Black pepper: The King of Spices – Jumpstarting Digestion and Fighting Cancer

This common condiment has a royal pedigree.

During the Middle Ages, black pepper was considered the “King of Spices”—and it was more valuable than gold. Only the wealthy could afford it, and social status was measured by how much black pepper you had stored away.

To increase its mystery and desirability, Arab traders kept its origins a closely guarded secret, inventing wild tales of perilous searches for the spice in make-believe lands.

And when the Spice Wars—the conflict between nations to dominate the spice trade—intensified during the 15th century, tariffs and taxes drove the price of pepper up 30-fold. That sent Christopher Columbus westward from Spain to discover the land of pepper—and riches for the Queen of Spain.

But Columbus was off course by about 8,000 miles. The “secret” land of pepper was India’s Malabar Coast, where the best-tasting pepper in the world is still grown today.

Pepper, Healer for Millennia

Indian black pepper is considered superior because it’s particularly rich in piperine, the compound that zaps your taste buds and triggers a sneeze when it hits the nerve endings inside your nose.

The Ayurvedic physicians of India—the practitioners of the millennia-old science and art of natural healing native to that country—may not have known about piperine, but they did know about pepper’s curative power. They prescribed black pepper for a variety of everyday and serious conditions, including constipation, diarrhea, insect bites, tooth decay, sunburn, arthritis, heart disease, and lung disease.

When pepper reached China, the spice was incorporated into traditional Chinese medicine—another millennia-old medical tradition—where one text described it as able to “warm the middle, disperse cold . . . while dispelling phlegm . . . and relieving diarrhea.” One Chinese herbal remedy still in use today consists of a dried powder made from one radish—and 99 peppercorns!

In ancient Rome, pepper was more valued for its culinary impact—the Romans loved to season their food with pepper, and they buried meat and other perishable foods under piles of pepper to keep it from spoiling. (That was the first clue that the spice had potent antibacterial powers. Scientist now know that piperine can even inhibit the deadly bacteria that cause botulism.)

When in Rome—or anywhere else in the world—pepper as the Romans peppered. Because pepper is very good for you. Starting the moment you eat it.

Jumpstarting Digestion

Piperine stimulates the taste buds, triggering the pancreas to start producing digestive enzymes. It also tones the lining of the intestines. That boost in digestive power and speed is very helpful:

Speeding up transit time. In a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, gastroenterologists found that 1.5 grams of black pepper (about 1/20 of an ounce) sped up “transit time”—the time it takes for food to move all the way through the digestive tract. Slow transit time has been linked to many GI problems, from constipation to colon cancer. The researchers noted that black pepper “is of clinical importance in the management of various gastrointestinal disorders.”

Enhancing the effectiveness of medications. Pepper helps you digest food better—and metabolize medications faster. In studies on animals and people, researchers have found that piperine can increase the bioavailability of a range of drugs, including antibiotics, beta blockers for high blood pressure, calcium channel blockers for heart disease, cough medicines, and also drugs used to treat arthritis, epilepsy, respiratory problems, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS. It works by influencing enzymes in the liver that are active in the metabolism of drugs. “Piperine is exceptional in its influence on the liver drug-metabolizing enzyme system,” concluded a team of Indian researchers in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology.

Fighting Cancer

Laboratory studies on animals and on human cells show that piperine may play a role in preventing or treating cancer.

Colon cancer. In the laboratory, researchers in the US found that adding black pepper to a culture of human colon cancer cells produced “significant inhibition” of growth. Regular intake of low doses of black pepper may “offer preventive effects against colon cancer,” concluded the researchers in Annals of Clinical and Laboratory Science.

Lung cancer. “Black pepper has been used widely in various systems of traditional medicines,” wrote a team of Indian researchers in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry—which led them to test the power of pepper against lung cancer. In their animal study, they found that treating lung cancer with piperine changed the level of several enzymes, “which indicated an anti-tumor and anti-cancer effect.”

Breast cancer. A team of Indian researchers found that adding black pepper extracts to the diet of mice with breast cancer increased their lifespan by 65 percent. The findings were in Cancer Letters.

Pepper Your Health

Scientists around the world have discovered many other ways that black pepper may enhance health.

