Nigella sativa L.Family: Ranunculaceae
- Common name: Black Seed, Fennel flower, Nutmeg flower, Onion seed, Black cumin
- Amharic: ጥቁር አዝሙድ
- Arabic: حبة السوداء
- Bengali: কালো জিরা, কালোজিরা Kalo jira
- Bulgarian: Челебитка посевна
- Catalan: Sanuj
- Croatian: Crni kumin
- Czech: Černý kmín
- Danish: Sortkommen
- Dutch: Zwarte komijn
- Esperanto: Nigelo
- Estonian: Mustköömen
- Finnish: Ryytineito
- French: Nigelle cultivée, Herbe aux épices
- German: Schwarzkümmel
- Hebrew: קצח
- Hindi: कलौंजी, कलोंजी Kalaunji, कालाजीरा
- Hungarian: Feketekömény
- Indonesian: Jinten hitam
- Japanese: ニゲラ
- Kannada: ಕರಿ ಜೀರಿಗೆ kari jirige
- Kazakh: Содана
- Korean: 블랙쿠민
- Latin: Semen Nigellae sive Melanthii
- Latvian: Melnsēklīte
- Lithuanian: Juodgrūdė
- Malay: Jintan hitam
- Malayalam: കരിഞ്ചീരകം karinjirakam
- Norwegian: Svartkarve
- Polish: Czarnuszka siewna
- Romanian: Cernușcă
- Russian: černuška posevnaja, Нигелла
- Sanskrit: कृष्णजीरा Krishnajira
- Sinhalese: Kaluduru
- Slovak: Černuška siata
- Slovenian: Vzhodna črnika
- Spanish: neguilla
- Swedish: Svartkummin
- Thai: เทียนดำ
- Turkish: çörekotu
- Ukrainian: Чорнушка посівна
- Urdu: Kalaunji
Ayurvedic uses: Atisara, Gulma, Adhmaana, Krimiroga (API Vol-1)
Nigella sativa Oil showed prominent in vitro activity against eight MDR strains of Shigella flexneri. [ Clinical Botanical Medicine]
Chronic gastritis, ascariasis, flatulence and malaria [Compendia of World’s Medicinal Flora]
Used in Ayurveda. Powdered seeds paste applied on eczma and skin diseases. Used for headache, rheumatic pains, asthma and coughs, also applied as a galactagogue, emmenagogue, cooling, tonic, vermifuge and diuretic. Excessive use of seed causes abortion [CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants]
The seeds of black cumin are used for seasoning and are employed in spice mixes. The odor of crushed seeds has been described as like lemons with a faint suggestion of carrots (Burkill 1935), while the taste is strong, pungent, peppery, rather oddly aromatic, and nutty, "like a cross between poppy seeds and pepper" (Norman 1990). The alternative name nutmeg flower reflects similarity with the strong, agreeable aromatic odor of nutmeg. The seeds are added to curries, pickles, cheeses, eggs, fish, poultry, meats, game, pickles, conserves, fruit pies, and confections, particularly cookies, rolls and bread. They are also used to flavor a variety of vegetable dishes. The seeds used to be employed as a substitute for pepper. [Culinary Herbs]
Black cumin, is used in herbal folk medicine all over the world especially in the Middle East, Europe and Asia since antiquity for the treatment and prevention of a number of diseases and disorders that include asthma, bronchitis, diarrhoea, dyslipidaemia, diabetes, hyperglycaemia, and related abnormalities headache, dysentery, infections, obesity, back pain, hypertension, gastrointestinal problems, eczema, boils, rheumatism, cancer, fungal infections, diabetes, hypertension, cardiac diseases, hemorrhoids, sexual diseases and as an abortifacient [ Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants Vol-5]
N. sativa was used by Ancient Egyptian and Greek physicians to treat nasal congestion, toothache, as a diuretic to promote menstruation, and to increase milk production, bronchial asthma, headache, dysentery, infections, obesity, back pain, hypertension, and gastrointestinal problems. [Greco-Arab and Islamic herbal Medicine]
Avicenna used this plant to treat headaches, facial paralysis, and eye cataracts, and when mixed together with honey in hot water to remove bladder and kidney stones. An infusion of the seeds is used to treat toothaches, gastric and intestinal diseases and chest pains, and is used as a, diuretic, sopori fi c, and vermifuge for children (seeds in vinegar), as well as to treat angina and stimulate milk production in women. [The Medicinal Plants of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan]
521 Published articles of Nigella sativa
