Thymoquinone – an active ingredient in nigella seeds.
Since the 1960s, researchers have researched Thymoquinone and its potent antioxidant, contraceptive and anti-inflammatory effects are well-known.
Antimicrobial and antifungal properties of other active ingredients in nigella seeds are thymol, and thymohydroquinone. For over 2,000 years, the seeds are traditionally used in Middle East folk medicine. These seeds have many properties–they are used as diuretic, expectorant, stimulant, aromatic, carminative and sedative.
Nigella seeds are a major treatment for a large number of diseases, including jaundice, skin ailments, gastrointestinal problems, rheumatism, asthma, bronchitis and even fever.
The chemical composition of Black Seed is remarkably very rich and varied. It contains phytochemicals thymoquinone, nigellone and antioxidants, amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, fixed oils, volatile oils, alkaloids, saponin and fiber as well as minerals including calcium, iron, sodium and potassium. There are many components still not identified in Black Seed, and worldwide research is under way to make this significant little seed more explicit.
Black Seed consists of more than 100 components, only 69 of them identified. Research has shown that this complex interaction between over 100 components gives Black Seed enormous power to support the immune system and enhance the body in a manner not known to ever perform any single substance.
The five main components found in Black Seed Oil are:
Nigellin and melanthin, which helps to cleanse the intestines.
Sterols— Promotes body-wide secretion.
The Nigellone and Thymoquinone - volatile oils have anti-spasmodic effects. They also function as an antihistamine.
Essential Fatty Acids– rich in supply of polyunsaturated fatty acids - controls metabolism, deliver contaminants to the skin for elimination, aid insulin levels, cholesterol, circulation of the blood and liver function.
Prostglandin- Produces E1, which manages blood pressure and hormonal secretion.
References
Chemical composition of Nigella sativa L. seed extracts obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide-Journal of Food Science and Technology, US National Library of Medicine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3551137/
Thymoquinone: an emerging natural drug with a wide range of medical applications
- Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences, US National Library of Medicine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4387230/
Thymoquinone: potential cure for inflammatory disorders and cancer.-Biochemical Pharmacology, US National Library of Medicine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22005518
Black cumin (Nigella sativa) and its constituent (thymoquinone): a review on antimicrobial effects -Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences, US National Library of Medicine.