Nigella

Nigella has many alternative names such as, here are some of the most common names - black seed, kalonji, black caraway, black onion seed. Black seed is a plant, and in some parts of the world it is know to be the "remedy for everything" but death; where it is all great properties which is able to heal many sicknesses and diseases. People have used the seed to make medicine for over 2000 years. It was even discovered in the tomb of king tut.

Today, black seed is used for treating digestive tract conditions including gas, colic, diarrhea, dysentery, constipation, and hemorrhoids. It is also used for respiratory conditions including asthma, allergies, cough, bronchitis, emphysema, flu, swine flu, and congestion. In herbal medicine, a natural substance known as nigella sativa is sometimes used to treat certain health conditions. Also called black seed, black cumin and fennel flower, nigella sativa grows throughout india, arabia, and europe and has long been used as a spice and food preservative.

While research on nigella sativa's health effects is limited, findings from animal studies show that nigella sativa may offer immune-boosting and antioxidant benefits.

The seeds contain numerous esters of structurally unusual unsaturated fatty acids with terpene alcohols (7%); furthermore, traces of alkaloids are found which belong to two different types.

Isochinoline alkaloids are represented by nigellimin and nigellimin-n-oxide, and pyrazol alkaloids include nigellidin and nigellicin.

Nigella sativa may help ease symptoms of asthma, according to a small study published in 2007.

For three months, 29 adults with asthma took either a placebo or a nigella sativa extract daily.

Study results showed that those treated with nigella sativa had significantly greater improvements in the frequency and severity of asthma symptoms.

Multiple studies, including this one published in the journal phytomedicine, has found nigella sativa to possess anti-asthmatic effects.

One even found it superior to conventional drug treatment.

Published in the journal "fundamentals of clinical pharmacology", researchers found extract from black seed to cause a significant decrease in ldl cholesterol and blood pressure, offering a natural treatment for mild forms of hypertension.

Nigella oil treatment for diseases.

Hair loss treatment:

Kalonji oil for hair is an important home remedy to make hair smooth and stronger.

However, many people donat know how to use kalonji oil on hair.

Kalonji oil cures baldness.

Rub kalonji oil on the head twice a day, which is helpful to prevent baldness.

Baldness can also be prevented when a mixture of coffee (one cup) is taken along with kalonji oil (1/2 spoon) twice a day.

Rub your hair with lime juice, leave it for 15 minutes.

Now, wash it with shampoo and use kalonji oil when hair gets dry.

Following the procedure for one week will help you to prevent premature falling of hair.

Heat the mix of kalonji oil (10 grams), olive oil (30 grams) and mehandi powder (30 grams) for few minutes till it converted into paste.

Apply the paste over your head and wash it.

The method is helpful to get rid of dandruff.

Children can be given the mix of kalonji oil (2 drops) and mother or cowas milk in case the child experiencing stomach pain.

Digestion of food will enhance when the mix of kalonji oil (1/2 tsp), vinegar (1/2 tsp) and sugar (1tsp) are taken twice a day in the evening and morning.

It should continue for 10 days.

The mix of honey (200 gm) and kalonji oil (1/2 tsp) when uses in the morning and evening, is helpful in diseases of liver and abdomen.

Take vinegar (1/2 tsp) and kalonji oil (1/2 tsp), the ingredients are useful in overcoming the problems of round worm and tape worm in the stomach.

Take the mix of kalonji oil (1/2 tsp) and milk (1 cup) twice a day, it helps to give relief from chest irritation and stomach related problems.

The combination of ginger juice (1 tsp) and kalonji oil (1/2 tsp) when drink twice a day, eases indigestion, stomach irritation and stomach ache.

Nigella sativa oil (nso) and its active component, thymoquinone, protect brain tissue from radiation-induced nitrosative stress.

Two grams of black seed a day resulted in reduced fasting glucose, decreased insulin resistance, increased beta-cell function, and reduced glycosylated hemoglobin (hba1c) in human subjects.

Black seeds possess clinically useful anti-h.pylori activity, comparable to triple eradication therapy.

Black seeds were traditionally known to have anticonvulsive properties.

A 2007 study with epileptic children, whose condition was refractory to conventional drug treatment, found that a water extract significantly reduced seizure activity.

A thymoquinone extract from nigella sativa has a protective effect against damage associated with experimental heart attack.

An alcohol extract of nigella sativa reduces morphine-associated conditioned place preference, an indication of morphine intoxication, dependence and tolerance.

A thymoquinone extract from nigella sativa has protective effects on experimental diabetic nephropathy.

The daily use of 100 and 200 mg of black seed extract, twice daily, for 2 months, was found to have a blood pressure-lowering effect in patients with mild hypertension.

Thymoquinone, one of the main active constituents within nigella sativa, is superior to the drug fluticasone in an animal model of asthma.

Another study, this time in human subjects, found that boiled water extracts of black seed have relatively potent antiasthmatic effect on asthmatic airways.

Characterized by tonsil or pharyngeal inflammation (i.e.sore throat), mostly viral in origin, black seed capsules (in combination with phyllanthus niruri) have been found to significantly alleviate throat pain, and reduce the need for pain-killers, in human subjects.

A few studies have linked a thymoquinone extract from nigella sativa to reduced breast cancer tumor growth and increased apoptosis (cell death) in breast cancer cells.

A thymoquinone extract from nigella sativa inhibits tumor growth and induces programmed cell death (apoptosis) in a breast cancer xenograft mouse model.

The alcohol extract of nigella sativa seeds exhibit anti-psoriatic activity, consistent with its medicinal use in traditional medicine.

