Author: Egzon Qenaj
Mentor: Adolfina Koroch
Institution: BMCC
Abstract: Black seed (Nigella Sativa), commonly known as black cumin, is an annual flowering plant belonging to the family Ranunculaceae and is a native of Southern Europe, North Africa, and Southwest Asia. Black cumin is cultivated in the Middle Eastern Mediterranean region, Southern Europe, Northern India, Pakistan, Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Black cumin was traditionally used as a preservative in mummification in the ancient Egyptian civilization, and it has a long history of use as medicine in the Indian traditional medicine system like Unani and Ayurveda. Nigella sativa has extensively been used, namely as-diuretic, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, anticancer, immune-modulatory, and antimicrobial. Black cumin seeds are nutritionally rich; they provide high amounts of fat, protein, and dietary fiber, various vitamins and minerals like Cu, P, Zn, and Fe. Various bioactive compounds have been identified in N. sativa. The most important active compounds of N. Sativa are thymoquinone, thymohydroquinone, dithymoquinone (nigellone), p-cymene, carvacrol, 4-terpineol, t-anethole, sesquiterpene longifolene, α-pinene, and thymol.
The objective of this work is to understand the traditional and modern uses of Nigella sativa through a literature review of botany, chemical composition, and biological activity of this plant.
Black Seed – Nigella sativa: Traditional and modern uses
