Title:Potential of Black Seeds (Nigella sativa) in the Management of Long
COVID or Post-acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) and Persistent
COVID-19 Symptoms – An Insight
Volume: 23
Issue: 4
Author(s): Naina Mohamed Pakkir Maideen*, Abdurazak Hassan Jumale, Ibrahim Ramadan Barakat and Ayesha Khalifa Albasti
Affiliation:
- Dubai Health Authority, Dubai, UAE
Keywords:
Long COVID, long-haul COVID, chronic COVID, post-COVID conditions (PCC), post-acute COVID-19, postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), long-term effects of COVID, Nigella sativa, black seeds, kalonji, thymoquinone.
Abstract:
Background: Some individuals may experience symptoms persisting for many months after
the recovery from COVID-19 and patients with Long COVID are managed mainly with symptomatic
treatment and supportive care.
Objective: This review article focuses on the beneficial effects of black seeds (Nigella sativa) in the
management of long COVID and persistent COVID symptoms.
Methods: The literature was searched in databases such as LitCOVID, Web of Science, Google Scholar,
bioRxiv, medRxiv, Science Direct, EBSCO, Scopus, Embase, and reference lists to identify studies,
which evaluated various effects of black seeds (N. sativa) related to signs and symptoms of long
COVID.
Results: Black seeds (N. sativa) have shown potential anti-COVID, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant,
immunomodulatory, antihypertensive, anti-obesity, antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, and antiasthmatic
properties in various clinical, animal, in vitro, in vivo, and in silico studies, which would help
the patients recovered from COVID to mitigate Long COVID complications.
Conclusion: Patients experiencing Long COVID may use black seeds (N. sativa) as adjunctive therapy
in combination with symptomatic treatment and supportive care to prevent further deterioration and
hospitalization. The safety and efficacy of N. sativa in patients with Long-COVID would further be
established by future randomized controlled clinical trials.