Simple Ways to Include Black Cumin in Your Diet


Studies have shown that black cumin, also known as Nigella sativa will improve your immune system, fight tumors, rid the body of migraines and even can be used to help with baldness.  What many articles never discuss with you is the proper dosage, remedies and recipes. This article will show you some simple ways to be healthy and strong using Nigella sativa or black cumin.

Which is Better Seeds or Oil?

Some recipes will call for the seeds and some will give you a choice of which one you want to choose.  The concentrated oil is 2 1/2 times more potent than the seeds.  So if the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of oil, you must use 2 1/2 teaspoons of ground seeds.  The seeds will thicken when used in a recipe, so when adding seeds to honey that will be stored, add slowly and mix.  Wait one day and add a bit more.  Honey and black seeds are one of the healthiest snacks on earth.

Some oils are made with poor seeds, fillers and additives, so make sure to not buy the cheapest product on the market.  Look for a quality cold pressed oil with no additives.  When purchasing black seeds, never buy honey mixed with black seeds.  Why?  Most companies add in only 10 to 15% black seeds to a container of honey.  What you need is equal black seeds to equal honey.  So 1 cup of honey to 1 cup of black seeds.

It is always better to buy a jar of raw honey and grind the seeds in a coffee grinder, after they have been heated and mix slowly.  This way you know exactly what you are consuming.

How to Heat the Seeds

Heating does not affect the seeds and you will not lose any nutrients by heating the seeds.  The seeds are tart and will cause stomach irritation is not heated.  According to a recent study on using black cumin on gastric ulcers, the researchers testified to this effect.

Naheed Amir, Amina Al Dhaheri, Najla Al Jaberi, Fatma Al Marzouqi, Salim MA Bastaki
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates conducted the study using Nigella sativa, onion and garlic.  They showed their results as: 


Boiled Nigella sativa showed equal potency to raw Nigella sativa in decreasing ulcer index, but boiled garlic and onion showed reduced potency. The results of this study demonstrate the protective role of raw Nigella sativa, garlic, and onion against ethanol-induced gastric ulcers and gastric acid secretion. Boiling did not affect the protective effect of Nigella sativa on gastric ulcers.

To heat the seeds, simply put them in a shallow pan and place them in the oven on a very low heat of 325 degrees.  Stir them frequently and watch to make sure they do not burn.  To simplify the process you can  place them in a skillet and heat on very low heat, stirring regularly.  Keep tasting the seeds and when the tartness is gone and the seeds are very bland, remove them from the stove to cool.  Wait until they are completely cold before grinding.

Ways to Use Nigella Sativa Simply

Life does not need to be hard and taking black cumin can be done quite easily depending on why you are taking them.  Black cumin is used for a multitude of diseases and by using some of these very simple recipes, you can feel better and enjoy life more.

To Improve Immunity: You can purchase capsules for ease.  Each capsule contains 1/4 teaspoon of oil.  You need two a day.  Make sure to take them on an empty stomach and not with food.

To Rid Yourself of Worms:  De-worming is always talked about on health forums and many companies sell products that cost hundreds of dollars to use.  Nigella sativa can be used quite inexpensively and easily.  Place 1/2 cup of vinegar in a pan to heat and add in 1 teaspoon of black cumin oil.  Bring to a boil and remove to cool.  Brush this mixture on your stomach and liver area and do not remove.  Leave on overnight and the mixture will absorb into your body.  For large Ascaris worms, eat 7 dates before sleeping (Arabic remedy).

Migraines or Headaches: Simply take the oil and rub on your temples and put a few drops at the base of your nostrils.  If you have pressure on the top of your head, rub some oil on the head also.  Take one teaspoon of the oil twice a day.

Black Seed Tea:  If you feel that you don't want to mess with heating the seeds, you can make a simple black seed tea.  Place one cup of water on the stove with 2 teaspoons of the seeds and bring to boil. Remove from the stove to steep. Strain and drink with some raw honey.  This tea is easier to make with ground seeds.  You may want to add in 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds for added benefit.

Prophetic Remedy:  The way Prophet Mohammad taught his followers to use this blessed seed was with honey.  You simply mix one teaspoon of black cumin oil and one teaspoon of honey and eat.  You can substitute the seeds for the oil.

Energy Mixture:  Another very simple way to take this remedy is with juice.  Simply put one teaspoon of oil in a small glass of freshly squeezed juice.

To read more about proper dosage: Dosage Requirements for Black Cumin

Nigella Sativa is Easy to Take

Life is difficult enough and making your life simple is imperative.  You may choose any of the above and you will have done enough.  Never take more than 25 grams of black seed at once as it is toxic at that rate.  Taking more of Nigella sativa will not improve your symptoms. The maximum dose anyone needs, including cancer is three teaspoons of oil per day.

