The plant[aut]Nigella sativais native to south and southwest Mediterranean countries, and India, and widely cultivated in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, south Europe, and southwest Asia. Medicinal usage of black seeds dates back to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. Black cuminBlack cuminseedsCumin seedswere found in the tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh, Tutankhamen, and were also recovered in northcentral Turkey from a pilgrim flask of the Old Hittite period of Boyali Höyük (Mound), dating from around 1650 B.C. Hippocrates and Dioscorides mentioned it as MelanthionMelanthionand Pliny called it Gith. It is extensively used both as a spice and as a medicine. Muslim physicians of Unani medicine in India describe it as heating, attenuant, suppurative, detergent and diuretic, and believe that it increases menstrual flow and secretion of milk, and stimulates uterine activity. In Arab countries, Europe and Iran, the seeds and oil are also traditionally used in the treatment of asthma, hypertension, diabetes, inflammation, tumor, cough, bronchitis, headache, eczema, fever, dizziness, gastrointestinal disturbances, impotence, painful menstruation, flu, and as carminative, diuretic and antiparasitic agent. Aqueous seed extract tested positive for alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, anthraquinones, and tannins, and methanol extract showed the presence of alkaloids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, proteins, carbohydrates, saponins, lipids, sterols and tannins. Ninteen phenolic compounds were identified from ethanol extract of seeds. Seed-supplemented diet of normal rats produced a homogenous cardiac hypertrophy and enhanced cardiac contractility. Seeds supplemented diet also significantly decreased TC, LDL-C and TG in normal and hypercholesterolemic rats. Aqueous seed extract (i.v.) lowered MABP with a significant decrease in HR in normal rats, that was partly dependent on endothelium. Both aqueous and macerated extracts significantly reduced HR and contractility on isolated guinea pig heart due to calcium channel blocking effect that was greater than nifedipine. Powdered seeds twice daily to Bangladeshi healthy elderly volunteers for nine-weeks significantly enhanced memory, attention and cognition, and stabilized mood, decreased anxiety and modulated cognition in healthy adolescent male volunteers.
