World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

NIGELLA SATIVA: A MEDICINAL HERB CURING SINCE AGES

Anchal Rana and Amir Khan*

ABSTRACT

Nigella sativa (N. sativa) is an annual herb of the Ranunculaceae family, which grows in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, Pakistan and India. For thousands of years, this plant has been used in many Asian, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern Countries as a spice and food preservative as well as a protective and health remedy in traditional folk medicine for the treatment of numerous disorders Acute and chronic toxicity studies have recently confirmed the safety of N. sativa oil and its most abundant active component, thymoquinone, particularly when given orally. The extracts of N.sativa seeds have shown anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, antihypertensive, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antiosteoporotic, antihypercholesterolemic and antidiabetic effects. This review paper describes the seed, its chemical components and popular uses in traditional medicine. The paper also discusses the medicinal potential and therapeutic values of some of the individual components present in the extracts of the seeds.

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