ABSTRACT
To determine the analgesic effect of ethanolic extract of Nigella sativa seeds on experimentally-induced pain in albino mice. Randomized controlled trial [RCT]. Physiology Department, Services Institute of Medical Sciences [SIMS], Lahore, from May to September, 2009. The study was carried out in 90 male albino mice using acetic acid induced writhing test as a chemical model of nociception. The mice were divided in three groups of 30 each. Group A was given normal saline [control]; group B was given Nigella sativa seed extract in a dose of 50 mg/kg; and group C received diclofenac sodium, as a reference drug. Number of writhings in treated and control groups were compared. The ethanolic extract of Nigella sativa seeds given intraperitoneally caused significant [p<0.05] analgesic effect on nociceptive response initiated by 0.6% acetic acid; although this analgesic effect was less than that produced by diclofenac sodium. Ethanolic extract of Nigella sativa possessed significant analgesic effect in mice