Nigella sativa Linn. belongs to the family Ranunculaceae and is recognized
as a prophetic medicine because of its mention in Prophetic Hadith, as a natural remedy
for all diseases except death. It is known as Habat-ul-Barakah/Habat-ul-Sauda in
Arabian countries and as Kalonji in India. As per Tibb-e-Nabwi (Prophetic Medicine),
its daily consumption has been highly suggested. Considering its potential, ancient
herbalists have termed it as ‘the Herb from Heaven.’ Ibni Sina, famous as Avicenna in
the West, also referred to N. sativa as the seed “that stimulates the body’s energy and
helps recovery from fatigue” in his great book “The Canon of Medicine.” Seeds and oil
of N. sativa have a long history of folklore usage in various systems of medicines and
food like Unani and Tibb, Ayurveda and Siddha. Numerous studies support that the
seed of N. sativa and specifically its main active constituent, thymoquinone, has
significant potential and possesses a broad range of biological activities like
antihypertensive, diuretics, digestive, hepatoprotective, anti-cancer, appetite stimulant,
anti-diarrheal, nephroprotective, neuroprotective, analgesics, anti-bacterial, and in
treating skin disorders. In this chapter, we intend to present a comprehensive review of
traditional and ethnomedicinal uses of Nigella seeds in different systems of traditional medicines. Then, the present chapter is directed towards highlighting the beneficial
contribution of researchers to explore the pharmacological actions with the therapeutic
potential of this miraculous herb and its bioactive compounds in modern medicine as in
vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies to reveal its potential for the treatment of various
diseases.
Keywords: Black seeds, Habat-ul-Barakah, Islamic Traditional Medicine, Nigella
sativa, Thymoquinone, N. sativa oil, Tibb-e-Nabwi, Pharmacological actions,
Phytochemistry.