Easing arthritis. Korean researchers tested piperine against arthritis in two ways: they added the black pepper extract to a culture of human rheumatoid arthritis cells, and they fed it to animals with experimentally induced arthritis. In the human cells, piperine reduced compounds known to worsen inflammation, the hallmark of rheumatoid arthritis. In animals, piperine reduced inflammation and other arthritis symptoms. Piperine may have a role as a “dietary supplement for the treatment of arthritis,” the researchers concluded in Arthritis Research & Therapy.

Preventing Alzheimer’s. Researchers in Thailand tested piperine in animals with Alzheimer’s-like brain changes and found the extract “significantly improved memory impairment and neurodegeneration [the destruction of brain cells].”

Better brains. In another study, the same team of researchers found that piperine had “anti-depression-like activity and cognitive-enhancing effect” when fed to laboratory animals. Piperine may “improve brain function,” they concluded.

Helping seniors stand up. Researchers in Japan found that sniffing black pepper oil stabilized the ability to stand (and therefore lowered the risk of falling) in 17 people aged 78 and older. “Olfactory stimulation” with black pepper “may improve postural stability in older adults,” they concluded in the journal Gait and Posture.

Helping with post-stroke swallowing. After a stroke, many people suffer from dysphagia—difficulty swallowing. The same team of Japanese researchers found that sniffing black pepper oil for one minute helped improve the ability to swallow in more than 100 people who had suffered a stroke. “Inhalation of black pepper oil . . . might benefit older post-stroke patients with dysphagia, regardless of their level of consciousness or physical or mental status,” concluded the researchers in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.

Helping brain-damaged children on feeding tubes. In a third study, the Japanese researchers found that sniffing black pepper oil could stimulate the appetite of neurologically damaged children on feeding tubes, helping them eat more solid foods.

Quitting smoking. Scientists at the Nicotine Research Laboratory in Durham, North Carolina, found that the craving for cigarettes decreased after smokers puffed on a vapor containing black pepper essential oil. “Cigarette substitutes delivering pepper constituents may prove useful in smoking cessation treatment,” they concluded in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependency.

Lowering high blood pressure. A study by Pakistani researchers in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology showed that piperine lowered blood pressure in laboratory animals.

Preventing heart disease. High-fat diets and heart disease go hand in hand. Researchers in India found that laboratory animals fed a high-fat diet and black pepper or piperine had much less oxidation—a crucial step in the process that turns dietary cholesterol into artery-clogging plaque. “Supplementation with black pepper or piperine can reduce high-fat diet induced oxidative stress to the cells,” concluded the researchers.

Healing hyperthyroidism. Indian researchers found that piperine worked as effectively as thyroid medication in treating overactive thyroid in animals.

Protecting hearing. Korean researchers found that piperine protected cells in the cochlea (the sensory organ of hearing in the ear) from chemical damage. Cochlear damage leads to hearing loss.

Reversing vitiligo. In the skin disease vitiligo, a malfunction in pigment-producing cells called melanocytes leads to irregular patches of pale skin. Researchers in the UK found that piperine promotes the growth of melanocytes. “This finding supports the traditional use of [black pepper] in vitiligo,” concluded the researchers in the Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology.

Getting to Know Black Pepper

Like grapes, black pepper grows on perennial vines. But pepper vines soar to a height of 30 feet or more—you can see them trellising swaying palm trees in the state of Kerala on India’s Malabar coast, where black pepper is big business and pepper vines are everywhere.

The vines have large, shiny leaves with spiky extensions called catkins that fill with peppercorns, the fruit of the pepper vine. A catkin full of peppercorns is a twisty stalk densely packed with what looks like shiny beads.

Black pepper grows on vineswith large, shiny leaves.

After peppercorns bud, they gradually turn dark green—the sign that they’re ready to be picked and dried.

As peppercorns dry, the peppercorn’s outer layer (called the pericarp) turns thick, rough, oily, and black. At this point, the peppercorn is pepper—warm, penetrating, full-bodied, with lingering heat.

But not all peppercorns that you find in the market are black.

Green peppercorns (which became all the rage in the 1970s, with the popularity of French nouvelle cuisine) are unripe black peppercorns that have been plunged into boiling water, which inactivates the ripening enzymes and stops them from turning black. They have a fresh, hot bite but are much more subtle than the black. You can eat them whole and still smile!

