The medicinal benefits of black seed oil
The medicinal benefits of black seed are mainly due to its main active compound called thymoquinone (What is thymoquinone?) , which has shown antioxidant, anti-inflammatory. Many other medical and pharmacological uses of thymoquinone such as immune stimulator and anticancer, it also has demonstrated antidiabetic, and antiasthmatic properties and other therapeutic properties that protect the body from cell damage and chronic diseases.
Among the various medicinal plants, the black seed is emerging as a miracle herb with a rich historical background, as much research has revealed its wide spectrum of pharmacological potential.
“In this collection of literature, we have encountered and presented the preclinical treatment, as alternative medicine of Nigella sativa in the prevention and treatment of various diseases, as well as those that continue to be discovered by contemporary actual scientific data”. Research to date has confirmed the pharmacological potential of the seed of Nigella sativa, its oil and extracts of some of its bioactive constituents, which possess remarkable pharmacological activity, in vitro and in vivo against a large spectrum of diseases, and the use of black seed oil is relatively safe. Black Seed has been extensively studied for its biological activity and therapeutic potential and has been found to possess a broad spectrum of activities. Clinical trial investigations into the therapeutic effects of Nigella sativa affect the hypoglycaemic, hypolipidemic, and bronchodilator effects and have passed clinical trials and received the green light to allow the next stage of clinical trials toward therapeutic drug design.
It also demonstrated as, antioxidant, anti-cough, gastroprotective, anti-anxiety, anti-ulcer, anti-asthmatic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulatory, antitumor, hepatoprotective, cures gastric ulcers, slows tumor growth, improves memory, stimulates milk production and more….
Research suggests that black seed oil may help the following:
May Help Balance Cholesterol
A study using an animal model published in 2017 found that an aqueous extract of Nigella sativa not only had anti-diabetic effects on animal subjects, but also helped with cholesterol. After six weeks of giving the diabetic animal subjects low doses of black seed, total cholesterol, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and glucose levels all came down while HDL (“good”) cholesterol increased. An older randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted with human subjects who had mild hypertension. There was a placebo group, a group that took 100 milligrams of black seed twice a day and a group that took 200 milligrams twice a day. After eight weeks of this supplementation, researchers found that the people who took the black seed supplement had their systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure decrease in “a dose-dependent manner.” Additionally, the black seed extract supplement caused a “significant decline” in both total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.
May Help Fight Cancer
Croatian scientists evaluated the antitumor activity of thymoquinone and thymohydroquinone using an animal model study and discovered that these two phytochemicals found in black seed oil resulted in a 52 percent decrease in tumor cells. In vitro research revealed that thymoquinone, the most abundant bioactive component in oil from black seeds, helped induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) in leukemia cells, breast cancer cells and brain tumor cells. A 2014 study noted that black seed oil may help prevent cancer through the regulation of molecular process. Much more research is needed before any conclusions can be drawn.
Effect on Neuroinflammation
Study also indicated that TQ (2.5, 5, and 10 μM) prevented neuroinflammation by inhibiting inflammatory mediators nitric oxide (NO), PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-1β production in BV2 microglial cells. It has been found that TQ inhibited LPS-induced inflammatory mediator production by blocking phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B or Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway on LPS-stimulated BV2 microglial cells.
Aids Weight Loss
The Journal of Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders published a study systemically reviewing the literature for plants that have anti-obesity properties and discovered that black seed oil was an effective natural weight loss aid. A 2020 randomized clinical trial involving 45 women who were overweight or obese had each subject take 2,000 mg of black seed oil each day for eight weeks. The results included reduced appetite, decreased body mass index (BMI), weight loss, body fat loss and waist circumference loss.
May Improve Lung Health and Decrease Asthma
A 2021 meta-analysis of four randomized controlled studies focused on black seed supplements used for asthma management. Through its anti-inflammatory benefits, the supplements appeared to help the asthma subjects. A smaller study in 2020 dealt with asthma subjects who inhaled boiled black seed extract. It exerted a bronchodilatory effect and helped improve asthma markers, including lung function and respiratory rate.
Combats Diabetes
A 2019 medical review came to a similar conclusion. Black seed oil was shown to help stabilize blood sugar levels, including fasting blood glucose and blood glucose levels after a meal. It also helped increase insulin production while decreasing insulin resistance.
May Help Treat Infections
Black seed oil may help resist methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Pakistan scientists took several strains of MRSA and discovered that each one was sensitive to N. sativa, showing that black seed oil may help slow down or stop MRSA from spreading out of control. Compounds in black seed oil have also been analyzed for their antifungal properties. Published in the Egyptian Journal of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, scientists tested thymol, TQ and THQ against 30 human pathogens. They discovered that each compound showed 100 percent inhibition for the 30 pathogens evaluated. Thymoquinone was the best antifungal compound against all of the tested dermatophytes and yeasts, followed by thymohydroquinone and thymol. Thymol was the best antifungal against molds followed by TQ and THQ.