![]() The researchers split 70 healthy subjects into two groups: one group received 2.5mg black seed oil twice daily, and the other received 2.5ml mineral oil twice daily (7). Research in this area is minimal, but one study, performed in 2011, achieved statistically significant results. A few more areas in which research is promising: These anti-inflammatory properties aren’t all black seed oil has going for it. For now, the researchers say, overall, evidence supports the consumption of black seed to reduce inflammation and oxidation. The researchers concluded that black seed supplementation significantly alters levels of inflammatory markers, stating: “ decreased inflammatory response and oxidative stress markers, regardless of the type of disease.” Further studies are needed, with larger numbers of participants and a longer study duration. The trials were looking at the effects of black seed oil in patients with a number of different diseases, ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to ulcerative colitis, and were measuring outcomes based on a number of different inflammatory markers, including TNF-a and hs-CRP, otherwise known as C-reactive protein, which rises in blood serum in cases of chronic inflammation. One meta-analysis, published in Journal of Food Biochemistry, comprised 10 randomized clinical trials and a total of 630 participants (6). Moreover, while there are plenty of things that work in theory, in a lab, or in rats, but not in humans, there are several human clinical trials that offer evidence that black seed oil does benefit humans. So, to summarize: Thymoquinone directly inhibits inflammation along a variety of pathways. And IL-5 and IL-13 are interleukins, regulating different portions of the immune response. Excess TNF-which healthy bodies block-can lead to unnecessary inflammation (5). TNF-a, or tumor necrosis factor, coordinates the inflammation process. It is involved in cellular responses to stress, cytokines, free radicals, heavy metals, and more, and plays a role in regulating the immune response-but when mis-regulated, NF-kB is linked to inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and viral infection (4). NF-kB stands for “nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells,” and it is found in almost all animal cell types. COX-2-specific inhibitors have, largely, been removed from the market for increasing risk of heart attack and stroke (3). NSAIDs, for instance, work by inhibiting both COX-1 and COX-2. COX-1 usefully maintains the normal lining of the stomach and intestines, and is involved in kidney and platelet function COX-2, however, is primarily found at sites of inflammation. To break that down: COX stands for cyclooxygenase, an enzyme that forms compounds responsible for the inflammatory response (3). It “prevents inflammation by inhibition of the COX pathway, decreasing NF-kB translocation, and suppressing TNF-a as well as IL-5 and IL-13 mRNA expression.” ![]() The oil contains thymoquinone, a compound that “occupies vital significance” in the anti-inflammatory pathway, according to the authors. Top among them: anti-inflammatory effects. ![]() Oil extracted from these seeds has been used in traditional medicine for over 2,000 years.īlack seed oil is considered to have a variety of properties that may benefit health, neatly summarized in Health-Promoting Activities of Nigella sativa Fixed Oil (2). It produces fruit with black seeds-which, while they go by the name “black seeds,” are also called black cumin, black caraway, nigella, fennel flower, and Roman coriander (1). Nigella sativa grows in Southwest Asia, the Middle East, and Southern Europe.
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