White peppercorns—also known as white pepper—are black peppercorns with the pericarp removed, revealing a smooth, creamy white center, called the heart. Removing the pericarp is arduous, which is why white peppercorns are considered a gourmet spice, and are more expensive than black. White peppercorn is hotter and sharper than black, but slightly sweet.

Pink peppercorns have been left on the vine, turning from green to yellow to ripened red. Then they’re picked and sold as so-called pink peppercorns. Like white, they’re considered a gourmet spice. They’re aromatic, with a benign and subtle flavor.

Black pepper may help prevent and/or treat:

Alzheimer’s disease

Arthritis, rheumatoid

Cancer

Constipation

Depression

Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)

Falls

Hearing loss

Heart disease

High blood pressure

(hypertension)

Indigestion

Memory loss (age-related, mild cognitive decline)

Neurologically

damaged children

Smoking addiction

Thyroid problems

Vitiligo

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Black pepper pairs well with all spices and complements all recipes, especially those featuring:

Eggs

Game

Red meat

Sauces

Seafood

Piperine is found in all the peppercorns, but it’s most abundant in black pepper. And there’s a lot of black pepper out there.

Next to salt, pepper is the world’s most frequently used spice. It is an ingredient in about 95 percent of recipes, and you can find it on almost every table in America. And no wonder—it offers a “bite” not found in any other spice. Even restaurants that consider salt an insult to the chef will offer pepper, usually freshly ground at tableside.

Indian cuisine makes elaborate use of black peppercorns, but eschews the other colors. Black pepper is a principal ingredient in many of India’s most beloved spice blends, including garam masala and sambaar masala. Black peppercorn is also the key ingredient in baharat, a spice mix used throughout the Middle East.

The French are fond of white pepper, which blends nicely with the many cream-based sauces in their cuisine. They also grind white and black pepper into a blend called mignonette. White pepper is one of the four ingredients in the spice blend quatre épices. But black peppercorns aren’t totally disgracié—they’re often bundled in the bouquet garni found in many kitchens.

In America, black peppercorns are key to fiery Cajun and Creole cooking.

Peppercorns require a warm climate, and most of the black pepper imported into the US comes from Indonesia or Brazil. Other pepper-growing countries include Malaysia, Madagascar, Tasmania, and Vietnam, which recently surpassed India as the world’s largest producer of peppercorn.

Other recipes containing black pepper:

Adobo

Alamelu’s Salt Substitute

All-American Chili con Carne

Baharat

Basic Barbecue Rub

Berbere

Bloody Mary Soup with Jumbo Lump Crabmeat

Boeuf Bourguignon

Caribbean Curry Paste

Chaat Masala

Chesapeake Bay Seafood Seasoning

Chicken Oreganata

Chimichurri Sauce

Cocoa Rub

Coconut Meatballs with Peanut Sauce

Colombo Powder

Dukkah

Garam Masala

Grilled Pork Chile Adobo

Hot Curry Powder

Jamaican Jerk Marinade

La Kama

Madras Curry Paste

Madras Curry Powder

Malaysian Curry Paste

Pickling Spice

Potato Cauliflower Curry

Prawns with Almond Hot Pepper Sauce

Quatre Épices

Roast Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Rosemary Barbecue Rub

Sambaar Masala

Spiced Milk Tea

Vindaloo Curry Paste

Yucatan Pickled Red Onions

How to Buy Black Pepper

While India is no longer the world’s largest supplier, it still produces the finest quality—90 percent of which is harvested on the Malabar coast, a variety prized for its high content of piperine and other volatile oils.

There are two varieties from this region: Malabar peppercorns (formerly called Alleppy peppercorns) and Tellicherry peppercorns. Of the two, Tellicherry is the superior. The best Tellicherry is labeled TGSEB, which stands for: Tellicherry (place of origin), Garbled (free of grit and inferior berries), Special (the finest quality), and Extra Bold (largest in size). Malabar Garbled No. 1 (MG1) indicates top-grade, cleaned peppercorn.

The American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) also applies its standards to peppercorn. ASTA on a label means that the pepper meets standards of cleanliness, volatile oil content, moisture level, and other technical specifications.

