Black seed has been used as an herbal medicine for thousands of years by many cultures and traditional systems of medicine across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Additionally, black seed has been used as a culinary spice to add flavor to various foods and for food preservation.[1]
By many, black seed was considered to be a panacea — a remedy for nearly all diseases — and it has historically been referred to as “the herb from heaven”.[2] Black seed was supposedly used by several ancient Greek physicians, including Hippocrates, Dioscorides, and Galen. The mention of black seed and its therapeutic properties can be found in several historical texts ranging from the Bible to The Canon of Medicine by the classical Muslim physician Avicenna.[2][3]
Typical uses were far reaching but included difficulty breathing, rheumatism, pain, tiredness, skin rashes and infections, blisters, dizziness, liver disease, lactation, trouble sleeping, indigestion, and as an insect-repellant. Interestingly, black seed was also reportedly used in ancient Egypt as a preservative for mummification and was found in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, dating its use back to 1300 BC.[2][4]
References
- ^Kavyani Z, Musazadeh V, Golpour-Hamedani S, Moridpour AH, Vajdi M, Askari GThe effect of Nigella sativa (black seed) on biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Inflammopharmacology.(2023-Jun)
- ^Md Abdul Hannan, Md Ataur Rahman, Abdullah Al Mamun Sohag, Md Jamal Uddin, Raju Dash, Mahmudul Hasan Sikder, Md Saidur Rahman, Binod Timalsina, Yeasmin Akter Munni, Partha Protim Sarker, Mahboob Alam, Md Mohibbullah, Md Nazmul Haque, Israt Jahan, Md Tahmeed Hossain, Tania Afrin, Md Mahbubur Rahman, Md Tahjib-Ul-Arif, Sarmistha Mitra, Diyah Fatimah Oktaviani, Md Kawsar Khan, Ho Jin Choi, Il Soo Moon, Bonglee KimBlack Cumin ( Nigella sativa L.): A Comprehensive Review on Phytochemistry, Health Benefits, Molecular Pharmacology, and SafetyNutrients.(2021 May 24)
- ^Koshak A, Koshak E, Heinrich MMedicinal benefits of in bronchial asthma: A literature review.Saudi Pharm J.(2017-Dec)
- ^Bahare Salehi, Cristina Quispe, Muhammad Imran, Iahtisham Ul-Haq, Jelena Živković, Ibrahim M Abu-Reidah, Surjit Sen, Yasaman Taheri, Krishnendu Acharya, Hamed Azadi, María Del Mar Contreras, Antonio Segura-Carretero, Dima Mnayer, Gautam Sethi, Miquel Martorell, Ahmad Faizal Abdull Razis, Usman Sunusi, Ramla Muhammad Kamal, Hafiz Ansar Rasul Suleria, Javad Sharifi-RadNigella Plants - Traditional Uses, Bioactive Phytoconstituents, Preclinical and Clinical StudiesFront Pharmacol.(2021 Apr 26)