A pile of black seeds next to a glass bottle of black seed oil Have you heard about a product called Black Seed oil? It is the oil of the seeds of the Nigella sativa plant and its associated health benefits are numerous and impressive.  Shop Black Seed Oil

The Rising Popularity of Black Seed Oil

It’s something we have sold in Organico for a number of years, and over that time we have registered that people were finding it beneficial. We sell a lot of different products that people rave about and so we hadn’t really registered the impact it was having or indeed all its benefits. Recently I met with Viridian (who are one of my favourite companies - they have great products and great ethics) and they told me that Black Seed Oil was their best selling product, so good that they have brought out a topical Oil for problem skin. I was pretty amazed. Better than Vitamin C, Fish Oils, and probiotics? All of this success was despite the fact that they had invested zero advertising - it was all just word of mouth and people getting positive results - I was intrigued... what was going on here?

Black Seed Oil as Traditional Medicine

Described in ancient times as a treatment for ‘every illness but death’, Black Seed oil has a long-standing history of medicinal uses that have been supported by science in the modern world. Originally cultivated in Egypt, the Nigella sativa seeds (Black Seeds, or Black Cumin Seeds) are jam-packed with bioactive ingredients and antioxidative components, providing a wide spectrum of health benefits, such as blood pressure regulation, weight management and allergy relief. If you haven’t heard of it but would like to know more, read on! If you have been taking it, and have any feedback, please get in touch - we’d love to hear from you. The ancient Egyptians knew and used the Black Seed. Tutankhamun is even believed to have had a bottle of Black Seed oil in his tomb – and that would have been organic of course! Nigella sativa originates from Western Asia and is a herb that grows about 16-24 inches in height and has white flowers when in bloom. In Islamic literature, it is considered as one of the greatest forms of healing medicine. It has been recommended for using on a regular basis in Tibb-e-Nabwi (Prophetic Medicine). The history is fascinating, but is it relevant to us in 2019? Surely we have many more powerful medicines available to us now? Well, medical interest in Black Seed Oil didn’t stop 2000 years ago. When you type ‘Black Seed Oil’ into PubMed, one of the largest online databases of international medical research, you get dozens and dozens of results. One scientific paper details all the research into Black Seed, research which explored uses for many different conditions including “antidiabetic, immunomodulator, analgesic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, bronchodilator, hepato-protective, renal protective, gastro-protective, antioxidant properties, etc”. That’s a lot of different benefits there! But how does Black Seed oil work and why does it promise so many health benefits?

The Health Benefits of Black Seed Oil

From the research I have read, Black Seed Oil has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal qualities. It also seems to protect organs - liver, kidneys, and the digestive system, as well a having Analgesic properties. Some specific research looked into the benefits for people suffering from hayfever and allergic rhinitis, and it also seems to have blood sugar balancing properties - which makes it good for diabetics and for weight management. [caption id="attachment_6797" align="alignnone" width="890"]A pile of black seeds "Black Cumin - Nigella Sativa" by philipp.alexander.ernst is licensed under CC BY 2.0[/caption] Externally, as well, there’s a lot of reasons to use the oil. Because it is anti inflammatory, it’s good for psoriasis, eczema, and inflamed skin conditions. Quite possibly, the most promising research has been done connecting Nigella sativa to multi-drug resistant bacteria. This is a really big deal because these so-called “superbugs” are becoming a significant public health risk. According to the (US Based) National Institute of Health:
  • Strains of bacteria and viruses that are antimicrobial-resistant are becoming virtually impossible to treat, including HIV, staphylococcal, tuberculosis, influenza, gonorrhea, candida and malaria.
  • Between 5 percent to 10 percent of all hospital patients develop an infection from superbugs.
  • More than 90,000 of these patients die every year, up from 13,300 patient deaths in 1992.
  • People infected with superbugs typically have longer hospital stays, require more complicated treatment and don’t recover as well.
A study which set out to determine just how potent Black Seed oil is against some of these superbugs and paired it against several antibiotics, such as Amoxicillin, Gatifloxacin and Tetracycline. According to the study, “Out of 144 strains tested, most of which were resistant to a number of antibiotics, 97 were inhibited by the oil of Black Cumin.” The seems to be strong scientific evidence of a wide range of successful applications for this amazing oil. It is one of the most studied natural remedies, that has been utilized for its medicinal properties for over two thousand years. I recommend you look into the merits of this oil and consider it as a natural therapeutic approach to relieve allergic symptoms and hay fever; and topically to treat inflammatory skin conditions.

How to Use Black Seed Oil

Viridian Black Seed Oil At the moment it is flying off the shelves at Organico, which tends to be a very good indicator that it is working for our customers. I also tried it last night instead of olive oil for relieving inner ear pain from an infection and got a great night’s sleep! We have the pure Black Seed oil which can be taken off the spoon or can be used as a muscle rub, and we also have a new Black Seed Serum which is for external use - black seed is combined with flax and other oils to make a soothing healing Repair Serum. Shop Black Seed OilShop Repair 5 Serum Don't forget, we want to hear from you about your experience with Black Seed Oil. Let us know why you started using it and any differences you notice in your skin and health. Your feedback is so useful as we learn more about our bestsellers!