Black pepper comes whole, cracked, or ground.

Your best strategy: buy whole peppercorns and grind them as needed, for the best taste and maximum health benefit. Once pepper is ground, it begins to lose its piperine and other volatile oils. It retains its bite, but loses flavor.

The best black peppercorns are large, with dark brown to jet black rough skin, and a dull patina. A shiny patina indicates inferior quality.

Ground pepper is available as coarse or fine. There’s also an indication of inferior quality in ground pepper—it’s too black. Here’s why:

When peppercorns are harvested and dried, there’s always a percentage that are hollow inside, lacking white hearts. They are referred to as light berries. There’s typically a government-mandated specification that limits the percentage of light berries permitted in a crop, but growers sometimes circumvent the rules. The best ground black pepper is gray, because the entire berry—black pericarp and white core—was ground. Pepper that is too black is an indication that too many light berries were part of the grinding.

White peppercorns are sold whole. The best quality is Montok.

You can purchase green and pink peppercorns either dried or in brine.

The best dried green peppercorns—called late-picked berries—are freeze-dried. They should look full, plump, and bright green. They’re excellent for cooking but shouldn’t be put in a peppermill, as they’re too soft and can clog the mechanism.

Pink peppercorns are the least popular because they have the least flavor. They’re also too soft for a peppermill.

There is also a pink “peppercorn” from Brazil that belongs to the cashew family. It has no relationship to true peppercorns, and isn’t considered particularly useful in cooking. They were banned from the US several years ago because of concern about toxicity, but shipments sometimes make it to store shelves. Be sure the pink peppercorns you buy are Piper nigrum.

Both whole and ground pepper will keep indefinitely, although old ground pepper won’t have much flavor.

Both green and pink peppercorns purchased in brine should be used within two weeks of opening.

There are numerous varieties of black pepper, including popular Chinese Szechwan peppercorns, but they aren’t true pepper. Szechwan pepper has no resemblance in taste to black pepper. Neither makes a satisfactory substitute for the other.

Black Pepper Rice with Almonds

Rice is a staple in Indian cooking, but you’ll never find it plain. The combinations of spices that complement rice are huge. This pepper-rich recipe, compliment of Alamelu Vairavan, author of Healthy South Indian Cooking, is one of my favorites.

1 cup basmati or extra long-grain rice

1 tablespoon canola oil

3 curry leaves (optional)

1 small dried red chile

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seed

1 cup chopped onions

1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup sliced almonds

1. Cook rice according to package directions, but omit using salt or oil. Cool rice for about an hour. Stir so the grains do not stick together.

2. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the curry leaves and red chile. Add the mustard and cumin seeds. Cover and heat until the mustard seeds pop, about 30 seconds.

3. Add the onions and cook for one minute. Add the cooked rice and stir well. Add black pepper, ground cumin, and salt and mix well. Stir in the almonds and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

In the Kitchen with Black Pepper

Black pepper is the most useful and indispensable of all culinary spices. When faced with a plate of uninspiring food, the judicious grind of a peppermill can salvage a meal.

The robust flavor of black pepper is most closely associated with strong-flavored food. Apply it liberally to red meat, game, seafood, beans, and lentils. Use it lightly on more delicate food.

But you can put black pepper on anything, even fruit. Berries, apples, pears, and even cheese take well to a grind of fresh black pepper. Use black pepper to flavor soups, stews, fish, and poultry.

Keep white peppercorns on hand for those times you want to give a dish a pepper bite without an overpowering pepper fragrance.

And you should always add pepper to liquids and sauces at the last minute. If added early in cooking, it loses its aromatic fragrance and can leave a bitterness that is hard to erase.

Keep black peppercorns in a metal, plastic, or glass peppermill, not wood. Wood will leach pepper of its volatile oils.

Here are a few ways to get more black pepper into your diet:

• Rub coarsely ground peppercorns into red meats before grilling, roasting, or braising. Don’t be timid. It can take a lot.

• Add whole peppercorns to marinades, stocks, and dishes being pickled.

• Slice strawberries over watercress and sprinkle generously with black pepper. Dress lightly with a balsamic vinaigrette.

• Add cracked pepper to homemade salad dressing.

• Keep a peppermill, rather than a shaker of already ground pepper, on your table.

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.