Review on Clinical Trials of Black Seed (Nigella sativa ) and Its Active Constituent, Thymoquinone

Abstract: Nigella sativa is an annual herbaceous plant that belongs to the Ranunculaceae family and produces seeds known as black seed or black cumin. Black seed has been used in various civilization around the world for centuries to treat various ailments. It is widely used in a variety of traditional medical systems, including Unani, Ayurveda, and Siddha. Black seed is considered to be nutritionally dense, with high levels of fat, protein, dietary fibre, calcium, and iron. The seed is known to have a wide range of pharmacological properties which are supported by numerous studies. Extensive research has been carried out over decades to confirm the seed’s anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, antilipidemic, anti-cancer, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective properties etc. Black seed has earned a position among the top ranked evidence-based herbal medicines due to its marvellous healing properties. Studies have revealed that the presence of thymoquinone, a major bioactive component of the seed essential oil, is responsible for the majority of its therapeutic properties. Consumption of the seeds for an extended period of time has been shown to have significant effects on lowering blood glucose levels, improving lipid profiles, and other biochemical parameters. The minor or negligible toxicological effects of black seed and its active constituent, thymoquinone, support its long-term use in traditional food and medicine. Because of their low toxicity, black seed is frequently used in food as a flavouring agent, additive in breads, and pickles. The current review summarises the composition, important pharmacological studies, dosage and toxicity of the Blackseed and its application in food industry.

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Potential Effects of Thymoquinone the Active Constituent of Black Seed (Nigella Sativa L.) on Human Health

Journal of Literature Pharmacy Sciences ◽

10.5336/pharmsci.2018-59816 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 118-135 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Pelin GÜZELSOY ◽

Sevtap AYDIN ◽

Nurşen BAŞARAN

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Nigella Sativa ◽

Active Constituent ◽

Black Seed

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Effect of Nigella sativa (black seed) supplementation on glycemic control: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of clinical trials

Phytotherapy Research ◽

10.1002/ptr.6337 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 33 (5) ◽

pp. 1341-1352 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Gholamreza Askari ◽

Mohammad Hossein Rouhani ◽

Ehsan Ghaedi ◽

Abed Ghavami ◽

Mehran Nouri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Clinical Trials ◽

Glycemic Control ◽

Nigella Sativa ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Black Seed

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Effect of Black Seed (Nigella Sativa) Extract on Release of Some Minerals from Human Enamel: An in Vitro Study

Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development ◽

10.37506/v11/i1/2020/ijphrd/194025 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 1315

Author(s):

Nibal Mohammed Hoobi ◽

Raya R. Al‑Dafaai ◽

Baydaa Hussain

Keyword(s):

Nigella Sativa ◽

In Vitro Study ◽

Vitro Study ◽

Black Seed ◽

Human Enamel

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Persian herbal medicine in functional dyspepsia: a systematic review article.

Current Drug Discovery Technologies ◽

10.2174/1570163817666200611132831 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 ◽

Author(s):

Maryam Azimi ◽

Mohammad Javad Zahedi

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trials ◽

Herbal Medicine ◽

Functional Dyspepsia ◽

Nigella Sativa ◽

Curcuma Longa ◽

Crocus Sativus ◽

Herbal Remedies ◽

Asparagus Racemosus ◽

Gastric Accommodation ◽

Cynara Scolymus

Introduction: According to Rome IV, functional dyspepsia is diagnosed with presence of dyspepsia in the absence of organic or metabolic causes. FD caused by several factors such as impaired gastric accommodation and hypersensitivity to gastric distention. Several studies have reported effectiveness of herbal medicine on FD. This article, thus, reviews Persian herbal medicine in FD. Method: Electronic databases including Pubmed, Scopus, Cochrain, Embase, Web of science and Ovid were searched so as to find clinical articles related to dyspepsia and herbal medicine by July 2019. Our search strategies were traditional medicine, complementary and alternative medicine, herb, plant, and dyspepsia. We excluded all articles except Persian clinical trials. Results: We found 34 clinical trials with 15 herbs and 4 compound herbal remedies like Asparagus racemosus, Brassica oleracea, Cynara scolymus, Ocimum basilicum, Mentha longifolia, Mentha pulegium, Mentha piperata, Pimpinella anisum, Nigella sativa, Mastic gum, Curcuma longa, Pistatio atlantica, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Solanum tuberosum and Zingiber officinale and compound remedies of Rosa damascene & Crocus sativus, Trachyspermum copticom & Apium graveolence, Carum carvi & Mentha pipperata, Gingiber officinalis & Cynara scolymus are effective in functional dyspepsia. Conclusion: Many people use herbal and traditional remedies for treatment of disorders such as gastrointestinal disordersو , especially in Asian countries. Several studies reported the efficacy of herbal medicine in functional dyspepsia. Although their mechanisms are not fully understood, it seems they can modulate GI motility and improve symptoms of FD.

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Dietary Black Seed Effects on Growth Performance, Proximate Composition, Antioxidant and Histo-Biochemical Parameters of a Culturable Fish, Rohu (Labeo rohita)

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11010048 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 48

Author(s):

Maria Latif ◽

Mehwish Faheem ◽

Asmatullah ◽

Seyed Hossein Hoseinifar ◽

Hien Van Doan

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Proximate Composition ◽

Biochemical Parameters ◽

Reduced Glutathione ◽

Labeo Rohita ◽

Nigella Sativa ◽

Growth Promoter ◽

Feeding Trial ◽

Glutathione S Transferase ◽

Black Seed

This feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary black seed (Nigella sativa) supplementation on the growth performance, muscles proximate composition, antioxidant and histo-biochemical parameters of rohu (Labeo rohita). Fingerlings (8.503 ± 0.009 g) were fed on 0.0%, 1% and 2.5% black seed supplemented diets for 28 days. Fish sampling was done on the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th day of experiment. The results of the present study indicated that black seed supplementation significantly increased growth performance and muscles protein contents of rohu over un-supplemented ones. Lipid peroxidation levels significantly decreased in all the studied tissues (liver, gills, kidney and brain) of black seed fed rohu, whereas the antioxidant enzymes (catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase and reduced glutathione) activities were increased in all the studied tissues of black seed supplemented rohu at each sampling day. The hepatic-nephric marker enzymes levels were decreased for black seed fed rohu. The present study showed that tested black seed levels are safe for rohu. Black seed is cheaply available in local markets of Pakistan; therefore, based on the results of the present study, it is suggested that black seed has potential to be used as natural growth promoter and antioxidant in the diet of rohu.

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