Black Seed Oil Benefits: Uses, How to Take It & Side Effects

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Black seed oil is pressed from the tiny black seeds of Nigella sativa, a flowering plant in the buttercup family and one of the oldest known cultivated plants.18 Healers from North Africa to South Asia have relied on the seed for centuries, from Islamic medicine to Ayurveda.1

Modern research has gone deep on this little seed. It has been tested in 82 randomized trials in 5,026 people,9 and its clearest results land on numbers you can check at your next physical: blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol, plus inflammation markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP).234

In my guide to seed oils, I list black seed oil as a functional oil,10 and when the goal is to reduce inflammation, it's one of the oils I'd add in.11

Did you know?

• Black seeds were reportedly found in the tomb of the Egyptian king Tutankhamun.8

• In Arabic, black seed is called Haba al-Barakah, the "blessed seed," a name that reflects its place in Islamic medicine.1

• Oil from black seed carries natural vitamin E compounds: 140 to 631 mg per kilogram in 13 oils analyzed, mostly beta-tocotrienol and gamma-tocopherol.12

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What is black seed oil?

Nigella sativa grows 20 to 30 centimeters tall, about 8 to 12 inches, with pale bluish flowers, and it's native to southern Europe, North Africa and South and Southwest Asia.18 The seeds are sold whole as a spice, covered in our guide to nigella seeds, and pressing them yields the oil.

Researchers have studied black seed in several forms, and the results belong to the form tested. Here's how the forms in the trials on this page differ:

Is black seed oil a seed oil?

Yes, it's pressed from a seed, and it belongs with the cold-pressed oils. As I've written, a seed oil isn't automatically a refined oil.10 The refined oils behind fried and packaged foods, such as soybean, corn and cottonseed oil, are extracted with solvents, then bleached and deodorized. Black seed oil sits in a different category, with cold-pressed flaxseed oil and sesame oil: pressed from the seed and used raw, in small amounts.10

A short history of black seed

The classical physicians knew black seed well. Hippocrates and Galen described its uses, and Dioscorides noted the seeds' pungent smell and their use for headaches and toothache.8 In his Canon of Medicine, the Persian physician Avicenna described black seed as a seed that stimulates the body's energy and helps recovery from fatigue and low spirits, and the Arab physician al-Kindī used it in a preparation for skin irritations.8

Black seed oil nutrition facts

USDA FoodData Central lists no record for black seed oil, so this profile comes from a 2024 lab analysis of 13 oils extracted from seeds grown in India, Syria, Egypt and Poland.12

Averages across the 13 oils; values vary from oil to oil.12

Black seed oil carries very little omega-3, so get your omega-3s from omega-3 foods such as wild salmon and sardines. What it does carry stands out in two ways. Eicosadienoic acid is unusual in food oils, and researchers think it may help explain the oil's anti-inflammatory effect, covered in how it works below.13 The oil also carries aromatic compounds, among them p-cymene, alpha-thujene and thymoquinone, which ran highest in the oils from Poland and two from India.12

What is black seed oil good for?

How does black seed oil work?

The best-mapped route runs through inflammation: black seed oil slows two enzymes that make inflammatory messengers, and in people, inflammation markers come down.

Black seed oil benefits, ranked by evidence

Ranked by evidence, black seed oil does the most for blood sugar and blood pressure, with solid results for cholesterol, inflammation, allergies, skin and fatty liver.

Does black seed oil lower blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol?

These are the numbers behind metabolic syndrome, and black seed moves several of them at once.

Blood sugar

The newest pooled analysis, published in 2026, gathered 31 trials in 2,145 people with type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, fatty liver, obesity and related conditions. Across 22 of those trials in 1,519 people, black seed lowered fasting blood sugar by 18.62 mg/dL, a result the authors rated high certainty, and HbA1c, your three-month blood sugar average, fell 0.56 points in 9 trials.2 The 12 trials that gave the oil, including oil in soft gels, lowered fasting blood sugar by 27.08 mg/dL, against 10.77 mg/dL in the 11 trials that gave other capsules.2 Fasting insulin and insulin resistance didn't change significantly in the pooled data.2

