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Cardiovascular Benefits of Black Cumin (Nigella sativa)

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Abstract

Black Cumin (Nigella sativa), which belongs to the botanical family of Ranunculaceae, commonly grows in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Western Asia. Its ripe fruit contains tiny black seeds, known as “Al-Habba Al-Sauda” and “Al-Habba Al-Barakah” in Arabic and black seed or black cumin in English. Seeds of Nigella sativa are frequently used in folk medicine in the Middle East and some Asian countries for the promotion of good health and the treatment of many ailments. However, data for the cardiovascular benefits of black cumin are not well-established. We reviewed the literature from 1960 to March 2012 by using the following key words: “Nigella sativa,” “black seeds,” and “thymoquinone.” Herein, we discussed the most relevant articles to find out the role of Nigella sativa in the cardiovascular diseases spectrum especially when there is a paucity of information and need of further studies in human to establish the utility of Nigella sativa in cardiovascular system protection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Deparment of Cardiology, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar

    Adel Shabana

  2. Department of Clinical Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical School, PO Box 24144, Doha, Qatar

    Adel Shabana & Ayman El-Menyar

  3. Clinical Research, Trauma section, Hamad Medical Corporation, Hamad General Hospital, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar

    Ayman El-Menyar & Mohammad Asim

  4. Al-Ghad Technology for Food Additives [MVM(Path)], Amman, Jordan

    Hiba Al-Azzeh

  5. Department of Vascular Surgery, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar

    Hassan Al Thani

Authors
  1. Adel Shabana
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  2. Ayman El-Menyar
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  3. Mohammad Asim
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  4. Hiba Al-Azzeh
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  5. Hassan Al Thani
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Correspondence to Ayman El-Menyar.

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Shabana, A., El-Menyar, A., Asim, M. et al. Cardiovascular Benefits of Black Cumin (Nigella sativa). Cardiovasc Toxicol 13, 9–21 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12012-012-9181-z

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