Resources
"Comparative Effect of Garlic, Onion and Black Seed on Gastric Acid Secretion and Gastric Ulcer," DovePress
Isaacs, Tony, "The Many Wonderful Health Benefits of Black Cumin Seeds," TBYIL.com
"Traditional Herbal Medicine Kills Pancreatic Cancer Cells, Jefferson Researchers Report, " Jefferson Universitey Hospital
"Nigella Sativa Research," Nigella Sativa Research

For Energy and Improved Immune System Try Nigella Sativa

Nigella sativa will improve your immune system when taken properly.  Nigella sativa is also known as black cumin, black seeds, kalonji, haba al-baraka (Arabic) and gizhah (Arabic).  For over 2000 years people in the Middle East used this miraculous seed to cure everything from headaches to acne.  Only recently did the world stand up to notice that this miraculous and healing remedy had more benefits than to cure just migraines.

There have been more than 250 studies done to show the efficacy of Nigella sativa. Recently in the news we have been hearing more and more about its effect on pancreatic cancer. Besides pancreatic cancer, breast, colon and prostate cancers have also been studied and shown positive results. Nigella has more than 100 chemical compounds and some of the ingredients are yet to be discovered and identified. 

Drs. Ek-Kadi and Kandil at I.I.M.E.R. Panama City, Florida in 1986 investigated how Nigella sativa affected the immune system.  They studied a group of human volunteers who were given 1 gram of Nigella sativa twice a day.  

They stated at the end of the study that "These findings may be of great practical significance since a natural immune enhancer like the black seed could play an important role in the treatment of cancer, AIDS, and other disease conditions associated with immune deficiency states."

Then again in another study published in the Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal in 1993 by Dr. Basil Ali and his colleagues from the College of Medicine at King Faisal University.

One of the best results that evolved in all these studies was the effect Nigella sativa has on the immune system.  Simply by taking Nigella sativa daily you can improve your immune system to fight off disease.  Is this miracle in a bottle really to be believed?  Surely there are some precautions and some guidelines to be followed.

Can you be cured of cancer if you eat pie, chips and cola, but take Nigella sativa daily?  Of course not.  Following a strict diet along with the taking of this valuable herbal supplement will treat the disease in most cases.  Although it is a Prophet medicine, you must follow some simple tips when taking and using Nigella sativa.

Where Can You Purchase Nigella Sativa?

There are as many websites that sell Nigella sativa as there are stars in the sky.  You can do a search on the internet and find many that are promising you the moon, but wait let's be sensible.  Not all Nigella is the same and you should look for a company with a return policy, guarantee and a phone number to call them on in case of problems with the product.

Look for a company with a record of experience with the black seeds and look for a company that supplies cold pressed, not just organic.  Organic seems to be a term used quite often these days, but what you are really looking for is a thick, cold pressed oil stored in a glass bottle.


Raw Vs Organic Honey

The Prophetic way to take this remedy is with honey.  Prophet Mohammad said, " ”There is healing in Black Seed for all diseases except death.” He also said to take it often.  What does taking it often mean?  You should consider black seed like you would a regular supplement that needs to be taken daily.  By taking the black seed daily you improve your immune system and thus able to fight off disease.  When black seed is taken daily normal ailments you had in the past disappear and/or improve.

When you make the power mixture listed below make sure you use raw honey and not just one labeled organic.  Raw honey is unprocessed and contains less sugar.  Processed and store bought honey is almost all sugar and up to 70%.  Look for a dark honey, as this is the best.

The recipe also calls for "Royal Honey."  Royal honey is the food of the elite queen bee and comes with a price.  It is much more expensive than even raw honey, but it has many benefits for improving your immune system.  There are also some disadvantages too.  Royal honey may cause you to have allergic reaction if you have skin problems or asthma.  You should use it with caution as it may cause anaphylactic shock, bronchial spasms and even death.


How to Buy Powdered Ginger

Ginger is used in powder form, but you may use fresh ginger if you do not have good quality powder.  Do not buy local grocery store ginger to put in your healing power mixture.  You are using very expensive ingredients to have the best power mixture and it may ruin your entire batch by using a cheap and inexpensive ginger powder.  Ginger is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, but should not be used by those on pharmaceutical medicines.

Choosing the Right Types of Nuts

Almonds have always been chosen first over any other nut for health value.  Dr. Cayce taunted their benefits years ago claiming that almonds could prevent cancer and now we also know that they are beneficial for heart health.  When you are making the power mixture, choose the healthiest nuts you can find.  You can use almonds alone if you choose.   Healthy nuts would include: almonds, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts and Brazil nuts.

