Nigella sativa – a Plant with Personality in Biochemistry and Experimental Medicine Researches

Abstract

Last decades often presented references to traditional medicine, or culinary use of natural resources for a better health status, prevention or treatment of different diseases. One of the natural plants came lately in the researches as a miracle salve: Nigella sativa. Also commonly known as black cumin, the most use of this plant are the seeds, such as, as powder, as oil extract, or as hydro or alcoholic extracts. Culinary usage of N. sativa is referring to the seeds used as spice. Medical usage of this plantis mostly used as oil or extracts administrated orally or intraperitoneal. The best demonstrated bioactive component is thymoquinone, an alkaloid, monotherpenoid compound, that seems to be the key of medical benefits of N. sativa. Experimental medicine proved that seeds of black cumin have health enhancement and pharmaceutical effects, being used in various disseases (cardiac, digestive and respiratory diseases; hepatic and renal tonic; inflammations; reproductive and neural disorders, analgesic; appetite stimulant; cancer prevention and treatment; spasmolytic and diabetes. Seeds (as powder, oil or hydro, alcoholic extracts) have been demonstrated that have antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antitumoral, antidiabetic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory action. N. sativa is easy to cultivate, storing, and offering diver potential of use as seed, seed oil, different type of seed extracts.

Ameliorative effect of hydroalcoholic extracts of Nigella sativa seed against CCl4-induced acute liver injury in rats

“…According to report by Saleh et al 41 , methanol is much more effective in extracting the main bioactive component (TQ) of Nigella sativa at high concentration; and the solvent used for extraction conprised 70% methanol against 30% water. Since it has been earlier reported that the ability of Nigella sativa in scavenging free radicals could be as a result of synergism between its phytochemical components; the much lower protection at high dose could then be as a result of TQ, bearing in mind that its concentration is much more than other phytochemical constituents and this agrees with the reports of AbuKhader, cited in Ahamdi et al 42 , who reported that at 500mg/kg, oral administration of methanol extracts of Nigella sativa became toxic to the rats used for study.…”

An Efficacy of Anti-hyperglycemic Agents (Nigella sativa) in Blood, Body Weight and Glucose levels of Diabetes Mellitus Rats: A Comprehensive Review

“…Roasted cumin also contains considerable amounts of the substituted 2-methoxy-3-secbutylpyrazine, pyrazines, 2-ethoxy-3isopropylpyrazine and 2-methoxy-3methylpyrazine. Safranal, p-cymene, βpinene, and γ-terpinene are additional ingredients (14). Nigella sativa seeds have a protein content of 26.7%, a fat content of 28.5%, a carbohydrate content of 24.9%, a crude fiber content of 8.4%, and a total ash content (4.8%).…”