Nutritional food supplements for a healthy diet

Order with Confidence ~ no quibble guarantee.

same or next day despatch on 99% of orders.

Your Cart Contents

Quantity:

Total:

View Basket

Prices include standard UK shipping. Country variations and upgrades are selected in the basket before Checkout

Buy online via Google Checkout or PayPal. Click for current despatch situation.

We only sell our products as food supplements for a healthy diet.

Information is provided for educational purposes only, so that you may evaluate whether the product is a valuable nutritious food supplement worth adding to your regular diet.

No information included in this web site is intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

If you are sick you should consult a professional health practitioner.

Black Cumin (Nigella sativa) ~ Modern Research

In 1959, the active ingredient in black seed, crystalline Nigellone, was first isolated and identified as providing many health benefits. Clinical trials have validated the efficacy of black seed in promoting health and wellness.

Since 1959, over 200 studies have been carried out at international universities and articles published in various journals have shown remarkable results supporting its traditional uses.

Alternative Medicines - Black Seed

In Spring 1996 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted a patent for drug use as an immune system stimulant. The drug is based on extracts of 'nigella sativa', more commonly known as the black seed or black cumin. The patent was based on 'a pharmaceutical composition containing an extract of the plant Nigella sativa … for treated cancer, preventing the side effects of anticancer chemotherapy, and for increasing the immune function in humans.'

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This abstract for a recent conference session indicates the interest in Black Seed

2005 IFT Annual Meeting, July 15-20 - New Orleans, Louisiana

Insights into underutilized bioactive active compounds of black seed (Nigella sativa)

H. BAWADI, Dept. of Nutrition and Food Technology/ Dept. of Food Science, Jordan Univ. of Science and Technology/ Louisiana State Univ. Agricultural Center, IRBID, 22110, Jordan and J. N. Losso, Dept. of Food Science, Louisiana State Univ. Agricultural Center, 111 Food Science Bldg., Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4200.

The uniqueness of black seeds (Nigella sativa Linn.), also known as black cumin, from the Ranunculaceae herbaceous plant, lies in its content of several highly desirable biologically active compounds having considerable potential for use in the food and pharmaceutical industries, particularly relative to newer developments in the area of functional foods or nutraceuticals.

Black seeds are widely used in several countries for culinary purposes and as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic, anti-histaminic, immunopotentiator, anti-hepatotoxic, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, anti-ulcer, oxidative stress inhibitor, hypoglycaemic, hypocholestero-lemic, serum lipid profile enhancer, cyto- and cardio-vascular protective dietary compound.

Other desirable actions of the extracts of black seeds include protection against hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity induced by either diseases or chemicals. Black seeds contain 36-38% fixed oils, 20-22 % proteins, alkaloids, saponins, and essential oils.

The oil from black seeds contains, among other bioactive compounds, thymoquinone, carvacrol, limonene, terpenes, saponins, and alkaloids. Thymoquinone is anti-angiogenic, anticarcinogenic, inhibits advanced glycation end products, and is cardioprotective against drug toxicity.

In spite of these positive factors, black seed oils and other bioactive compounds are not known to many in the western world. This presentation will discuss the health enhancing properties of water-soluble and oil-soluble bioactive compounds in black seeds along with demonstrated in vitro and in vivo data on the nutraceutical and functional food values of black seeds.

Session 65, Status and prospects of value-added nutraceuticals from underutilized food industry byproducts

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Black Cumin Seed (Nigella sativa) and Cancer Treatment

The first major study of Nigella sativa in cancer prevention and treatment was performed by scientists at Cancer Immuno-Biology Laboratory of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

They concluded that a healthy immune system will detect and destroy cancer cells before the cancer endangers the patient. The immune system does this by supporting increased production of immune cells, bone marrow cells, and B-cells that produce antibodies.

Black cumin stimulates neutrophil activity. These are the short-lived immune cells normally found in bone marrow but mobilized into action when there is a bacterial infection. Extracts of black cumin have also been shown to modulate production of interleukins.

In animal studies, while none of the subjects in the control group survived, two-thirds of the mice that had been given black cumin seed oil were still alive 30 days after deliberate efforts to cause cancer in the subject groups. Black cumin is particularly useful in aggressive cancers whose growth depends on angiogenesis.

In vitro studies performed in Jordan and the United States have determined that the volatile oil is anti-leukemic. Studies performed in Spain as well as England found that the fixed oil is useful in the treatment of rheumatism and other inflammatory diseases. This property is attributed to thymoquinone which is as high as 25% in the Egyptian seed but may be entirely missing in some other seeds.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Inhibition of two stage renal carcinogenesis, oxidative damage and hyperproliferative response by Nigella sativa. European Journal of Cancer Prevention. 14(2):159-168, April 2005. Khan, N; Sultana, S

Abstract:

In an earlier communication we reported that Nigella sativa suppresses potassium bromate-induced renal oxidative damage. In the present study, we report the chemopreventive effect of Nigella sativa against ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA)-induced renal oxidative stress, hyperproliferative response and renal carcinogenesis. Fe-NTA (9 mg Fe/kg body weight, intraperitoneally) enhances renal lipid peroxidation, xanthine oxidase, [gamma]-glutamyl transpeptidase and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generation with reduction in renal glutathione content, antioxidant enzymes and phase II metabolizing enzymes. It also caused increase in blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity and thymidine [3H] incorporation into renal DNA. It also enhanced DEN (N-diethylnitrosamine)-initiated renal carcinogenesis by increasing the percentage incidence of tumours. Treatment of rats orally with Nigella sativa (50 and 100 mg/kg body weight) resulted in significant decrease in [gamma]-glutamyl transpeptidase, lipid peroxidation, xanthine oxidase, H2O2 generation, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, renal ODC activity, DNA synthesis (P<0.001) and incidence of tumours. Renal glutathione content (P<0.01), glutathione-metabolizing enzymes (P<0.001) and antioxidant enzymes were also recovered to significant levels (P<0.001). Thus, our data suggest that Nigella sativa is a potent chemopreventive agent and suppresses Fe-NTA-induced oxidative stress, hyperproliferative response and renal carcinogenesis in Wistar rats. (C) 2005 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Antitumour principles from Nigella sativa seeds. Salomi NJ, Nair SC, Jayawardhanan KK, Varghese CD, Panikkar, KR. Amala Cancer Research Centre, Kerala, India.

The active principle of Nigella sativa seeds containing certain fatty acids was studied for antitumour activities against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC), Dalton's lymphonia ascites (DLA) and Sarcoma-180 (S-180) cells. In vitro cytotoxic studies showed 50% cytotoxicity to Ehrlich ascites carcinoma, Dalton's lymphoma ascites and Sarcoma-180 cells at a concentration of 1.5 micrograms, 3 micrograms and 1.5 micrograms respectively with little activity against lymphocytes. The cell growth of KB cells in culture was inhibited by the active principle while K-562 cells resumed near control values on day 2 and day 3. Tritiated thymidine incorporation studies indicated the possible action of an active principle at DNA level. In vivo EAC tumour development was completely inhibited by the active principle at the dose of 2 mg/mouse per day x 10.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

If you visit the National Library of Medicine site and go to PubMed there are over 130 abstracts on nigella sativa and related terms.

Black Seed Home

History of Black Seed

Traditional Uses of
Black Seed