Kalonji, 100 g

Nigella sativa, also known as black cumin, has many other names given to it throughout history. In Eastern countries, it's often called Roman coriander, seidana, sedana; its Latin name is Nigella.

The most romantic name, "love-in-a-mist," was given by the British, referring to the delicate bluish or white blossoms shrouded in a misty, sensual aroma reminiscent of fine perfume.

Beneficial Properties

Thanks to the many unique substances contained in black cumin, it's widely and successfully used to treat a broad spectrum of diseases. The seeds contain semi-drying fatty oil, beta-sitosterol, glycoside, melanthin, and essential oil.

The leaves are rich in ascorbic acid; the oil, like the seeds, is equally medicinal. It contains iron, calcium, carbohydrates, phosphate and phosphorus, vitamins E and B, and acids such as oleic, linoleic, palmitic, stearic, eicosenoic, and alpha-linolenic. This balanced chemical composition allows for the effective use of black cumin seeds and oil not only for medicinal purposes but also cosmetic ones.

Black cumin is particularly popular in the medicine of the East, Asia, and Africa. For centuries, ancient healers used the leaves, oil, and seeds to treat the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, stomach, intestines, kidneys, and liver; to boost immunity; and to improve overall health.

Black cumin seeds were used as a tea, acting as a diuretic, carminative, cholagogue, laxative, and anthelmintic.

Using black cumin seeds in medicine improves vision, boosts immunity, helps cope with depression, and relieves fatigue. Black cumin seeds are highly effective as an expectorant and analgesic, and are also useful for increasing lactation, treating gout, rheumatism, and lumbosacral radiculitis.

Positive effects are also seen with black cumin in liver disorders, due to its warming effect.

This feature of black cumin seeds is used to treat abscesses, runny nose, and headaches by mixing ground seeds with a small amount of flour and applying to the affected area. Black cumin warms the body when chilled, alleviates severe poisoning, reduces swelling from snake, scorpion, or wasp stings, and helps with chronic feverish conditions.

Arab physicians, in ancient times, recommended eating 3g of ground black cumin seeds mixed with 10g of honey daily to improve memory. A mixture of ground black cumin seeds and apple cider vinegar was traditionally used to remove warts, birthmarks, cure baldness, eliminate skin scaling, and relieve joint pain.

No less valuable is black cumin essential oil. It's used to cleanse the throat, strengthen vocal cords, and treat colds, coughs, whooping cough, and asthma.

It is used in the treatment of heart disease, diabetes, stomach ulcers, circulatory system diseases, flatulence, and as a remedy for skin and fungal diseases, and eczema.