Does black seed improve symptoms of asthma or allergic rhinitis?

Black seed has anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties, and preclinical research suggests it may also reduce histamine release and leukotriene B4 synthesis, making it an interesting candidate for both asthma and allergic rhinitis. Clinical research is limited to a handful of small trials, but so far results have tended to be positive.

In allergic rhinitis, several trials have found reductions in symptoms (e.g., itching, sneezing, congestion, runny nose) with black seed supplementation compared to a placebo. Benefits have been demonstrated for mild, moderate, or severe allergic rhinitis with both oral and intranasal black seed.^[1][2][3]

For asthma, preliminary research has reported clinically significant improvements in the Asthma Control Test scores — a validated measurement tool that considers shortness of breath, interference with daily activities, use of rescue inhalers, nighttime waking, and overall asthma control — in both children and adults with partially controlled asthma.^[4][5][6] There’s also some data to suggest that black seed may have a bronchodilatory (airway-opening) effect and improve lung function, including increased forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow rate, but this hasn’t been found consistently. ^{[7][8][9][10]}