People with type 2 diabetes saw similar gains. A 2025 analysis of 16 randomized trials in adults with type 2 diabetes found that black seed lowered fasting blood sugar by 21.43 mg/dL, LDL cholesterol by 19.53 mg/dL and total cholesterol by 18.80 mg/dL, and HbA1c fell 0.44 points; after-meal sugar, insulin, triglycerides, HDL and weight didn't change significantly.31 HbA1c and LDL fell more with the oil form and with more than 1 gram a day.31

The longest trial ran a full year. In a placebo-controlled study, 114 adults with type 2 diabetes who were already taking diabetes pills added 2 grams of ground black seed a day or a placebo, without knowing which capsule they got, and 48 in each group finished the year. On black seed, HbA1c fell from 8.6% to 7.8% by 6 months and was still below its starting point at a year, at 8.2%, while the placebo group's rose from 8.2% to 8.5%.42 The difference between the groups was significant at 6 and 9 months. Fasting blood sugar fell from 195 to 172 mg/dL on black seed and held at 180 mg/dL on placebo, and antioxidant markers improved.42

The same team ran a dose study first. In 94 adults with type 2 diabetes who added 1, 2 or 3 grams of ground seed a day to their diabetes pills for 12 weeks, with no placebo group, 2 grams a day lowered fasting blood sugar by 45, 62 and 56 mg/dL at 4, 8 and 12 weeks and HbA1c by 1.52 points, and insulin resistance fell.14 One gram a day moved the numbers in the right direction without reaching significance, and 3 grams added nothing over 2.14 The oil works too: in a placebo-controlled trial of 43 adults with type 2 diabetes, 500 mg of oil twice a day for 8 weeks lowered fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, cholesterol, triglycerides, waist size and blood pressure compared with sunflower oil capsules.43

With type 2 diabetes, diet, exercise and lifestyle do the heavy lifting, supported by natural remedies like berberine, chromium, cinnamon and magnesium, and black seed belongs right alongside them. My free Insulin Resistance & Prediabetes protocol lays out the food side. If you take diabetes medicine, read the medicine table in the safety section before you start, because black seed adds to its effect.

Blood pressure

In the 2026 analysis, black seed lowered systolic blood pressure, the top number, by 3.25 mmHg across 13 trials in 834 people, and diastolic by 2.75 mmHg, both rated high certainty; the trials that used the oil lowered systolic pressure by 3.53 mmHg.2 An earlier analysis of 11 trials in 860 people found much the same: in the black seed groups, pressure fell from 132.85/82.63 to 125.19/77.74 mmHg over about 8 weeks, 3.26 and 2.80 mmHg more than in the comparison groups.32 A 2023 update of the pooled trials found drops of 3.06 and 2.69 mmHg.44 In a placebo-controlled trial of 108 men with mild high blood pressure, a seed extract at 100 or 200 mg twice a day lowered both numbers over 8 weeks, and the higher dose lowered them more.172

As I've said on my show, high blood pressure strains your heart, kidneys and brain over time, so if yours is high, do everything you can to drive it down, starting naturally.45 Black seed joins the foods that lower blood pressure, and my free blood pressure protocol lays out the full plan.

Cholesterol and triglycerides

In a 2016 analysis of 17 placebo-controlled trials, black seed lowered total cholesterol by 15.65 mg/dL, LDL by 14.10 mg/dL and triglycerides by 20.64 mg/dL, while HDL rose 0.28 mg/dL, a change too small to be significant.3 The oil lowered total and LDL cholesterol more than the ground seed, and HDL rose only with the ground seed.3 A larger 2024 analysis of 34 trials in 2,278 adults found lower total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides and higher HDL.33

LDL is one window on heart health. Your triglyceride-to-HDL ratio, hs-CRP and ApoB fill in the picture, and black seed's effects on triglycerides and CRP count there too. For the food side, see these cholesterol-lowering foods.

Weight

Black seed gives weight loss a modest boost. In a 2018 analysis of 13 trials in 875 adults, people taking black seed lost 1.76 kg, about 3.9 pounds, more than with placebo across 10 trials, and BMI fell 0.85 points.23 A 2023 analysis that compared 18 supplements across 111 trials in adults with overweight or obesity found black seed lowered weight by 2.09 kg, about 4.6 pounds, rated moderate certainty.46 The 82-trial review found improvements in body fat percentage and waist size,9 though two other analyses didn't find a significant change in waist size.223 For a fuller plan, see how to lose belly fat.

