Various pharmacological effects were shown for Nigella sativa (N. sativa),
including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties. The plant
also has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases. In this
chapter, the effects of N. sativa and its constituents in allergic and immunologic
disorders based on the experimental and clinical studies are provided. Articles
published on the effect of N. sativa and its constituents on allergic and immunologic
disorders in the experimental and clinical studies were searched until July 2020. For
this purpose, keywords including; Nigella sativa, black seed, thymoquinone, alphahederin,
carvacrol, allergic disorders, and immunology disorders were searched in
different databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar.
Experimental studies showed various immunologic effects of N. sativa extracts and
their constituents, including their effects on Th1/Th2/ balance. Treating patients with
N. sativa seed, alleviate symptoms of allergic rhinitis and decrease the body
temperature in allergic patients which is due to immunomodulatory properties of the
plant. Treatment of Vitiligo patients with N. sativa also reduced the Vitiligo Area
Scoring Index (VASI). Various studies showed that N. sativa and its constituents
showed significant effects on allergic and immunologic disorders. Therefore, N. sativa
and its constituents could be good candidate drugs for treating allergic and
immunologic disorders.
Keywords: Alpha-hederin, Allergic disorders, Carvacrol, Clinical studies, Experimental studies, Nigella sativa, Immunologic disorders, Thymoquinone.
