Nigella

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Nigella
Nigella damascena Dark Blue.jpg
Nigella damascena
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Ranunculaceae
Subfamily: Ranunculoideae
Tribe: Nigelleae
Genus: Nigella
L.
Species
Nigella damascena seed capsule Jungfer im Grunen (Nigella damascena) Samenkapseln-20220613-RM-175240.jpg
Nigella damascena seed capsule

Nigella is a genus of about 25 species of annual or biennial plants in the family Ranunculaceae, native to Macaronesia, southern and central Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. [1] [2] Common names applied to members of this genus are nigella, devil-in-a-bush or love-in-a-mist.

Contents

The species grow to 20 to 90 cm (8 to 35 in) tall, with finely divided leaves; the leaf segments are narrowly linear to threadlike. The flowers are white, yellow, pink, pale blue or pale purple, with five to ten petals. The fruit is a capsule composed of several united follicles, each containing numerous seeds; in some species (e.g. Nigella damascena ), the capsule is large and inflated.

Uses

Nigella seeds Nigella seeds.jpg
Nigella seeds

Culinary

The seeds of Nigella sativa , known as kalonji, black cumin, black caraway, black coriander, roman coriander, black onion seed, onion seed, charnushka, git (in historical Roman cuisine), [3] or just nigella, are used as a spice and a condiment in South Asian, Ethiopian, Middle Eastern and Polish cuisines. [4]

Garden flowers

Nigella in full bloom Smithsoniangardens7.jpg
Nigella in full bloom

Several species are grown as ornamental plants in gardens. Nigella damascena has been grown in English cottage gardens since the Elizabethan era, commonly called love-in-a-mist. Nigella hispanica is a taller species with larger blue flowers, red stamens, and grey leaves. Nigella seeds are self-sowing if the seed pods are left to mature.

The dried seed capsules can also be used in flower arrangements.

Use in traditional medicine

In traditional medicine, the seeds are used as a carminative and stimulant to ease bowel and indigestion problems, and are given to treat intestinal worms, nerve defects, to reduce flatulence, and induce sweating. Dried pods are sniffed to restore a lost sense of smell. It is also used to repel some insects, much like mothballs.

Numerous studies have shown that it has anti-inflammatory, [5] anti-oxidative, [6] anti-mycotic, antibacterial, [7] [8] [9] anti-fungal, anti-cancer, [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] anti-viral, antihistamine properties, possessing many properties that make it a potential remedy against certain diseases. [15]

Black cumin is used by naturopaths. Black cumin oil and powder are sold to people suffering from pathologies such as skin diseases, muscle pain, eczema or psoriasis, [16] but also acne, [17] diabetes, and asthma, [18]