Does black seed oil help allergies and asthma?

In a placebo-controlled trial, 80 adults with asthma took 500 mg capsules of cold-pressed oil twice a day, or a placebo, on top of their usual care for 4 weeks; neither the people nor the researchers knew who got what, and 10 people left each group. The oil group finished with better asthma control scores, 21.1 against 19.6, and their blood eosinophils, allergy-related white cells, fell by 50 cells/µL while the placebo group's rose by 15. Lung function, measured as FEV1 against the predicted value, rose 4 points against 1, a gap too small to rule out chance.5 A pooled analysis of 4 asthma trials found better asthma-control scores and better lung function (FEV1) with black seed.34

For seasonal allergies, one placebo-controlled trial tested an oil standardized to 5% thymoquinone, combined with a small amount of piperine from black pepper. In 65 men with seasonal allergies, one 250 mg capsule twice a day after food for 15 days cut nasal symptoms by 41.5%, against 13.4% on placebo, and eye symptoms by 53.1%, against 26.3%; neither the men nor the researchers knew who got what, and all 65 finished.18 Six of the eight authors worked for the company that makes the ingredient.18 For more ways to ease symptoms, see natural allergy relief.

Can black seed oil support your liver?

Yes. In people with non-alcoholic fatty liver, black seed has improved liver enzymes and the fatty-liver grade on ultrasound in placebo-controlled trials.626

In a placebo-controlled trial, 120 adults with non-alcoholic fatty liver took 2.5 mL of standardized black seed oil, half a teaspoon, every 12 hours, or a placebo, for 3 months. The fatty-liver grade on ultrasound improved significantly more on the oil. ALT, a liver enzyme that rises when liver cells are stressed, fell 32.6% on the oil against 14.2% on placebo, and AST fell 29.4% against 12.3%. Triglycerides fell 10% against 0.22%, LDL fell 14.1% against 9.2%, and HDL rose 9.5% against 4.8%. No side effects were reported.6

A pooled analysis of 5 trials in 358 people with fatty liver found better ALT, AST, fasting blood sugar, HDL, hs-CRP and fatty-liver grade with black seed than with placebo; total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, insulin and TNF-alpha didn't change significantly.26 For the rest of a liver-friendly routine, see our liver cleanse guide.

Is black seed oil good for your skin and hair?

Yes, used on the skin. A 2022 review gathered 14 studies of black seed in eight kinds of skin conditions, including acne, eczema, psoriasis and vitiligo, most of them applying it to the skin. In the 4 randomized trials it could pool, the odds of improvement were 4.59 times higher with black seed than with the comparison treatments.25

In a placebo-controlled trial of 60 adults with acne, a black seed gel standardized for thymoquinone, applied twice a day for 60 days, lowered acne severity scores by 78%, against 3.3% with the plain gel, with fewer blackheads, red bumps and pustules and no side effects.20

For hand eczema, 60 adults applied a black seed ointment, a steroid cream (betamethasone) or a plain moisturizing cream twice a day for 4 weeks; neither the people nor the researchers knew who got what. Black seed and the steroid both cleared the eczema faster than the moisturizer, and they didn't differ from each other; 19, 15 and 18 of the 20 people in the black seed, steroid and moisturizer groups returned for follow-up.21

Black seed oil for hair

A pilot study has tested black seed for hair shedding. Twenty women with telogen effluvium, a temporary, diffuse kind of shedding, used a scalp lotion with 0.5% black seed essential oil or a placebo lotion every day for 3 months; neither the women nor the researchers knew who got what. In the black seed group, 70% improved and 90% had more hairs per square centimeter at 3 months, while half of the placebo group got worse.22 That lotion used the aromatic essential oil, a different product from the pressed oil you buy for capsules.

To use pressed black seed oil on your skin or scalp, test a drop on your inner arm and wait a day first.47 Then smooth a few drops onto dry or irritated skin, or massage a few drops into your scalp. For more natural options, see hair loss remedies.