Power Mixture Recipe

Ingredients:
  • 3 cups of honey
  • 2 Tablespoons of Royal Honey (optional - use all raw honey if Royal Honey is not available)
  • 2 teaspoons of Black Cumin oil (heated seeds can be substituted)
  • 2 Heaping Tablespoons of ginger powder
  • 1/3 cup of chopped nuts
Directions:

In a medium size bowl add in the honey, black cumin oil and ginger. You can substitute the black cumin seeds that have been heated and ground if you prefer. Mix the honey mixture well. Add in the chopped nuts and place the entire mixture in sealed jars. Take one teaspoon twice a day.

You can take this mixture any time of the day.  Keep in mind this mixture is for energy, but you can also make a powerful energy drink using orange juice.  By mixing in one teaspoon of black cumin oil to the juice of one orange, you now have a power drink.  Drink this mixture 1/2 hour before breakfast.

You can improve your immune system without the honey mixture by taking one teaspoon of the oil and mixing it with one teaspoon of raw honey.  Take this before breakfast on an empty stomach and before sleeping.  Nigella sativa should be in everyone's kitchen cabinet.

How to Grow Nigella Sativa

I rarely see any articles on how to grow Nigella sativa and today received a Google alert on how Pakistan is now starting to grow this miraculous seed.  I begin to wonder if pure and true Nigella sativa can be grown in other parts around the world?  It may be like growing a banana tree in New York or cactus in Alaska.

I caution anyone with a debilitating disease to depend on a new crop of Nigella sativa also.  As most know the ground is deprived of nutrients these days, some say up to 90% in some parts of the world. Trying to grow Nigella out of its natural surroundings has yet to be proven to be effective. These things are in trial.

According to the Plant Genetic Resource Program in Pakistan, they are now in the process of growing Nigella due to its high demand.  You should begin planting your seeds in November, but you may grown them indoors in peat pots if you want.  Keep in mind to start the planting prior to the first frost.

The rows should be 30 cm apart ( 10 to 12 inches) and the ground must be saturated deep with water.After about two weeks you should see the seeds germinate.  If you want to grow them inside in peat pots do this prior to the autumn or spring and transplant them outside in your garden area 25 cm apart. Inside peat pots take around 7 weeks to germinate and grow big enough to transplant.

Once the flowers bloom, place the pods in a brown paper bag to dry out completely.  Rub the pods in the bag with your hands to release the seeds.  Cut a corner of the bag and let the seeds fall out into a sieve or filter of some kind.  Sift them well and take the seeds and make sure the seeds are completely dry before storing them in an airtight container.


Key Reference
Ahmad, Z., A. Ghafoor, and M. Aslam. (2004). Nigella Sativa. A potential commodity in crop diversification traditionally used in healthcare. MINFAL. pp.34. 

Nigella Sativa Successful Against hypercholesterolemia (High Levels of Cholesterol in the Blood)

Nigella sativa is in the news again and this time the oils were studied in revelance to high cholesterol in the blood or hypercholesterolemia. For those interested in knowing move about this miraculous seed, why not put a Google alert on your email and you will get daily alerts like I do.  The problem is there is so much information on Nigella sativa and black cumin that it is difficult to keep up to date.

Nigella sativa has been used for years to treat many illnesses and first was used by physicians to cure migraines.  I received a question today on Twitter about a woman who has massive migraines and they took her to the hospital to be tested for tumors.  I was asked for my remedy and of course I mentioned Nigella sativa.

I use to have migraines for 15 years and they were so bad that I wanted to take a knife and cut open my brain just to let the pressure out.  Nothing worked and the doctors kept me so drugged that I was incoherent most of the time.  Then I came to the Middle East and learned about black cumin.  This may explain why my cholesterol is always low.  My cholesterol is routinely around 145.


So the results of this latest test showed:

Results: The results revealed that PBC was effective in reducing the serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoproteins (LDL). Additionally, the experimental diets resulted in a non-significant increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Overall, powdered black cumin at 1% and 2% reduced cholesterol level by 6.73, and 4.48%, LDL by 24.79, and 24.32% respectively. However, the supplementation of PBC at 2% resulted in marked variations as increasing tendency, which was recorded for cholesterol and triglycerides contents after 28 days of study.

Conclusion: Present research investigation brightened the prospects of using powdered black cumin seed in diet based therapies to improve the lipid profile. Further studies are still required to assess the phytochemistry of the plants and indeed the functional ingredients responsible for such health benefits. Such studies would bring meticulousness for utilization of black cumin seeds as a functional food.
Keywords: Functional foods, black

www.functionalfoodscenter.net/files/48097564.pdf

Again the suggestion that regular consumption of the seed is necessary.    Just imagine what the participants cholesterol levels would be after a year of use.  Nigella sativa is not expensive and it just may the miracle drug you have been waiting for.

Life does not have to be so difficult.  Sometimes the simplest solution is the best.