Health Benefits of Black Seed Oil

Benefits of Black Seed Oil

Black seed is also known as black caraway, black cumin, kalonji, or kalojeere. It is native to Asia, it’s botanical name is Nigella sativa. It is an annual flowering plant, belongs to Ranunculaceae family and is commonly used as a spice in middle eastern and Indian cuisine, many use it as a replacement for cumin and has many pharmacological properties.

Its use as a traditional remedy for various diseases goes back more than 2000 years. It was mentioned as “the Melathion” by Hippocrates and Dioscorides.

It has a unique taste which is a mild combination of onions, black pepper, and oregano.
Historically, Nigella sativa was utilized for treating nasal congestion, headaches, toothache, ab, and intestinal worms.
The black seed oil contains linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic oil, and trans-anethole. The black seed oil also contains aromatics such as thymol, dihydro thymoquinone, cavacrol and thymoquinone which is the most abundant compared to other active constituents. It also contains alkaloids such as nigellicines and nigelledine.

Black seed oil is a volatile oil and it is beneficial in the treatment of inflammatory disorders pertaining to liver functions, respiratory system, and digestive system. It has several properties like antimicrobial, antinociceptive, an anti-epileptic.

Studies have also indicated many therapeutic potentials in a black seed such as anticancer, antipyretic, analgesic, antimicrobial, contraceptive and anti fertility. Following are the health benefits of the black seed oil.

Digestive system

Black seed oil is widely used for treating bloating, colic, dysentery, diarrhea, constipation and hemorrhoids.
Helps in Weight loss

Excess weight and body fat affect our health in many ways. It increases the risk of developing health conditions like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Research has demonstrated the positive effect of black seed oil on body weight.

Nervous system

Studies have demonstrated a significant reduction in the frequency of seizures in epileptic patients.

Analgesic effects

The black seed oil has shown significant therapeutic benefits as compared to topical administration of diclofenac. It is beneficial in people with cystic mastalgia which is commonly known as breast pain. Cystic mastalgia is common in menstruating women especially in their 20’s and 30’s. breast appear tender and swollen and it is painful. About 600 mg of black seed oil can be applied two times daily to the painful area.

Beneficial for Maintaining Good Skin

The black seed oil has demonstrated a significant reduction in the size of lesions in case of vitiligo. Black seed oil should be applied twice a day for around 6 months for the desired results to be evident.

It is also effective in eczema, it helps in alleviating the severity of the disease. Black seed is also found favorable in acne, it has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties which helps in decreasing the severity of acne in a few cases.
It is also instrumental in relieving symptoms in psoriasis, it helps in moisturizing and softening skin.

Liver functions

The black seed oil also helps in improving the functions of the liver, ethanolic extracts of the black seed helps in the treatment of infections of the liver.

Bone Health

Black seed oil is also beneficial in Rheumatoid arthritis, which is a chronic systemic disease. It is characterized by inflammation of joints and degeneration of collagen fibers. Black seed oil helps in alleviating the pain associated with Rheumatoid arthritis.

Sore throat

Research also suggests effective use of black seed in relieving pain because of sore throat and swollen tonsils. Black seed is used as herbal medicine in many traditions, it is widely used to treat bronchial asthma.
Black seed oil is also useful in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia. It is beneficial in improving blood sugar levels.

Infertility in Male

According to a placebo-controlled clinical trial, black seed oil have demonstrated improvement in sperm mobility and quality. It also helped in increasing sperm count and semen volume.

It is also believed that black seed helps in Boosting the immune system. In females it helps as a natural contraceptive, likewise, it also helps in increasing milk in lactating mothers.

The black seed oil is also helpful in alleviating pain related to Headache and flu.

Side Effects and Risk

Although black seed oil has not shown any potential side effects, potential interactions and dosage should not be ignored. It can lead to certain digestive problems including bloating, constipation or vomiting. Therefore, it is important to understand that black seed oil demonstrates multiple health benefits but it cannot replace medication. Prior consultation with your doctor is always recommended.