NIGELLA SATIVA: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF ITS PHARMACOLOGICAL AND THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES

NIGELLA SATIVA: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF ITS PHARMACOLOGICAL AND THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES

Arun Shankhdhar *, Deeksha Sahai and Pushpendra Kannojia

BIU College of Pharmacy, Bareilly International University, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India.

ABSTRACT: In ancient systems like Unani, Tibb, Ayurveda, and Siddha, Nigella sativa is a frequently utilized medicinal herb. Its oil and seeds have long been used in food and healing. N. sativa is suggested in Tibb-e-Nabwi (Prophetic Medicine) and is considered a key medicinal cure in Islamic literature. In addition to being used as analgesics, diuretics, and hunger stimulants, the seeds have been used to treat hypertension, liver ailments, digestive difficulties, diarrhea, and skin concerns. Numerous pharmacological actions, such as anticancer, antidiabetic, immunomodulatory, renal-protective, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, bronchodilator, spasmolytic, hepato-protective, gastro-protective, and antioxidant properties, are shown by scientific research. The main bioactive substance, thymoquinone, is responsible for the majority of therapeutic advantages. This review aims to provide a comprehensive survey of the pharmacognosy, chemical composition, and pharmacological properties of N. sativa seeds.

Keywords: Nigella sativa, Ranunculaceae, Thymoquinone, Therapeutic uses

INTRODUCTION: For ages, indigenous and traditional medical systems have utilized medicinal plants to treat a wide range of illnesses. They are often regarded as safer than contemporary allopathic medications and are essential to the manufacture of herbal remedies ¹. Only a small number of plant species have had their pharmacological characteristics, modes of action, safety profiles, and toxicological features adequately examined despite their widespread usage. Black seed, or Nigella sativa (family Ranunculaceae), is one of these plants that has attracted a lot of interest because of its rich religious and historical heritage as well as its amazing medicinal potential.

Native to Southwest Asia, North Africa, and Southern Europe, it is extensively grown in the Middle East, the Mediterranean, India, Pakistan, Syria, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia ². Nigella sativa's seeds and oil are widely used around the world to cure a broad range of illnesses, and they play a significant role in traditional Indian medical systems like Ayurveda and Unani. Black seed is highly prized in Islamic tradition and is included in Prophetic medicine (Tibb-e-Nabwi) as a cure for every illness, with the exception of death. Numerous pharmacological effects, such as diuretic, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, gastro-protective, and hepatoprotective qualities, have been shown by scientific research ^{3, 4}.

In addition to being a digestive stimulant, appetite enhancer, and lactation promoter, it is frequently used to treat ailments including asthma, bronchitis, diarrhea, rheumatism, skin diseases, and liver malfunction. Thymoquinone, the main bioactive component in its essential oil, is responsible for many of its medicinal benefits. Additionally, because of their unique flavor and low toxicity, black seeds are utilized as a flavoring in meals like bread and pickles.

Taxonomy:

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Clade: Angiosperms
• Clade: Eudicots
• Order: Ranunculales
• Family: Ranunculaceae
• Genus: Nigella
• Species: Nigella sativa

Vernacular (Common) Names:

• English: Black cumin, Black seed, Black caraway
• Hindi: Kalonji
• Urdu: Kalonji
• Arabic: Habbatul barakah / Habba Sawda
• Sanskrit: Upakunchika / Krishnajiraka
• Bengali: Kalo jeera
• Tamil: Karunjeeragam

Geographic Distribution, Collection & Cultivation: Originally from Western Asia and Eastern Europe, Nigella sativa is found across Southern Asia, the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Southern Europe. It is a versatile and robust crop due to its capacity to adapt to many soil types and climatic conditions. Naturally, it may be found in nations like Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. It has expanded to portions of Europe, North Africa, and the Far East, including Myanmar. Its wide ecological flexibility is demonstrated by the fact that it is grown in several Indian states and flourishes in a variety of climates, from hot and humid to cold and dry. Nigella sativa is often produced as a rabi crop in India, where it is seeded in October or November and harvested in March or April, sometimes even in May or June in mountainous areas. Seeds are picked while the pods are somewhat green to avoid cracking and loss and to preserve the fragrant oil as best as possible ^{5, 6}. To increase production, many harvests are frequently made. To preserve their flavor and potency after drying, the seeds are kept in sealed containers in cold, dark locations. The plant can withstand moderate to severe rains as long as the soil is not soggy, and it thrives in well-drained sandy or loamy soils with a pH of 7 to 7.5. It is appropriate for organic farming methods, where manure and organic fertilizers are frequently used to improve soil fertility and encourage sustainable production, due to its minimal water and care requirements.

Morphology of the Plant ⁷:

Habit: Nigella sativa is an annual, erect, herbaceous plant that typically grows to a height of about 20–60 cm. The plant is delicate in appearance with finely divided foliage and branched stems.

Root: It possesses a well-developed taproot system with lateral branches that help anchor the plant and absorb nutrients efficiently from well-drained soils.

Stem: The stem is erect, green, smooth, and highly branched. It is slender and may appear slightly angular. The branching pattern gives the plant a bushy appearance.

Leaves: Leaves are alternate, finely dissected, and linear to thread-like (filiform) in shape. They are pinnately or bipinnately divided into narrow segments, giving a feathery appearance.

Flowers: The flowers are solitary, terminal, and actinomorphic (radially symmetrical). They are usually pale blue, white, or light purple in color. The flower consists of 5–10 petal-like sepals, while the true petals are small and nectary in nature. Numerous stamens surround a multi-carpellary ovary.

Fruit: The fruit is a large, inflated capsule formed by the fusion of 3–7 follicles. It is green when immature and turns brown upon ripening. The capsule contains numerous seeds.

