Black seeds, or Nigella sativa, appear in an impressive array of traditional curries, pickles, bread and much more. In addition to being used in cooking, these tiny seeds can have an impressive impact on your health. Especially when it comes to your immune system! Let's take a look at the benefits of black seed oil.
Black seed oil heals
Nigella sativa seeds are small, elegantly shaped and matte black in color. The delicate pale blue and white flowers of the mother plant grow in various parts of the world, from Eastern Europe to Western Asia and the Middle East.
They are known by many names (e.g. black seed, black cumin, black caraway, shonaiz, kalajira, kalonji). But no matter how they are known, black seeds have a rich history for health. In many cultures, especially in the Middle East, it is traditionally believed that black seed oil cures many ailments.
Benefits of black seed oil in Islam
Throughout the Islamic and Arab world, black seeds are considered a universal healer. They have been used in traditional healing for thousands of years. Intriguingly, they have even been mentioned by the Prophet Mohammed, who claimed that black seeds can cure "everything but death".
However, this is not the only example of a historical figure extolling the virtues of the black seed. Many others agreed, including the Greek physician Hippocrates, the natural philosopher Pliny the Elder and the pharmacologist, physician and botanist Pedanius Dioscorides. The latter wrote "De Materia Medica", a five-volume encyclopedia on herbal medicines that was referenced for over 1,500 years.
If that wasn't enough, the Holy Bible also mentions the black seed as a medicine. In addition, archaeologists found it in the tomb of Tutankhamun, the pharaoh's son.
