Scientific Name: Nigella sativa
Common Name: Black seed, Black cumin, Nigella
Botanical Family: Ranunculaceae
Distillation Method: Seeds, cold pressed
Forms Of Use: Seeds, oils, pills, capsules, creams
Origin (countries where the seed is grown): Egypt, India
Looking back to ancient times, we find a lot of natural remedies that have been forgotten and replaced with new chemicals and medications. One often overlooked natural remedy is the remarkable black cumin seed oil, which was one of the items found in the tomb of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen, constructed some 3,300 years ago. Imagine archaeologists’ surprise at discovering a bottle of black seed oil in the tomb of King Tut!
Nobody knows for sure why the Egyptians chose to bury their king with this ancient treatment by his side, but he may very well have been suffering from pain or a poor immune system. According to researchers, black seed has historically been used for everything from headaches to pink eye to parasites, and was believed to be the cure for everything except death. Even though this little seed has been in use since time immemorial in the East, very few people in the western world had even heard of it until very recently.
Today its uses are even more varied, but in this blog we would like to highlight just some of the amazing health benefits of this remarkable natural seed oil. Particular uses of the oil of the black seed are as a digestive stimulant, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, nervous system calming agent, pain killer and blood flow stimulant. And its benefits don’t end there! For example, it is widely known for soothing headaches and relieving vertigo and joint pains in local applications or massages. It has also been used to treat colds and dental pain (in mouthwash), and the Persian physician Avicenna, in his Canon of Medicine, described it as a treatment for shortness of breath (or dyspnea).
It has also multiple cosmetic uses. For example, you can massage the oil directly into your scalp and hair and leave it for 15 minutes before rinsing. If you have a dry scalp, eczema or dandruff, black seed oil helps to moisturize the dry skin, giving more vitality to the hair. And it’s great for brittle and fragile hair since the oil is enriched with amino acids.
Black seed oil is good for your skin. With all the essential fatty acids, vitamins, antioxidants, and amino acid, this oil makes perfect all around daily skin moisturizer. For acne and dry skin, you can dilute and mix the black seed oil (a few drops) with Jojoba oil in equal quantity and apply the mixture on your skin, avoiding contact with eyes.
As a pain relief remedy, Nigella oil is a great choice. Due to its healing and anti-inflammatory properties, It helps as a pain relief for arthritis, back pain, migraines, tennis elbow, golf elbow, sciatica, neck pain, shoulder pain, neuropathy, heel pain, and other chronic pain and inflammation. To experience black seed oil’s pain relief properties, you can simply dilute the oil with a vegetable oils such as Jojoba oil and massage it to the intended area of your body.
So what is in black seed oil? First, it’s a great source of Nigellone, an anti-histamine compound, It is also a valuable source of Essential Fatty Acids, Omega 6 and Omega 3. Linoleic Acid, Oleic acid and Palmitic acid, and super nutrients like Thiamin, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine, Niacin, Folacin, Calcium, Iron, Copper, Zinc and Phosphorus. It is even rich in Thymoquinone, a strong anti-inflammatory agent, plus Dithymoquinone and Thymol. The most common form in herbal medicine is Nigella oil, which is extracted from its seeds. It is often packed into capsules used as food supplements.
Black cumin benefits have been confirmed by the science. More than 650 peer-reviewed studies have examined its potential properties and benefits to human health. According to a review of the therapeutic potential of black seeds published in a famous journal of biomedicine (Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine), Nigella seeds have been widely used in the treatment of various pathologies and diseases. Black cumin’s wide range of pharmacological actions could be summarized as follows:
– Anti-diabetes
– Anti-cancer
– Muscle Pain Reliever
– Immunomodulator
– Analgesic
– Antimicrobial
– Anti-inflammatory
– Spasmolytic
– Bronchodilator
– Hepato-protector
– Renal protector
– Antioxidant properties
– Gastroenterology protector
Naturisme Cosmetics offers you Hush Rub, a double-functioning muscle rub moisturizing cream that contains Black seed oil blended with other herbal essential oils that help promote the effectiveness of the oil.
Note: In case of pregnancy or allergy, make sure you consult your doctor before using any herbal essential oils.