Seeds: Seeds are small, trigonous (triangular), black in color, and have a rough surface. They possess a characteristic aromatic odor and a slightly bitter, pungent taste due to the presence of volatile oil (mainly thymoquinone).

FIG. 1: N. SATIVA (WHOLE PLANT& FLOWER)

Chemical Composition of Nigella sativa: Both volatile and non-volatile oils, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals (such as iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and copper), vitamins A and C, and phytochemicals like sterol (such as β-sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, and 5-avenasterol) and saponins, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, lipid constituents, and fatty acids (such as linoleic, linolenic, oleic, and stearic acids).

The composition of NS essential oils has been found to contain over forty different compounds with varying concentrations, including trans-anethole, p-cymene limonene, carvone, α-thujene, α-thujene, thymoquinone (TQ) Fig. 2A, thymohydroquinone (THQ) Fig. 2B, dithymoquinone (DTQ) Fig. 2C, thymol (THY) Fig. 2D, carvacrol, and β-pinene. The most significant component in these seeds is TQ.

Supercritical carbon dioxide may be used to produce NS seed oil at 40 °C and pressures ranging from 10 to 35 MPa ⁸. It was found that the extraction concentrated on polyunsaturated fatty acids appropriate for the food sector at higher pressures (35 MPa), whereas thymoquinone-rich fractions, perfect for health uses, were produced at lower pressures (10–15 MPa) ⁹. When extracting bioactive lipids from NS seeds, hexane can be substituted with 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (MeTHF), an eco-friendly solvent. MeTHF extraction was shown to yield more (34%) than the traditional hexane approach (29%). MeTHF improved the extraction of important phenolic compounds like thymol, and the oil extracted from NS was high in linoleic acid (61%) and oleic acid (19%) ¹⁰.

FIG. 2: STRUCTURES OF THE MAJOR BIOACTIVE CONSTITUENTS OF NIGELLA SATIVA: (a) thymoquinone, (b) thymohydroquinone, (c) dithymoquinone, and (d) thymol ⁸

Traditional uses of Folk Remedies: N. sativa has long been used to treat a wide range of illnesses and conditions related to the respiratory system, digestive tract, kidney and liver function, cardiovascular system, immune system support, and overall health ^9–11. In "The Canon of Medicine," Avicenna alludes to black seeds because they boost vitality and aid in recuperation from exhaustion and depression. In Arabian and Indian tradition, black seeds and their oil have long been used as food and medicine ¹². In Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern nations, the seeds have long been used to cure a variety of illnesses, including as rheumatism, bronchitis, asthma, and other inflammatory conditions. Nigella's numerous applications have given it the Arabic title "Habbatul barakah," which translates to "seed of blessing." Indigestion, appetite loss, diarrhea, dropsy, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, worms, and skin eruptions can all be treated using a tincture made from the seeds. The oil is used externally as a local anesthetic and antiseptic. Internal administration of roasted black seeds prevents vomiting ¹³.

Scientific Researches and Pharmacological Potentials: Numerous researchers conducted comprehensive studies on N. sativa using contemporary scientific methods since it is thought to be a magical plant that can treat a variety of illnesses and problems. Over the past few decades, N. sativa's pharmacological activities have been studied ^{14, 15}.

TABLE 1: ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY ^{16, 17}

TABLE 2: ANTI-SCHISTOSOMIASIS ACTIVITY ^{18, 19}

TABLE 3: ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND ANALGESIC ACTIVITY ^20-23

TABLE 4: ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY ^{24, 25}

TABLE 5: ANTIDIABETIC ACTIVITY ^26-29

TABLE 6: CARDIOVASCULAR ACTIVITY ³⁰

TABLE 7: IMMUNOMODULATORY ACTIVITY ^31-32

TABLE 8: GASTRO-PROTECTIVE ACTIVITY ^33-34

TABLE 9: HEPATO-PROTECTIVE ACTIVITY ^35-37

TABLE 10: TOXICOLOGICAL STUDIES ^38-40

Cosmeceutical Application of Nigella sativa: The aromatic components of Nigella sativa seeds were shown to have potential use in cosmetic formulations in 2011. Because of their natural components, the seeds are beneficial for skin care and fragrance applications. N. sativa seed oil has a sun protection factor (SPF) value more than 2, which indicates a moderate degree of UV protection, according to additional study. Consequently, the oil can be used to cosmetics as a natural ingredient with potential skin-care and preventive properties Table 11.

TABLE 11: SOME COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS CONTAINING NIGELLA SATIVA EXTRACT ^41-42

CONCLUSION: The use of herbal medicines as supplemental remedies is widespread, and their appeal is only increasing on a global scale. Nigella sativa has shown exceptional pharmacological potential among them. According to research, its seeds, oil, extracts, and active ingredients especially alpha-hederin and thymoquinone (TQ) show notable in-vitro and in-vivo effectiveness against a range of disorders while being comparatively harmless.

These results demonstrate N. sativa's potential as a treatment for diseases linked to oxidative stress, metabolism, inflammation, and infections. To clarify the exact molecular pathways behind its actions, more research is required. TQ, alpha-hederin, and other bioactive components might be chemically modified to provide safer and more effective medications.

Combining components of N. sativa with already used chemotherapeutic drugs may also improve efficacy and aid in overcoming drug resistance. To optimize N. sativa's medicinal potential, future studies should concentrate on its cellular and molecular targets. The purpose of this review is to assist researchers in their preclinical and clinical studies of this miraculous plant.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Nil

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Nil

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    Shankhdhar A, Sahai D and Kannojia P: Nigella sativa: a comprehensive review of its pharmacological and therapeutic properties. Int J Pharmacognosy 2026; 13(3): 184-93. doi link: http://dx.doi.org/10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.IJP.13(3).184-93.

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