Nigella sativa (N. sativa) (Family Ranunculaceae) is a widely used medicinal plant throughout the world. It is very popular in various traditional systems of medicine like Unani and Tibb, Ayurveda and Siddha. Seeds and oil have a long history of folklore usage in various systems of medicines and food. The seeds of N. sativa have been widely used in the treatment of different diseases and ailments. In Islamic literature, it is considered as one of the greatest forms of healing medicine. It has been recommended for using on regular basis in Tibb-e-Nabwi (Prophetic Medicine). It has been widely used as antihypertensive, liver tonics, diuretics, digestive, anti-diarrheal, appetite stimulant, analgesics, anti-bacterial and in skin disorders. Extensive studies on N. sativa have been carried out by various researchers and a wide spectrum of its pharmacological actions have been explored which may include antidiabetic, anticancer, immunomodulator, analgesic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, bronchodilator, hepato-protective, renal protective, gastro-protective, antioxidant properties, etc. Due to its miraculous power of healing, N. sativa has got the place among the top ranked evidence based herbal medicines. This is also revealed that most of the therapeutic properties of this plant are due to the presence of thymoquinone which is major bioactive component of the essential oil. The present review is an effort to provide a detailed survey of the literature on scientific researches of pharmacognostical characteristics, chemical composition and pharmacological activities of the seeds of this plant.

A review on therapeutic potential of Nigella sativa: A miracle herb

Nigella sativa seeds have wide therapeutic effects and have been reported to have significant effects against many ailments such as skin diseases, jaundice, gastrointestinal problems, anorexia, conjunctivitis, dyspepsia, rheumatism, diabetes, hypertension, intrinsic hemorrhage, paralysis, amenorrhea, anorexia, asthma, cough, bronchitis, headache, fever, influenza and eczema. Thymoquinone (TQ) is one of the most active constituent and has different beneficial properties. Focus on antimicrobial effects, different extracts of N. sativa as well as TQ, have a broad antimicrobial spectrum including Gram-negative, Gram-positive bacteria, viruses, parasites, schistosoma and fungi. The effectiveness of N. sativa seeds and TQ is variable and depends on species of target microorganisms. The present review paper tries to describe all antimicrobial activities that have been carried out by various researchers.

https://ijbms.mums.ac.ir/article_3849_f8e622000ff1e5f248800c653379b2c8.pdf

Black cumin (Nigella sativa) and its constituent (thymoquinone): a review on antimicrobial effects

Phytochemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutic uses of black seed (Nigella sativa).

Nutritional, Healthical and Therapeutic Efficacy of Black Cumin (Nigella sativa) in Animals, Poultry and Humans

Candida is a serious life-threatening pathogen, particularly with immunocompromised patients. Candida infections are considered as a major cause of morbidity and mortality in a broad range of immunocompromised patients. Candida infections are common in hospitalized patients and elderly people. The difficulty to eradicate Candida infections is owing to its unique switch between yeast and hyphae forms and more likely to biofilm formations that render resistance to antifungal therapy. Plants are known sources of natural medicines. Several plants show significant anti-Candida activities and some of them have lower minimum inhibitory concentration, making them promising candidates for anti-Candida therapy. However, none of these plant products is marketed for anti-Candida therapy because of lack of sufficient information about their efficacy, toxicity, and kinetics. This review revises major plants that have been tested for anti-Candida activities with recommendations for further use of some of these plants for more investigation and in vivo testing including the use of nanostructure lipid system.

Plants' Natural Products as Alternative Promising Anti-Candida Drugs.

Background Nigella sativa is a herb from the Mediterranean region with antidiabetic, bronchodilator, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, lipid lowering, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Purpose This study aimed to reveal the antifungal activity of aqueous, methanolic and chloroform extracts obtained from the plant seeds, compared with the effect of traditional antifungals. Materials and methods Using standard mycological diagnostic methodology The authors isolated and identified 20 strains of Candida albicans from pathological products collected from patients hospitalised in different departments of the Craiova Emergency Hospital. Aqueous, methanolic and chloroform extracts were made from the seeds of Nigella sativa, in decreasing dilutions, in which Wattman filter paper discs were soaked and dried and then used to achieve the antifungal graph by using the Kirby-Bauer diffusion technique. Simultaneously, the testing was repeated using standard antifungal disks (Becton Dickinson) and the two sets of results compared. The antifungal effect was assessed by measuring the diameter of the inhibition zone, noting the concentration per disk. Results The results show that methanolic extracts of Nigella sativa have the strongest antifungal effect followed by the chloroform extracts. Aqueous extracts showed no antifungal activity. Conclusions The research shows treatment with natural products in a good light as an alternative for treating fungal infections. The authors envisage Nigella sativa extract enhancing the effect of conventional therapy.

https://ejhp.bmj.com/content/ejhpharm/19/2/162.2.full.pdf

A. Simionescu

Papers

An alternative treatment for Candida infections with Nigella sativa extracts