Black seed oil for joints, thyroid, memory and gut health

Beyond the metabolic numbers, black seed has helped people with rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, memory and H. pylori infection in placebo-controlled trials.

Joints

Two trials have tested black seed oil in women with rheumatoid arthritis. In one, 40 women already on standard arthritis drugs took placebo capsules for a month and then 500 mg of black seed oil twice a day for a month. Their disease-activity score fell to 4.55 after the oil, from 4.98 before and 4.99 after the placebo, and swollen joints and morning stiffness improved.27 In the other, 43 women with mild to moderate rheumatoid arthritis took 1 gram of oil a day or a starch placebo for 2 months; neither the women nor the researchers knew who got what. The oil lowered hs-CRP, disease activity and the number of swollen joints compared with placebo.36

For knee pain from osteoarthritis, a 2024 review of 6 trials in 370 people found that black seed oil rubbed on the knee relieved pain better than placebo in 3 of 4 trials, while results for oil taken by mouth were split, with one of two oral trials showing less pain.48 If you want to try it, massage a few drops of the oil into a stiff knee after the patch test above.

Thyroid

In a placebo-controlled trial of 47 adults with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, aged 22 to 50 and all on a steady dose of thyroid medication, 40 finished 8 weeks of 2 grams of ground black seed a day or a starch placebo. On black seed, anti-TPO antibodies, the immune markers that attack the thyroid, fell from 294.55 to 147.99 IU/mL, while the placebo group went from 278.10 to 274.30. TSH fell from 6.42 to 4.13 mIU/L, T3 rose, and weight came down.15

Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease, and my approach breaks the cycle at the gut, nutrients and stress. My free Hashimoto's protocol starts there, with 90 days fully gluten-free and an antibody retest at day 90,49 and black seed fits right into that plan. For more on the thyroid, see thyroid problems.

Memory

In a placebo-controlled trial of 40 healthy older adults, 500 mg of ground black seed in capsules twice a day for 9 weeks improved scores on tests of memory, attention and thinking speed, including delayed recall, digit span and trail-making times. Heart, liver and kidney markers didn't change.28 For more ways to stay sharp, see how to improve memory.

H. pylori and digestion

Helicobacter pylori is a stomach bacterium behind many cases of indigestion and ulcers. In a placebo-controlled trial of 51 adults with H. pylori and indigestion, adding 2 grams of ground black seed a day to the standard four-drug treatment for 8 weeks cleared the infection in more people than the drugs alone and improved quality of life.37 An earlier randomized trial of 88 adults with indigestion compared black seed with triple antibiotic therapy directly; it's in the medications comparison below.16

What are the benefits of black seed oil for women and men?

For women, the most specific research covers cyclic breast pain, rheumatoid arthritis, acne and hair shedding; for men, it covers sperm quality. The blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol results apply to everyone.

For women. In a placebo-controlled trial of 156 women with cyclic breast pain, the monthly tenderness that tracks the menstrual cycle, 52 women rubbed 600 mg of standardized black seed oil onto the painful area twice a day, 51 used diclofenac gel, and 53 used a placebo, for 2 months; the women, the researchers and the analysts didn't know who got what. Pain fell about equally with black seed and diclofenac, both more than with placebo, and no side effects were reported.35 Both rheumatoid arthritis trials above, in 40 and 43 women, enrolled only women,2736 and so did the hair-shedding pilot study of 20 women.22 During pregnancy and while nursing, skip black seed oil and supplements; the safety section explains why.

For men. In a placebo-controlled trial of 68 men with abnormal semen tests and infertility, 2.5 mL of black seed oil twice a day for 2 months improved sperm count, movement and shape, as well as semen volume, compared with a liquid paraffin placebo, with no side effects.29

Can black seed oil help during cancer treatment?

For anyone facing cancer, I put diet, exercise, prayer, vitamin D, high-dose vitamin C and hyperthermia first, and black seed is a supportive piece of that plan. It has two human trials in support during cancer treatment, and a large body of lab and animal cancer research.

