BACKGROUND Nigella sativa Linn (Ranunculaceae) is popularly known as black cumin with a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and antihelmenthic. The seeds are externally applied for eruptions of skin. The seeds are used traditionally for psoriasis tropicus with general pain and eruption of patches. OBJECTIVE The ethanolic extract o...

The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of producing Nigella sativa powder under a foam mat drying technique. A central, composite design of experiments was used to optimize the drying condition and compare the solubility, the antioxidant and mineral content of roasted Nigella sativa, and the foam mat dried Nigella sativa powder. Foams were prepared from Nigella sativa solution b...

BACKGROUND Since long high fat diet (HFD) is being blamed for causing fatty degeneration of liver and formation of atheromatous plaques. At present, no proper pharmacotherapy is available for both the conditions. In this study, different substances containing monounsaturated fatty acids were used to observe their protective effects in the HFD induced damage to liver and coronary vessels. OBJE...

Aim: To identify the anti-mutagenic effect of Nigella sativa on the experimentally induced chronic diabetes (type – II) in Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: The anti-mutagenic effect was evaluated in Nigella sativa treated diabetic rats against the streptozotocin nicotinamide (STZ-NA) (at a dose rate of 45-110 i.p mg/kg b.wt for 90 days) induced type-II diabetes mellitus using bone marrow mic...

In this study, the chemopreventive efficacy of Nigella sativa seed powder as an important chemopreventive herb on the formation of colon tumor has been examined through measuring the levels of hepatic oxidative stress and metabolizing enzymes in 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced colon cancer in rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into 6 groups as untreated control, Sham, DMH (30mg/kg b.w) rec...

The present study was conducted to find out the antibacterial activity of aqueous and organic extracts of Nigella sativa (L.) seeds against various bacterial pathogens, namely; S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and E. coli. Plant extract along with different elicitors such as metal ions and commercial drugs was also screened to see the change in efficacy and potency of the compounds. Among different ext...