NAME: Nigella sativa

FAMILY: Ranunculaceae

COMMON NAMES: black seed, black cumin

LOCAL NAMES: kalonji

MORPHORLOGICAL DESCRIPTION:

Nigella sativa is an annual flowering plant that grows to 20-90 cm tall, with finely divided, linear leaves and its flowers are delicate, and usually colored pale blue and white, with five to ten petals.

USEFUL PART(s): seed

GENERAL USES:

It is used as a spice and food preservative
Oil extracts of the seeds can be used for medicinal purposes

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION:

Southwestern Asia, parts of the Mediterranean, Africa, India, Europe

WHY IS IT GREEN?

Asthma
High Blood Pressure
Cancer
Inflammation
Migraine
Rheumatoid arthritis
Eczema
Stomach ulcers

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:

None

FUN FACT:

Black seeds taste like a combination of onions, black pepper, and oregano and has a pungent, bitter taste and smell

FURTHER READINGS

Ahmad, A., Husain, A., Mujeeb, M., Khan, S. A., Najmi, A. K., Siddique, N. A., Damanhouri, Z. A., & Anwar, F. (2013). A review on therapeutic potential of Nigella sativa: A miracle herb. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2221-1691(13)60075-1

Al-Quorain, A. (2015). Nigella Sativa. Saudi Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences. https://doi.org/10.4103/1658-631x.149647

Gharby, S., Harhar, H., Guillaume, D., Roudani, A., Boulbaroud, S., Ibrahimi, M., Ahmad, M., Sultana, S., Hadda, T. Ben, Chafchaouni-Moussaoui, I., & Charrouf, Z. (2015). Chemical investigation of Nigella sativa L. seed oil produced in Morocco. Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jssas.2013.12.001

Kooti, W., Hasanzadeh-Noohi, Z., Sharafi-Ahvazi, N., Asadi-Samani, M., & Ashtary-Larky, D. (2016). Phytochemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutic uses of black seed (Nigella sativa). In Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1875-5364(16)30088-7

Randhawa, M. A., & Alghamdi, M. S. (2011). Anticancer activity of Nigella sativa (Black Seed) - A review. In American Journal of Chinese Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X1100941X