Black Seed

USAGE AND EFFECTIVENESS

Usage	Effectiveness
Diabetes	Effective (Decreases blood sugar levels) Several clinical studies showed improvement in HbA1C (the amount of sugar sticking on red blood cell, an indication sugar control over 120 days) , fasting sugar level and to some extent total cholesterol, when black seed were used together with medication (compared to those who only took diabetes medication) or use alone (compared to those who took medication without any active ingredient) Improvement in HbA1C and fasting sugar level due to consumption of black seed is lower than those who takes prescription medicine (metformin) at 2 gramme daily (a fairly high dose).
High Blood Pressure	Effective (Reduces blood pressure level) An analysis of clinical studies showed that black seed lowered blood pressure by an average of 3mm mercury.In one of the studies, blood pressure has been lowered as much as 10mm mercury Several strong clinical study to support the point above.
Male Infertility	Effective (Improves male fertility) Shown in several strong clinical studies to improve sperm count, quality of sperm, and vitality of sperms Several strong clinical study to support the point above
Breast Pain	Effective (Reduces breast pain) Shown in one strong clinical study to reduce breast pain with similar effectiveness as pain medicine (diclofenac gel) One strong clinical study supports the point above
Asthma	Mild effectiveness (Improve symptoms of asthma) One clinical study showing improvement in symptoms of asthma such as coughing and shortness of breath; its effect on lung function test have been conflicting; some studies observed improvement in lung function test readings while others showed insignificant outcome; more evidence is needed to support the above
Allergic Rhinitis	Mild effectiveness (Reduce symptoms of allergic rhinitis) Two clinical studies showing improvement in symptoms of allergic rhinitis More evidence is needed to support the above, especially on its comparison with usual anti allergic treatment and its long term effect.
Indigestion	Mild effectiveness (Improves symptoms of indigestion) One clinical study showed use of black seed gave improvement in symptoms of indigestion as compared to pills without any active ingredients. More evidence is needed to support the above
High Cholesterol	Mild effectiveness (Reduces cholesterol levels) One clinical study showed reduction in cholesterol levels (total cholesterol, bad cholesterol and triglycerides) as compared to those who consumed pills without any active ingredient. More evidence is needed to support the above.
Autoimmune Thyroiditis	Mild effectiveness (Improves thyroid function) One clinical study showing improvement in thyroid function and increase in thyroid stimulating hormone levels; but clinical study is not robust enough ;more evidence is needed to support the above
Chemotherapy Side Effects	Mild effectiveness (Reduce white blood cell and injection site related side effects) One clinical study showing reduction in incidence of fever episodes and duration of hospital stay due to reduction of white blood cells caused by cancer treatment One clinical study showing reduction in severity and risk of inflammation at injected sites Clinical studies were not robust enough;more evidence is needed to support the above.
Cognitive Function	Mild effectiveness (Improves memory) 2 clinical studies showing improvement in measures such as short-term and long-term memory recall; clinical studies may not be robust enough due to small sample size and there is question on actual benefit due to small size of improvement; more evidence is needed to support the above
Helicobacter Pylori	Mild effectiveness (Aid in clearing Helicobacter Pylori infection) One clinical study showed that taking black seed with quadruple therapy (with 4 medicines for gastric ulcers: metronidazole, amoxicillin, bismuth subcitrate, and omeprazole; reserved for resistant case of Helicobacter Pylori) observed higher rate of clearance of Helicobacter Pylori than those who take quadruple therapy. Usage of black seed powder with just omeprazole was observed to be slightly less effective than standard triple therapy (clarithromycin, amoxicillin, and omeprazole). More evidence is needed to support the above
Metabolic Syndrome	Mild effectiveness (Decrease cholesterol and blood sugar levels) One clinical study showed reduction in bad cholesterol, triglyceride and fasting blood sugar levels when taking black seed extract; taking bread with black seed did not showed any benefit. More evidence is needed to support the above
Methotrexate Toxicity	Mild effectiveness (Protect against increase in bilirubin (breakdown product of red blood cells) and liver injury marker) One clinical study showed prevention in increase of bilirubin and liver injury marker in patients on methotrexate for white blood cell cancer. More evidence is needed to support the above