A randomized, placebo-controlled human study of chemical weapons injured patients found that boiled water extracts of black seed reduced respiratory symptoms, chest wheezing, and pulmonary function test values, as well as reduced the need for drug treatment.

Cell studies have found that black seed extract compares favorably to the chemoagent 5-fluoruracil in the suppression of colon cancer growth, but with a far higher safety profile.

Animal research has found that black seed oil has significant inhibitory effects against colon cancer in rats, without observable side effects.

Covering peritoneal surfaces with nigella sativa oil (nso) after peritoneal trauma is effective in decreasing peritoneal adhesion formation in an experimental model.

A thymoquinone extract from nigella sativa has protective effects on experimental diabetic prevents neurotoxicity and aa1-40-induced apoptosis in the cell model.

Black seed has anti-bacterial activity against clinical isolates of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus.

As itas been shown to do with other types of cancer, black seed compound thymoquinone has also been shown to induce apoptosis in leukemia cells.

A thymoquinone from nigella sativa induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in vitro.

A thymoquinone extract from nigella sativa prevents chemically-induced cancer in a rat model.

A water and alcohol extract of nigella sativa at low doses has a blood-sugar lowering effect and ameliorative effect on regeneration of pancreatic islets, indicating its value as a therapeutic agent in the management of diabetes mellitus.

The mix of vinegar (1tsp), honey (2 tsp) and kalonji oil (1/2 tsp) when taken twice a day is helpful in pain management.

The massage with black seeds oil is helpful for relieving the effects of arthritis.

Eating two pieces of dry fig along with 4 drops of kalonji oil is beneficial in treatment of joint pain, back ache, and neck pain.

Nigella oil in combination with other ayurvedic herbs is useful in the treatment of many diseases.

Here is the list of diseases where nigella play a pivotal role in their management and treatment.

Hypertension, diabetes, cough, asthma, heart attack, cancer, ladies diseases, skin diseases, headache, backache, toothache, stomach pain, allergy, polio, paralysis, arthritis, eye diseases, memory power, kidney pain, blood pressure, piles, hair loss, skin diseases, constipation, stomach worms, jaundice, dandruff, psoriasis, burning sensation, obesity, etc.

Research indicates that black seed is an effective treatment for acute tonsillopharyngitis with tonsil or throat tissue inflammation.

Basically, it can relieve viral sore throats.

Nigella oil in combination with other ayurvedic herbs is useful in the treatment of many diseases.

Here is the list of diseases where nigella play a pivotal role in their management and treatment.

Hypertension, diabetes, cough, asthma, heart attack, cancer, ladies diseases, skin diseases, headache, backache, toothache, stomach pain, allergy, polio, paralysis, arthritis, eye diseases, memory power, kidney pain, blood pressure, piles, hair loss, skin diseases, constipation, stomach worms, jaundice, dandruff, psoriasis, burning sensation, obesity, etc.

The active compound thymoquinone has been found to protect brain tissue from radiation-induced damage.

Researchers say the substance is able to aclearly protect brain tissue from radiation-induced nitrosative stress"

To cure migraine, it is suggested to instil kalonji oil (one drop) in the opposite nasal area of the headache.

It is useful to cure half sided headache.

To relieve from headache, massage with kalonji oil is also effective.

It is also suggested that kalonji treatment is helpful in getting rid of migraine when 10 drops of kalonji oil is taken once a day.

Rubbing of kalonji oil on the forehead and near ears are beneficial to headache.

Drinking of kalonji black cumin oil half tea spoon twice a day is good to overcome migraine.

A study published in ancient science of life found nigella sativa to reduce the indications of morphine intoxication, tolerance, and addiction.

Could this seed be the answer to opiate dependence?

A thymoquinone extract from nigella sativa protects cultured neurons against asn-induced synaptic toxicity, a pathology observed in the brains of patients with parkinson's disease and dementia with lewy bodies.

A study published in the online journal plos one indicates thymoquinone from black seed can induce cell death in glioblastoma cells.

Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive brain tumors of all.

A thymoquinone extract from nigella sativa exhibits glioblastoma cell killing activity.

Researchers from mashhad university of medical sciences in iran found a tincture of black seed able to reduce the symptoms of chemical weapons exposure including wheezing, respiratory symptoms, and even the need for drug treatment.

Tested on areas of post-operative trauma, nigella sativa was found to protect peritoneal surfaces from scarring or adhesion formation.

Applied topically to psoriasis inflammation, black seed was able to increase epidermal thickness and soothe eruptions.

An extract of thymoquinone, from black seed, was shown to protect neurons from toxicity associated with parkinsonas disease and dementia in a study published in neuroscience letters.

In a cervical cancer cell line, extracts of thymoquinone were able to trigger apoptosis or cell death, slow cancer progression, and stop the spread of the cancer.

A thymoquinone extract from nigella sativa exhibits anti-proliferative, apoptotic and anti-invasive properties in a cervical cancer cell line.

A thymoquinone extract from nigella sativa ameliorates lead-induced brain damage in sprague dawley rats.

A thymoquinone extract from nigella sativa induces programmed cell death (apoptosis) in oral cancer cells.

Nigella sativa, black seed, black cumin, or black coriander a whatever you choose to call it a is not a meager spice.

This powerful healing agent has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.

It is versatile and easy to find.

If you havenat already, make sure you check out part 1 of the series on black seed benefits.

Similarly check out health benefits page to see the many health benefits of your favorite foods.

In a small study published in 2008, researchers found that nigella sativa may help keep blood pressure in check.

After eight weeks of twice-daily treatment with nigella sativa extract, patients with mild hypertension had a greater reduction in blood pressure (compared to those assigned to a placebo supplement).