In a randomized trial of 80 children aged 2 to 18 with brain tumors, half took 5 grams of whole black seeds a day throughout chemotherapy, 38 of the 40 for 3 to 9 months, and half got nothing extra. Fever with very low white blood cell counts, called febrile neutropenia, occurred in 8 of 372 chemotherapy episodes (2.2%) in the black seed group, against 63 of 327 (19.3%) in the comparison group, and hospital stays for those fevers were shorter, a median of 2.5 days against 5.38

In a placebo-controlled trial of 62 women getting radiation for breast cancer, a 5% black seed gel applied twice a day made radiation skin damage less frequent in every week but one, and pushed back the start of moderate skin damage to day 35, against day 29 on placebo, and of moist, peeling skin to day 37, against day 33.39 In week 3, the worst pain scores were 1.2 against 2.5.39

In lab and animal studies, black seed extract, powder, oil and thymoquinone slowed the growth of liver, colon, breast, lung, pancreatic, prostate and other cancer cells, and in some models made chemotherapy work better.30 If you're in cancer treatment, clear black seed with your oncology team before you start; the medicine table in the safety section explains why. My Cancer Support Protocol puts it simply: "Food-first is the safe default; clear every pill first."50

How has black seed been used in traditional medicine?

Black seed's traditional uses read like a list of modern trial topics. Unani, Ayurvedic, Siddha and Tibb healers used it for asthma, bronchitis, rheumatism, headache, back pain, inflammation and high blood pressure, and they applied the oil to swollen joints, blisters, eczema and abscesses in the nose.1 In Islamic medicine it's the "blessed seed," and Persian manuscripts cite it for acne.120

Researchers have since tested many of those uses in people. The placebo-controlled asthma trial of 80 adults began from the seed's traditional use for asthma.5 The placebo-controlled fatty liver trial of 120 adults grew from its use for liver disease in Iranian traditional medicine,6 and the placebo-controlled sperm-quality trial of 68 men from its use for infertility.29 Back in 1995, the lab study that found the oil calming inflammatory enzymes concluded that its findings support the seed's traditional use for rheumatism,13 and two later trials in women with rheumatoid arthritis, one placebo-first in 40 women and one placebo-controlled in 43, found less disease activity.2736

I give that record real weight. When healers in several traditions, across Asia, Africa and Europe, keep reaching for the same seed for the same problems over many centuries, they're telling us something worth testing, and the modern trials keep finding effects in the same places they did.

How much black seed oil should you take a day?

These are the amounts used in the human trials, by goal:

A gram of oil a day, as two 500 mg capsules, is the amount used in four of the oil trials on this page, so it's a sensible everyday amount;5273643 the 5 mL amount, about a teaspoon a day, was used for 2 to 3 months at a time.629 Take it with a meal, as the seasonal allergy trial did.18 The trials split the daily amount into two doses, so breakfast and dinner make an easy routine.56

Capsules give you a measured dose without the taste. The liquid lets you take half a teaspoon at a time. As I wrote in my guide to seed oils, "It has a strong, peppery taste, so it's typically used in small amounts or as a daily wellness oil rather than for cooking."10

How to choose and store black seed oil

My rule for every cold-pressed seed oil, black seed included: buy it cold-pressed and unrefined, use it raw or at low heat, store it cold and finish it quickly.10 Oils differ more than you might expect. In a 2024 lab analysis of oil extracted from 13 seed samples, thymoquinone and the other aromatic compounds varied widely from sample to sample, and the researchers call a confirmed thymoquinone content the minimum standard for oils used in studies; it's a sensible standard for the bottle you buy, too.12

Check the label for these:

• Nigella sativa on the label, the plant in the trials1

• Cold-pressed and unrefined, used raw10

• Dark glass, since thymoquinone breaks down with light and heat40

• A stated thymoquinone content, ideally backed by a lab report12

• A bottle you'll finish quickly, kept cold once it's open10

Some capsules use oil concentrated to about 5% thymoquinone, the form tested, at 200 to 500 mg a day, in a placebo-controlled seasonal allergy trial in 65 men and a 90-day placebo-controlled safety trial in 70 adults.1819 The fatty liver, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and sperm-quality trials used whole black seed oil, and in lab tests the whole oil did more than its thymoquinone alone could explain.56362913

How does black seed oil compare with medications?

