Black seed (Nigella sativa, also called black cumin) is a flowering plant whose seeds and seed oil are used as a spice and in traditional medicine. As a supplement it has been studied most for blood sugar and cholesterol in type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome; thymoquinone is its main active compound.
Also known as: Nigella sativa, black seed, black cumin.
Black seed has no intake value or upper limit, and there is no NIH fact sheet for it. Trials used both seed powder and seed oil in different amounts, so there is no single studied amount. These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. There is no FDA-approved black seed drug.
A 2017 meta-analysis of 7 trials in type 2 diabetes (Daryabeygi-Khotbehsara) found lower fasting blood sugar (by about 18 mg/dL), HbA1c (by about 0.7 points), total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol with Nigella sativa, with no overall change in triglycerides or HDL; triglycerides fell with the oil but rose with the seed powder. The authors called the results promising but based on few studies.
A 2017 review of clinical trials (Tavakkoli) says side effects appear not to be serious. A 2013 case report (Arslan) described acute kidney failure in a person with diabetes linked to Nigella sativa. Because it may lower blood sugar, tell your prescriber if you take it alongside metformin, insulin or other diabetes medicines.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for black seed or thymoquinone that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one.
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