01/09/2020 / By Darnel Fernandez
Black cumin seed is derived from the Nigella sativa plant, a small flowering shrub native to Eastern Europe, western Asia and the Middle East. While they may not look like much, these tiny black seeds have been used in medicinal remedies for thousands of years to treat a wide range of health conditions, including certain immune and inflammatory disorders. Nowadays, this seed is often found in the form of oil and is growing to be a popular health food due to its fantastic benefits and synergistic effects.
Black cumin seed (and its oil form) harbor incredibly diverse benefits, ranging from reducing inflammation, helping in weight loss, strengthening the immune system and even lowering blood pressure. In fact, a recent paper published in the Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences found that black seed oil exhibited a wide array of positive effects on obese mice.
To test the efficacy of black cumin seed on the blood pressure of obese mice, researchers from the US, Italy and Israel fed a high-fat diet to a group of male mice over the course of 20 weeks.
The mice were divided into three groups of five animals each. The first group was the “lean” and the second was the high-fat diet (HFD) group. The third group consisted of mice fed HFD and then supplemented with doses of black seed oil for the final eight weeks. The researchers analyzed antioxidant biomarkers, inflammatory biomarkers, hepatic steatosis, mitochondrial biogenesis and tissue fat accumulation.
The researchers observed that the HFD with black seed oil group exhibited lower blood pressure and lower fasting glucose compared to the regular HFD group. The treatment of black seed oil was also shown to improve metabolic function and liver health, as seen through the reduced risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
The researchers concluded that their findings could open a path to new therapeutic approaches to treat obesity-related diseases.
Black seed oil has shown promise in treating a variety of common health conditions such as high blood pressure and even asthma. Here is a list of the various health benefits you can enjoy if you start incorporating this superfood into your diet. (Related: Black cumin seeds provide many wonderful health benefits.)
As more research is done on the health effects of black seed oil, more and more people will get to enjoy its benefits. Learn more about superfoods like black cumin seed at SuperFoods.news.
Sources include:
LongDom.org [PDF]
Tagged Under: alternative medicine, asthma, black cumin seeds, Black Seed Oil, cardiovascular health, clean foods, diabetes, fight obesity, functional foods, heart health, hypertension, inflammation, natural medicine, obesity
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