Black Cumin Seed: The “Amazing” Cure-All – Boosting Immunity and Battling Cancer

“It is a remedy for every disease, except death.”

Religious pundits and scholars attribute that statement about the amazing therapeutic powers of black cumin seeds to the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam.

The Bible weighs in too, describing it as “curative black cumin,” in Isaiah 28:25.

And in this case, religion and science are in agreement. A team of researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina reviewed more than 160 scientific studies on the medical qualities of this jet-black spice, which is native to the Middle East and western Asia, and is formally known as Nigella sativa. “Among the promising medicinal plants,” they said, black cumin is “amazing.”

Studies show that black cumin seeds may help prevent and treat a wide range of chronic illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, and asthma, as well as many other conditions. The seeds’ star component is a uniquely potent antioxidant called thymoquinone (TQ)—a compound yet to be detected in any other plant. Black cumin is also rich in many nutrients, including essential amino acids (the components of protein), essential fatty acids (the components of fat), the vitamin beta-carotene, and the minerals calcium, iron, and potassium. In all, more than 100 compounds important to health have been found in black cumin’s volatile oils—and researchers believe many more are yet to be discovered.

But here’s some of what researchers already have discovered about the therapeutic powers of black cumin . . .

Boosting Immunity

One of the “precious properties” of black cumin, noted the South Carolina researchers, is its ability to strengthen the immune system. “Studies . . . suggest that if it is used on an ongoing basis, N. sativa[black cumin] can enhance immune responses in humans,” they wrote.

In one study, people treated with black cumin oil for four weeks had a 30 percent increase in the activity of natural killer cells, immune cells that slay viruses and thwart tumors.

Immunity declines with age, a condition scientists call immunosenescence. In fact, some experts believe aging is caused by the decline in immunity. But oil from black cumin seeds can improve the immune response even in the elderly, said the South Carolina researchers—probably because the spice provides a mixture of essential fatty acids (the molecular components of fat) that is highly nourishing to the immune system.

Protecting the Heart

Several studies show that extracts of black cumin seeds can help treat heart disease.

Researchers in Pakistan studied 123 people, dividing them into two groups—for 10 months, half took supplements of powdered black cumin seeds and half didn’t. “Favorable impact” of the seeds “was noted on almost all” risk factors for heart disease—including blood pressure, blood fats such as cholesterol, weight, blood sugar levels (75 percent of those with diabetes die of cardiovascular disease), and waist-hip ratio (the more belly fat, the higher the risk). The study was published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

Researchers in the Middle East studied people with high blood pressure, dividing them into three groups. One received 200 milligrams (mg) a day of black cumin seed extract, one received 100 mg, and one received a placebo. After two months, those receiving the spice had a significant reduction in blood pressure, compared to the placebo group. The spice also lowered “bad” LDL cholesterol. “The daily use of Nigella sativa seed extract for 2 months may have a blood pressure-lowering effect in patients with mild hypertension,” concluded the researchers in Fundamentals of Clinical Pharmacology.

Battling Cancer

Numerous animal and test tube studies show that both TQ and black cumin seeds can fight cancer—including research conducted by my colleagues and I, both at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and at the Center for Cancer and Stem Cell Biology at the Texas A&M University System Health Science Center. Our studies, and those from other laboratories, shows that TQ can fight cancer in many different ways. It can stop proliferation—cancer cells dividing and multiplying. It can stop metastases—cancer cells moving from the initial tumor to other areas of the body. It can stop angiogenesis, the formation of a new blood supply to a tumor. It can trigger apoptosis—the death of cancer cells. And it can enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapeutic drugs.

One or more of these cancer-fighting actions have been demonstrated for more than a dozen kinds of cancer, including breast, colon, prostate, lung, skin, esophageal, pancreatic, ovarian, and blood.

Black cumin seed may help prevent and/or treat:

Age-related immune

decline

Allergies

Asthma

Cancer

Cholesterol problems (high “bad” LDL

cholesterol)

Colitis (inflammatory bowel disease)

Dermatitis, contact

Eczema (atopic dermatitis)

Epilepsy

Heart disease

High blood pressure (hypertension)

Multiple sclerosis

Pain

Ulcer

For example, we tested TQ on human leukemia cells. The compound worked on the genetic level, by stopping the disordered regulation of proteins that control DNA—and mutations in DNA are thepathway to cancer. We also found that pretreatment with TQ enhanced the effectiveness and reduced the toxicity of two drugs used to treat pancreatic cancer—a crucial finding for the 50 percent of cancer patients who don’t respond to cancer drugs or relapse after a positive response.

