Description:
Nigella Sativa Seed is regarded as a valuable remedy for a numberof diseases.Nigellasativa has a pungentbitter taste and smell. It is used primarily in confectionery andliquors. Peshawari naan is, as a rule,topped with kalonji seeds. Nigella isalso used in Armenian string cheese, a braided string cheese calledMajdouleh or Majdouli in the Middle East.
Accordingto Zohary and Hopf, archaeological evidence about the earliestcultivation of N. sativa "is still scanty", but theyreport supposed N. sativa seeds have been found inseveral sites from ancient Egypt,including Tutankhamun''s tomb.Although its exactrole in Egyptian culture is unknown, it is known that itemsentombed with a pharaoh were carefully selectedto assist him in theafterlife.
Theearliest written reference to N. sativa is thoughtto be in the book of Isaiah in the OldTestament, where the reaping of nigella and wheat is contrasted(Isaiah 28: 25, 27). Easton''s Bible dictionary states the Hebrewword ketsah refers to N. sativa withoutdoubt (although not all translations are in agreement). Accordingto Zohary and Hopf, N. sativa was another traditionalcondiment of the Old World during classical times; and its blackseeds were extensively used to flavour food.
Foundin Hittite flask in Turkey from 2nd millennium BCE.
Thymoquinone, found in theseed oil extract of N. sativa, has been shown tohave anti-neoplastic effects in ratsand mice and in cultured human cells from several types of cancer,including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.Ithas protective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, andpromotes apoptosis (cell death) of thecancer cells.
Blackcumin
Nigellasativa oilOriginal black cumin (Buniumbulbocastanum) is rarely available, so N.sativa is widely used instead; in India, Carumcarvi is the substitute. Cumins are from theApiaceae (Umbelliferae) family, but N. sativa is fromRanunculaceae family. Black cumin (not N. sativa) seeds comeas paired or separate carpels, and are 3–4 mm long. They havea striped pattern of nine ridges and oil canals, and are fragrant(Ayurveda says, "Kaala jaaji sugandhaa cha" (black cumin seed isfragrant itself)), blackish in colour, boat-shaped, and tapering ateach extremity, with tiny stalks attached; it has been used formedicinal purposes for centuries, both as a herb and pressed intooil, in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
