Evaluation of Therapeutic Efficacy of Nigella sativa (Black Seed) for Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis

Allergy in general is a common problem in the community, when all aspects of allergy are considered, this condition may well represent the largest single medical problem seen in the United States today and probably in the world.(1) Allergic rhinitis is the commonest allergic disease. It alone is the sixth most prevalent chronic disease in the world, outranking heart disease. (2) There were six factors that stimulated us to choose this disease in our study: firstly, Allergic rhinitis is the commonest allergic disease in the world, affect 10-25% of population (3), secondly, Although it is not a life threatening but from an economic point of view, allergic rhinitis is not a minor problem based on figures reported elsewhere(4), thirdly, Till now, there is no curative treatment for allergic rhinitis except specific immunotherapy which have many side effects and not suitable for every patient especially when multiple allergens are implicated, which is commonest than single allergen.(5), fourthly, Serious side effects of pharmacotherapy used in treatment of allergic rhinitis especially steroids which reflected in recent years a trend of increasing use of alternative medicines(6-7),fifthly, Allergic rhinitis was frequently trivialized by patients and doctors (particularly non sufferers),this may be because it is not a fatal disease yet it remains a common cause of morbidity, social embarrassment and impaired performance either at school or in the work place, moreover , it may be complicated by a course of other diseases such as sinusitis, otitis media and asthma. (3-8) and lastly, in a previous studies, it has been proved that Nigella sativa is an effective treatment of asthma. It also showed an improvement in the associated nasal symptoms that accompanied asthma (9,10) Administration of black seed oil significantly reduced the level of allergen induced lung remodeling (11). Allergic rhinitis is a common disease, accounting for at least 2.5% of all physician visits, 2 million lost school days per year, 6 million lost work days, and 28 million restricted work days per year. At least $ 5.3 billion is spent annually on prescription and over-the-counters medications for allergy(12) . Between 10 and 25% of the population is affected(3) and the prevalence in urban areas is increasing .The prevalence is lowest in children below age 5 , rises to a peak in early adulthood and declines thereafter. The 4 year remission rate reported to be 10% in males and 5% in females.(13)