Obesity	Mild effectiveness (Reduces weight) Several clinical studies showed reduction in body weight, body mass index and waist circumference when using black seed. However, the magnitude of improvement seemed to be small and these studies tended not to involve clinically obese patients (body mass index more than 25kg/ m2) More evidence is needed to support the above
Sore Throat	Mild effectiveness (Relieve pain) One small clinical study showed better pain relief for sore throat than pills without active ingredient. More studies are needed to support the above. Tonsillopharyngitis is a condition where the throat, tonsils or both are infected, presenting symptoms such as high fever, malaise, headache, and GI upset.
Eczema	Unclear effectiveness (Reduce symptoms of eczema) One clinical study showed improvement in patient reported symptoms but in another study, it did not reduce severity, itchiness or water content of the skin; more evidence is needed to support the above
Epilepsy	Unclear effectiveness (Reduce frequency of seizures) One clinical study showed reduction in frequency of seizures through the use of black seed extract (more than three times more effective than pills without active ingredient) while another did not show any effect; more evidence is needed to support the above. Epilepsy is a condition in which brain activity becomes abnormal, causing sudden, uncontrolled brain signals or unusual behaviour, sensations, and sometimes loss of consciousness.
Hepatitis C	Unclear effectiveness (Reduce hepatitis C viral load) One clinical study showing reduction of hepatitis C viral load, improvement of swelling on lower limb and increases total protein and albumin levels. This clinical study was hampered by lack of comparison to effect of pills without active ingredient (to filter out psychological effect). More evidence is needed to support the above
Menopausal Symptoms	Unclear effectiveness (Improves symptoms of menopause) One clinical study showing improvement in vasomotor skills, psychological, and physical symptoms of menopause; clinical studies not robust enough as it is unclear if the effects are due to black seed, vitex agnus-castus (another ingredient used in the clinical trial) or the combination; more evidence is needed to support the above
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease	Unclear effectiveness (Improves symptoms and functions of NALFD) 2 clinical study showed decrease in “bad” cholesterol while effect of black seed on other measures of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (such as liver function test) has been conflicting; small sample sizes and not using benchmark lab test such as extraction of liver cells for examination by microscope limits the usefulness of these clinical studies;more evidence is needed to support the above
Osteoarthritis	Unclear effectiveness (Reduces pain from knee osteoarthritis) Two clinical studies showed reduction in pain of knee osteoarthritis; however, the usefulness of the studies were hampered by the lack of comparison with pills without active ingredients or other treatments. More evidence is needed to support the above
Rheumatoid Arthritis	Unclear effectiveness (Improves symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis) One clinical study showed improvement in symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis such as pain, morning stiffness and disease severity; small sample size hampers the usefulness of this clinical study. More evidence is needed to support the above
Senile Rhinitis	Unclear effectiveness (Improve symptoms of rhinitis in elderly) One clinical study showed improvement in nose dryness, obstruction and crusting in elderly but not burning, itching, or clearance of mucus; more clinical studies are needed to support the above. Senile rhinitis, also known as "dry nose syndrome" or "atrophic rhinitis," is a condition where the nose produces insufficient moisture, triggering parodoxic runny nose and other symptoms that resemble nose allergies. While the word "senile" means caused by old age (Senile rhinitis is often found in elderly), it also affects post-surgery patients
Vitiligo	Unclear effectiveness (Improves skin pigmentation) One clinical study showed more skin pigmentation when using black seed cream; however, the usefulness of the studies were hampered by the lack of comparison with pills without active ingredients or other treatments. More evidence is needed to support the above. Vitiligo is a condition where discoloration patches on various parts of the body happens due to lose of pigment cells
Withdrawal from Drug and Alcohol Addiction	Unclear effectiveness (Decreases symptoms of opioid withdrawal) One clinical study showed decrease in symptoms of opioid withdrawal by as much as 77%; however, the clinical study did not make comparison to pills without active ingredient or other treatments, limiting its usefulness. More evidence is needed to support the above
Ulcerative Colitis	Unknown effectiveness No clinical study to support the above point; More evidence needed to support the point above Ulcerative Colitis is condition where the immune system attacks the large intestines, causing symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhoea and blood in stool.