Recent studies from other laboratories have produced similarly exciting findings:

Researchers at the Institute of Genetics and Hospital for Genetic Diseases in Hyderabad, India, tested an extract from the powder of black cumin seeds against cervical cancer cells—and it killed them. The spice is a “potential therapeutic against cervical cancer,” they concluded in Cancer Cell International.

Researchers at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, at Wayne State University School of Medicine, in Detroit, Michigan, studied TQ. They found it sensitized pancreatic tumors in laboratory animals to treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs, resulting in 60 to 80 percent “tumor inhibition” with TQ, compared to 15 to 25 percent when the drugs were used alone. They found that TQ worked by “downregulating” (reducing the activity of) two genes linked to the survival of cancer cells. They reported their results in Cancer Research.

Researchers in the Department of Hematology/ Oncology at Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan studied prostate cancer cells. They found that TQ blocked cellular receptors for androgen, the hormone that powers the growth of prostate tumors. “We conclude that thymoquinone, a naturally occurring herbal product, may prove to be effective in treating . . . prostate cancer,” wrote the researchers in Cancer Research. “Furthermore,” they continued, “because of its selective effect on cancer cells, we believe that thymoquinone can also be used safely to help prevent the development of prostate cancer.”

Because TQ is so powerfully anti-cancer, my colleagues and I declared, in a scientific paper in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, that it “could be used as a potential drug candidate for cancer therapy.”

Calming Asthma and Allergies

Because it’s a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, black cumin can also quiet down the symptoms of asthma and allergies, two inflammatory conditions.

Researchers in the Middle East studied 29 people with asthma, dividing them into two groups. One group took an extract of black cumin seeds daily and the other didn’t. After six weeks, those taking the spice showed significant improvements in their condition—fewer asthma symptoms, less frequent symptoms, and fewer occasions of severe asthma. They also had better overall lung function and took less asthma medications. There was little or no change in those not taking the extract. The results, said the researchers, show that black cumin seed extract has a protective effect against asthma.

German researchers conducted four studies on black cumin seed extract and asthma, hay fever (allergic rhinitis), and eczema (an allergic condition that results in skin rashes and other symptoms), involving 152 patients. They found that supplements of oil from black cumin seeds reduced the “subjective severity” of the diseases—that is, the people who took the spice said their symptoms were reduced. “Black seed oil proved to be an effective adjuvant [addition] for the treatment of allergic diseases,” they concluded in Phytotherapy Research.

A Case of Mistaken Identity

In the US, this spice is most commonly called black cumin. As a result, it’s often confused with the spice cumin. Even some supposedly accurate reference books on spices link black cumin and cumin, giving the impression that they’re similar or even botanically related.

Well, black cumin and cumin do have a few things in common. They are both spices, they’re both grown in India, and they’re both common in Indian cooking. But they don’t look alike or taste alike. And they aren’t from the same botanical family.

Health in the Black

Black cumin may influence many other conditions, including:

Ulcers. Egyptian researchers found that animals pretreated with black cumin had a 54 percent lower rate of developing stomach ulcers. Another animal study found that black cumin seeds reduced the rate of aspirin-induced stomach ulcers by 36 percent.

Ulcerative colitis. Researchers found that TQ offered “complete protection” against flare-ups in lab animals with this inflammatory digestive disease.

Pain. In animal research, black cumin was as effective as medications in reducing pain and inflammation.

Multiple sclerosis. Two studies found that TQ slowed the progression of multiple sclerosis in animals. “These data reveal the therapeutic potential of TQ . . . in treatment of multiple sclerosis in humans,” said the South Carolina researchers.

Dermatitis (skin allergy). An ointment containing black cumin seed oil was as effective as commercial products in treating contact dermatitis in animals.

Epilepsy. Doctors in the Middle East added 120 mg a day of black cumin extract to the treatment regimen of 20 children with epilepsy who weren’t responding well to seizure-preventing anticonvulsant medication. The frequency of seizures “decreased significantly during treatment with the extract,” concluded the researchers in Medical Science Monitor.

Black cumin seed pairs well with these spices:

Cardamom

Chile

Cinnamon

Cocoa

Coconut

Clove

Ginger

Kokum

Nutmeg

Pumpkin seed

Turmeric

Vanilla

and complements recipes featuring:

Breads and biscuits

Chocolate

Chutney

Lamb

Mango

Potatoes

Rice

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Other recipes containing black cumin seed:

Baharat

By-the-Bay Fisherman’s Chowder

Garbanzo Beans with Mushrooms and Toasted Almonds

Panch Phoron

Getting to Know Black Cumin Seed

Maybe you’ve been to one of the famous, world-touring exhibits of objects from the tomb of the Egyptian Pharoah Tutankhamen. Well, black cumin seeds were also found in King Tut’s tomb.

