conditions, an observation exhibited in a study published in the American Journal of Otolaryngology. Researchers noted that the oil was able to reduce the symptoms of allergic rhinitis in test subjects.⁶
• Helps reduce cancer risk — Various studies have been conducted regarding the potential anticancer benefits of black seed oil. Researchers have found that it may be helpful against these cancers:⁷

◦ Colon
◦ Pancreatic
◦ Fibrosarcoma

Regular black seeds may also be helpful in preventing certain cancers. Studies have found that they may help reduce your risk of the following cancers:⁸

◦ Liver
◦ Lung
◦ Breast
◦ Blood
◦ Cervical

• Promotes healthy blood pressure — N. sativa seeds have been traditionally used for helping relieve hypertension, and this hypothesis was tested out in a study published in Phytotherapy Research. In a double-blind, randomized experiment, results showed that test subjects who were treated with black seed oil showed a decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to those who only took placebos.⁹
• Helps ease skin infections — Research has shown that N. sativa seeds contain strong antibacterial properties that may help fight Staphylococcus aureus, a common bacteria that can cause a variety of topical infections

The Composition of Black Seed Oil

Scientists have been able to isolate the various active compounds that make up black seed oil. Chief among them include:¹⁴

• Thymoquinone (30 to 48 percent)
• Thymohydroquinone
Dithymoquinone
• P-cymene (7 to 15 percent)
• Carvacrol (6 to 12 percent)

• 4-terpineol (2 to 7 percent)
• T-anethol (1 to 4 percent)
• Sesquiterpene longifolene (1 to 8 percent)
• Thymol

According to published in vitro tests, thymoquinone (often shortened to TQ) is considered a potent antioxidant. A study in Drug and Chemical Toxicology notes that TQ may be helpful in eliminating superoxide anions.¹⁵ Another study indicates that alpha-hederin, a pentacyclic triterpene saponin, has been reported to have strong potential in fighting tumor growth.¹⁶ Black seeds are also rich in various unsaturated fatty acids, including:¹⁷

• Linoleic acid (50 to 60 percent)
• Oleic acid (20 percent)
• Eicosadienoic acid (3 percent)
• Dihomolinoleic acid (10 percent)

How Does Black Seed Oil Work?

Black seed oil contains different fatty acids, nutrients and active compounds that work together to benefit your health. Several studies have looked into how black seeds oil work and discovered that TQ plays a crucial role in its health benefits.
In one example published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, TQ was tested against 11 human pathogenic bacteria strains. Researchers were able to observe that TQ exhibited significant antibacterial activity, especially against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923.¹⁹ In another study, TQ has been found to be effective in fighting against fungi, most notably Candida albicans strain.²⁰
Other studies have examined the cancer-fighting abilities of TQ. Researchers found that it induced a growth inhibition and apoptosis in human osteosarcoma cells,²¹ as well as cytotoxicity in human cervical squamous carcinoma cells.