General Safety

• Generally safe; side effects are generally mild

Pregnant/Breastfeeding Women

• Generally unsafe for use due to inhibition of contractions; black seed may have hormonal activities

Children

• Generally safe when used in appropriate amount

Elderly

• Little data to show it is safe or otherwise; avoid if possible

Special to Note

• Individuals are advised to not take the supplement 2 weeks before the operation.

Contraindications

• Details:
  • May increase risk of bleeding in individuals with bleeding disorders.
  • May lower blood sugar levels in individuals with diabetes.
  • May lower blood pressure in patients with low blood pressure.
  • May interfere with blood sugar levels, blood clotting and sedation during surgery.

Side Effects

• Generally safe; side effects may include:
  • Skin: allergic contact dermatitis, itching, blisters, and rash.
  • Digestive System: constipation, burning sensation, stomach discomfort, vomiting or mild nausea.
  • Liver: Liver toxicity was observed in certain animal research.
  • Immune System: blisters and rash and allergic contact dermatitis.
  • Brain/Nerve: Rare cases reported to worsen seizures.
  • Kidney: One case of kidney dysfunction was reported.

• Medicines
  Medium severity interactions with medicines such as blood clotting medicines, diabetes medicines, high blood pressure medicines, antidepressants, immunosuppressants and medicines which promote urination
• Supplements
  Medium to High severity interactions with herbs and supplements for blood clotting (e.g dang gui (angelica), clove, danshen, garlic, ginger, ginkgo, Panax Ginseng, and others), lowering of blood sugar levels (e.g alpha-lipoic acid, devil's claw, fenugreek, garlic, guar gum, horse chestnut, Panax ginseng, psyllium, and Siberian Ginseng), sedative properties (e.g 5-HTP, calamus, California poppy, catnip, hops, Jamaican dogwood, kava, St. John's wort, skullcap, valerian, yerba mansa and others) and Iron
• Food
  None known
• Lab Tests
  None known

• General (Adults)
  Consume 1 to 2 grammes once a day for 4 to 12 weeks. Refer to manufacturer's recommendation where necessary.
• General (Children)
  Consume 40 to 80 milligrammes per kilogramme. Refer to manufacturer's recommendation where necessary.
• Diabetes (Adults)
  Consume 1 gram of black seed powder two times daily or 1 gramme daily of black seed oil daily; consumption of any supplement should only be initiated after consulting your health professional.
• High Blood Pressure (Adults)
  Consume 0.5-2 grammes of black seed powder or 100-200 milligrammes or 2.5 millilitres of black seed oil twice daily for 8 weeks; consumption of any supplement should only be initiated after consulting your health professional.
• High Cholesterol (Adults)
  Consume 1 gramme of black seed powder once daily; consumption of any supplement should only be initiated after consulting your health professional.
• Metabolic Syndrome (Adults)
  Consume 500 milligrammes of black seed extract daily
• Obesity (Adults)
  Consume 0.1 to 3 grammes of black seed powder daily or 3 to 5 gramme daily of black seed oil daily; consumption of any supplement should only be initiated after consulting your health professional.

• General Information
  • Black Seed is used by consumers for allergic rhinitis, cognitive function, indigestion, vitiligo and others
• How does it work?
  • Contains chemicals that can reduce pain, ulcers, symptoms of asthma, allergy symptoms, increase seratonin levels, reduce blood sugar levels, blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure, reduce inflammation, bacterial, parasites infection, and have various effects on the body