The foot-tall flowering plant that supplies the seeds is found in the Middle East and in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Hippocrates referred to black cumin as melanthion. In old Latin, the spice was calledpanacea, or cure-all. In Arabic, it was known as habbat el baraka, or seeds of blessing. In India it is called kolonji; in China, hak jung chou.

BLACK CUMIN SEEDS WERE FOUND IN KING TUT’S TOMB, AN ACCOMPANIMENT TO THE AFTERLIFE.

The spice was used like pepper in the countries where it grows, and it was brought to the Americas by early settlers for the same use. Today, it’s a stranger to most Americans, though you’ve tasted it if you’ve eaten Indian naan bread or Armenian string cheese. But black cumin is a staple in the cooking of India and the Middle East.

In India, it’s used whole and roasted in chutneys, curries, rice, and yogurt dishes. It is an ingredient in the whole-seed spice mix panch phoron. It’s an essential ingredient in Kashmiri cuisine, where it’s used to spice meats and in rich creamy sauces.

In the Middle East, it’s a key spice in kibbeh, a hot dog-shaped fried croquette made with bulgur and lamb. It is often added to the Middle Eastern spice mix baharat, which you can find. Its nutty flavor also makes it popular in breads and sweets—in fact, it’s often mixed with honey as a sweet.

In Ethiopia, it’s used as a spice in alcoholic beverages, much like Americans add celery seed to Bloody Marys.

Black cumin is also grown in Russia and is the topping on Russian rye bread.

How to Buy Black Cumin Seed

You won’t find black cumin (though you will find cumin) in your typical supermarket, but you can find it in Indian markets or specialty spice shops. You may not, however, find it under the name black cumin. Your best bet is to look for kolonji or nigella, the Indian names for the spice.

You might find it on the Internet under black cumin, kolonji, nigella, black caraway, blackseed, fennel flower, Roman coriander, or black onion seeds. (Even though it has no relationship whatsoever to caraway, fennel, coriander, or onion.) But you could also end up with caraway seeds or onion seeds. To be certain you’re getting the real thing, ask for black cumin seed by its botanical name, Nigella sativa. You’re also certain to get what you want by looking at it. The shiny, smooth black seeds are unmistakable.

Black cumin is a foot-tall, flowering plant.

The seeds are always sold whole, as that’s the way they’re usually used. And they’re not expensive—a three-ounce jar of seeds goes for about three dollars at an Indian market. They will keep in a dry, cool place for up to three years.

Black Mango Chutney

Mango chutney is a popular Indian chutney and black cumin is one of the reasons for its special taste. Serve this as an accompaniment to fish, poultry, or risotto, or put it on top of baked Brie. This chutney will keep refrigerated for about a week.

2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

1 teaspoon panch phoron

3 dried red chiles, seeds removed and diced

1 teaspoon black cumin seeds

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup water

2 ripe mangoes, peeled, cored, and diced

¼ cup shredded, sweetened coconut

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the panch phoron, chiles, and black cumin seeds and fry until the seeds start to pop and the chiles are browned. Be careful not to burn.

2. Add the black cumin and stir one minute. Add the sugar and water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the mangoes, coconut, and salt, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the mixture softens, melds, and thickens slightly, about 15–20 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and cool. Stir in the cilantro. Serve hot or room temperature.

Makes about 2 cups.

Black cumin seed oil, or TQ, is also available as a dietary supplement. Because of its potential in cancer prevention and its positive effects on the immune system, I recommend it as a daily supplement for general health. No side effects have been found from taking supplements, but pregnant women should not take them, as they can cause uterine contractions.

In the Kitchen with Black Cumin Seed

There’s confusion around the name of black cumin—and there’s controversy around the taste. Some say the seeds are pungent. Others describe them as slightly peppery. I agree with the latter. Some say they detect an aftertaste of lemon. Some claim the aftertaste is akin to strawberry. I agree with the former. There is no question as to their nutty flavor, though, which is why you’ll find black cumin is quite versatile in the kitchen.

The seeds can be used as is, but dry roasting brings out more aroma. You should roast them if you plan on grinding them.

Here are some suggestions on ways to use black cumin:

• They’re a classic addition to Indian chutneys—add a pinch to your favorite recipes.

• Black cumin will enhance meat dishes, especially stews made with lamb.

• Use the seeds to flavor rice pilafs or put them in mashed potatoes.

• Sprinkle them on homemade cookies and breads.

• Add them to spice blends.

• Put them in hot pepper sauces.