References

  1. ↑ "Nigella L." Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  2. ↑ "Nigella". The Plant List. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  3. ↑ Monaco, Farrel (17 August 2019). "Baking with the Romans--The Key Ingredient: Git".‹The template Self-published inline is being considered for merging.› [ self-published source? ]
  4. ↑ Malhotra, S.K. (2004). "Nigella". In Peter, K. V. (ed.). Handbook of Herbs and Spices. pp. 206–214. doi:10.1533/9781855738355.2.206. ISBN   978-1-85573-721-1.
  5. ↑ Khader, Mohannad; Eckl, Peter M. (December 2014). "Thymoquinone: an emerging natural drug with a wide range of medical applications". Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences. 17 (12): 950–957. PMC   4387230 . PMID   25859298.
  6. ↑ Entok, Emre; Ustuner, Mehmet Cengiz; Ozbayer, Cansu; Tekin, Neslihan; Akyuz, Fahrettin; Yangi, Berat; Kurt, Hulyam; Degirmenci, Irfan; Gunes, Hasan Veysi (May 2014). "Anti-inflammatuar and anti-oxidative effects of Nigella sativa L.: 18FDG-PET imaging of inflammation". Molecular Biology Reports. 41 (5): 2827–2834. doi:10.1007/s11033-014-3137-2. PMID   24474661. S2CID   254840880.
  7. ↑ Bakathir, Hussein Ahmed; Abbas, Nageeb Ahmed (2011). "Detection of the antibacterial effect of Nigella sativa ground seeds with water". African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines. 8 (2): 159–164. doi:10.4314/ajtcam.v8i2.63203. PMC   3252685 . PMID   22238497.
  8. ↑ Chaieb, Kamel; Kouidhi, Bochra; Jrah, Hanene; Mahdouani, Kacem; Bakhrouf, Amina (13 April 2011). "Antibacterial activity of Thymoquinone, an active principle of Nigella sativa and its potency to prevent bacterial biofilm formation". BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 11 29. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-11-29 . PMC   3095572 . PMID   21489272.
  9. ↑ Kokoska, L.; Havlik, J.; Valterova, I.; Sovova, H.; Sajfrtova, M.; Jankovska, I. (December 2008). "Comparison of Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of Nigella sativa Seed Essential Oils Obtained by Different Extraction Methods". Journal of Food Protection. 71 (12): 2475–2480. doi: 10.4315/0362-028x-71.12.2475 . PMID   19244901.
  10. ↑ Majdalawieh, Amin F.; Hmaidan, Reem; Carr, Ronald I. (15 September 2010). "Nigella sativa modulates splenocyte proliferation, Th1/Th2 cytokine profile, macrophage function and NK anti-tumor activity". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 131 (2): 268–275. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2010.06.030. PMID   20600757.
  11. ↑ Cikman, Oztekin; Ozkan, Adile; Aras, Adem Bozkurt; Soylemez, Omer; Alkis, Hilal; Taysi, Seyithan; Karaayvaz, Muammer (October 2014). "Radioprotective effects of Nigella sativa oil against oxidative stress in liver tissue of rats exposed to total head irradiation". Journal of Investigative Surgery. 27 (5): 262–266. doi:10.3109/08941939.2014.898811. PMID   24679182. S2CID   23302168.
  12. ↑ Aikemu, Ainiwaer; Xiaerfuding, Xiadiya; Shiwenhui, Chengyufeng; Abudureyimu, Meiliwan; Maimaitiyiming, Dilinuer (July 2013). "Immunomodulatory and anti-tumor effects of Nigella glandulifera Freyn and Sint. seeds on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma in mouse model". Pharmacognosy Magazine. 9 (35): 187–191. doi: 10.4103/0973-1296.113258 . PMC   3732418 . PMID   23929999.
  13. ↑ Arafa, El-Shaimaa A.; Zhu, Qianzheng; Shah, Zubair I.; Wani, Gulzar; Barakat, Bassant M.; Racoma, Ira; El-Mahdy, Mohamed A.; Wani, Altaf A. (10 January 2011). "Thymoquinone up-regulates PTEN expression and induces apoptosis in doxorubicin-resistant human breast cancer cells". Mutation Research. 706 (1–2): 28–35. Bibcode:2011MRFMM.706...28A. doi:10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2010.10.007. PMC   3037029 . PMID   21040738.
  14. ↑ El-Mahdy, Mohamed A.; Zhu, Qianzheng; Wang, Qi-En; Wani, Gulzar; Wani, Altaf A. (10 November 2005). "Thymoquinone induces apoptosis through activation of caspase-8 and mitochondrial events in p53-null myeloblastic leukemia HL-60 cells". International Journal of Cancer. 117 (3): 409–417. doi: 10.1002/ijc.21205 . PMID   15906362. S2CID   35725411.
  15. ↑ Yimer, Ebrahim M.; Tuem, Kald Beshir; Karim, Aman; Ur-Rehman, Najeeb; Anwar, Farooq (12 May 2019). "Nigella sativa L. (Black Cumin): A Promising Natural Remedy for Wide Range of Illnesses". Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2019 1528635. doi: 10.1155/2019/1528635 . PMC   6535880 . PMID   31214267.
  16. ↑ Eid, Ahmad M.; Elmarzugi, Nagib A.; Abu Ayyash, Laila M.; Sawafta, Maher N.; Daana, Hadeel I. (2017). "A Review on the Cosmeceutical and External Applications of Nigella sativa". Journal of Tropical Medicine. 2017 7092514. doi: 10.1155/2017/7092514 . PMC   5735686 . PMID   29358959.
  17. ↑ Naseer A., Hadi; Ammar Waham, Ashor (2010). "Nigella sativa oil lotion 20% vs. benzoyl peroxide lotion 5% in the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris". Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal. 9 (4): 371–376.
  18. ↑ Koshak, Abdulrahman; Wei, Li; Koshak, Emad; Wali, Siraj; Alamoudi, Omer; Demerdash, Abdulrahman; Qutub, Majdy; Pushparaj, Peter Natesan; Heinrich, Michael (March 2017). "Nigella sativa Supplementation Improves Asthma Control and Biomarkers: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial" . Phytotherapy Research. 31 (3): 403–409. doi:10.1002/ptr.5761. PMID   28093815. S2CID   25341730.

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