In five head-to-head trials, black seed did about as well as metformin in prediabetes, diclofenac gel for breast pain and a steroid cream for hand eczema, and at 2 grams a day with an acid reducer, it cleared H. pylori in 66.7% of people, a rate the trial couldn't tell apart from 82.6% on triple antibiotic therapy. In newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, metformin lowered blood sugar more, while black seed caused no side effects and didn't raise AST or creatinine the way metformin did.

If you take any of these drugs, see the medicine table in the safety section before adding black seed.

Black seed oil side effects & who should skip it

Longer studies are reassuring too. In the year-long placebo-controlled study of 114 adults with diabetes, kidney function, liver function and blood counts stayed normal.42 In a 90-day placebo-controlled safety trial of 70 healthy adults, 200 mg a day of an oil concentrated to about 5% thymoquinone caused no serious side effects and no changes in liver, kidney or blood counts; scientists from the company that makes the oil ran it.19 Across 19 trials in 1,295 people, liver and kidney markers held steady or improved, though in two trials that used more than 2 grams a day, blood urea rose.53 And in 15 trials in children, side effects were no more common than in comparison groups, though doses and forms varied.54

Mild side effects such as nausea and itching do happen: in the placebo-controlled Hashimoto's trial of 47 adults, 3 people taking ground seed stopped for those reasons.15 On the skin, black seed oil can cause an allergic rash, known as contact dermatitis. Thymoquinone itself is the allergen, and it cross-reacts with TBHQ, a preservative in some processed foods, so a patch test comes first.47

A few rare, serious reactions have been reported, each in a single case report:

• Muscle breakdown, called rhabdomyolysis, with kidney and liver injury after taking black seed oil.55
• Sudden kidney failure in a person with diabetes.56
• Very low platelets after surgery in a woman taking black seed and evening primrose oil, where blood clots were the main cause.57
• A large bruise in a man on chemotherapy and two antiplatelet drugs after his dose rose to 2,000 mg a day.58
• A severe blistering skin reaction after a black seed supplement.59

Stop black seed and see a doctor right away if you notice dark urine, muscle pain or weakness, much less urine than usual, unusual bruising or bleeding, or a spreading, blistering rash.

If you take a medicine on this list, here's what to do:

If you take a prescription, don't stop it or change the dose on your own; any change goes through the doctor who prescribed it. For other foods and herbs that affect clotting, see natural blood thinners.

The bottom line

Black seed oil: frequently asked questions

References

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2. Musazadeh V, Jahangir M, Mahmoudinezhad M, et al. The Effect of Nigella sativa Supplementation on Cardiometabolic Health in Patients With Metabolic Diseases: A GRADE-Assessed Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Endocrinol Diabetes Metab. 2026;9(2):e70207. doi:10.1002/edm2.70207
3. Sahebkar A, Beccuti G, Simental-Mendía LE, et al. Nigella sativa (black seed) effects on plasma lipid concentrations in humans: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. Pharmacol Res. 2016;106:37-50. doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2016.02.008
4. Kavyani Z, Musazadeh V, Golpour-Hamedani S, et al. The effect of Nigella sativa (black seed) on biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Inflammopharmacology. 2023;31(3):1149-1165. doi:10.1007/s10787-023-01213-0
5. Koshak A, Wei L, Koshak E, et al. Nigella sativa Supplementation Improves Asthma Control and Biomarkers: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Phytother Res. 2017;31(3):403-409. doi:10.1002/ptr.5761
6. Khonche A, Huseini HF, Gholamian M, et al. Standardized Nigella sativa seed oil ameliorates hepatic steatosis, aminotransferase and lipid levels in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Ethnopharmacol. 2019;234:106-111. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2019.01.009
7. Axe J. The Anti-Inflammatory Reset: The 30-Day Healing Protocol. DrAxe.com. 2026 (p. 20, top 8 anti-inflammatory herbs and nutrients; p. 19, hs-CRP retest at day 30).
8. Botnick I, Xue W, Bar E, et al. Distribution of primary and specialized metabolites in Nigella sativa seeds, a spice with vast traditional and historical uses. Molecules. 2012;17(9):10159-77. doi:10.3390/molecules170910159
9. Jafari A, Mardani H, Faghfouri AH, et al. Does Nigella sativa supplementation improve cardiovascular disease risk factors? A comprehensive GRADE-assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of 82 randomized controlled trials. Pharmacol Res. 2025;219:107882. doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2025.107882
10. Axe J. Seed Oils: Are They Bad for You? What the Research Really Says. DrAxe.com. 2026 (section "Healthy cold-pressed seed oils most people overlook": black seed oil card and the closing "rule for all of these" callout; section "What are seed oils?" for the refined-oil distinction).
11. Axe J. You Were Lied To About Seed Oils! The Truth About Butter, Tallow & Olive Oil. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026 (black seed oil passage at 27:24–28:16; quoted lines at 27:32–27:46 and 27:50–27:57 in the YouTube upload, video q4XHsYNQAZY, published July 3, 2026).
12. Dąbrowski G, Czaplicki S, Konopka I. Variation in the Composition and Quality of Nigella sativa L. Seed Oils-The Underestimated Impact on Possible Health-Promoting Properties. Molecules. 2024;29(6):1360. doi:10.3390/molecules29061360
13. Houghton PJ, Zarka R, de las Heras B, et al. Fixed oil of Nigella sativa and derived thymoquinone inhibit eicosanoid generation in leukocytes and membrane lipid peroxidation. Planta Med. 1995;61(1):33-6. doi:10.1055/s-2006-957994
14. Bamosa AO, Kaatabi H, Lebdaa FM, et al. Effect of Nigella sativa seeds on the glycemic control of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2010;54(4):344-54.
15. Farhangi MA, Dehghan P, Tajmiri S, et al. The effects of Nigella sativa on thyroid function, serum Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) - 1, Nesfatin-1 and anthropometric features in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2016;16(1):471. doi:10.1186/s12906-016-1432-2
16. Salem EM, Yar T, Bamosa AO, et al. Comparative study of Nigella Sativa and triple therapy in eradication of Helicobacter Pylori in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia. Saudi J Gastroenterol. 2010;16(3):207-14. doi:10.4103/1319-3767.65201
17. Dehkordi FR, Kamkhah AF. Antihypertensive effect of Nigella sativa seed extract in patients with mild hypertension. Fundam Clin Pharmacol. 2008;22(4):447-52. doi:10.1111/j.1472-8206.2008.00607.x
18. Majeed A, Majeed S, Parameswarappa AK, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the benefits of a standardized Nigella sativa oil containing 5% thymoquinone in reducing the symptoms of seasonal allergy. Medicine (Baltimore). 2024;103(32):e39243. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000039243
19. Thomas JV, Mohan ME, Prabhakaran P, et al. A phase I clinical trial to evaluate the safety of thymoquinone-rich black cumin oil (BlaQmax®) on healthy subjects: Randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled prospective study. Toxicol Rep. 2022;9:999-1007. doi:10.1016/j.toxrep.2022.04.020
20. Soleymani S, Zargaran A, Farzaei MH, et al. The effect of a hydrogel made by Nigella sativa L. on acne vulgaris: A randomized double-blind clinical trial. Phytother Res. 2020;34(11):3052-3062. doi:10.1002/ptr.6739
21. Yousefi M, Barikbin B, Kamalinejad M, et al. Comparison of therapeutic effect of topical Nigella with Betamethasone and Eucerin in hand eczema. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2013;27(12):1498-504. doi:10.1111/jdv.12033
22. Rossi A, Priolo L, Iorio A, et al. Evaluation of a Therapeutic Alternative for Telogen Effluvium: A Pilot Study. J Cosmet Dermatol Sci Appl. 2013;3(3):9-16. doi:10.4236/jcdsa.2013.33A1002
23. Mousavi SM, Sheikhi A, Varkaneh HK, et al. Effect of Nigella sativa supplementation on obesity indices: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Complement Ther Med. 2018;38:48-57. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2018.04.003
24. He Y, Hu X, Chang L, et al. Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials assessing the efficacy of nigella sativa supplementation for allergic rhinitis treatment. Front Pharmacol. 2024;15:1417013. doi:10.3389/fphar.2024.1417013
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