review on the hypoglycemic effect of nigella sativa and thymoquinone

Nigella sativa [black seeds] is a very famous and popular herb used for centuries in many communities. N. sativa has been shown to possess therapeutic potential to many illnesses. Hypoglycemic effect of N. sativa has been studied extensively in the literature. This review gathered and analyzed the results reported in the literature related to the hypoglycemic effect of N. sativa. A search was done for N. sativa and black seeds as key words in PubMed and Google scholar databases. Published studies document a hypoglycemic effect of N. sativa in normal and diabetic animals and humans. Volatile oil and thymoquinone seem to be the most effective fractions of the seed in producing its hypoglycemic effect. The mechanism of N. sativa hypoglycemic effect is multifactorial including increasing insulin level, decreasing insulin resistance, stimulating beta cells activity, direct insulin-like effect, and decreasing intestinal glucose absorption. Further, basic followed by clinical research to explore N. sativa ingredient responsible for its promising hypoglycemic effect is recommended

Favorable impact of Nigella sativa seeds on lipid profile in type 2 diabetic patients

The atherogenic pattern of dyslipidemia associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus [DM] has been increasingly discussed. We have recently reported a hypoglycemic effect of Nigella sativa [NS] seeds in patients with type 2 DM. In this study we sought to assess the impact of NS seeds on lipid profile in type 2 diabetic patients. A total of 94 patients with type 2 DM were recruited and divided into 3 dose groups. Capsules containing NS were administered orally in a dose of 1, 2, and 3 g/day for 12 weeks. All patients were subjected to measurement of total cholesterol [TC], triglycerides [TG], low-CJ density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-c], and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-c] before treatment and 4, 8, and 12 weeks thereafter. Patients receiving 1 g/day NS seeds for 12 weeks [group 1] showed I nonsignificant changes in all the parameters except for a significant increase in HDL-c after 4 weeks of treatment. However, patients ingested 2 g/day NS displayed a significant decline in TC, TG, and LDL-c, and CD a significant elevation in HDL-c/LDL-c, compared with their baseline data and to group 1 patients. Increasing

Comparative study of Nigella sativa and triple therapy in eradication of helicobacter pylori in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia

A large number of diseases are ascribed to Helicobacter pylori [H. pylori], particularly chronic active gastritis, peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. Successful treatment of H. pylori infection with antimicrobial agents can lead to regression of H. pylori-associated disorders. Antibiotic resistance against used herb, possesses in vitro anti-helicobacter activity. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of NS in eradication of H. pylori infection in non-ulcer dyspeptic patients. The study was conducted on 88 adult patients attending King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, from 2007 to 2008, with dyspeptic symptoms and found positive for H. pylori infection by histopathology and urease test. Patients were randomly assigned to four groups, receiving i] triple therapy [TT] comprising of clarithromycin, amoxicillin, omeprazole [n=23], ii] 1 g NS + 40 mg omeprazole [OM] [n=21, iii] 2 g NS+ OM [n=21] or iv] 3 g NS + OM [n=23]. Negative H. pylori stool antigen test four weeks after end of treatment was considered as eradication. H. pylori eradication was 82.6, 47.6, 66.7 and 47.8% with TT, 1 g NS, 2 g NS and 3 g NS, respectively. Eradication rates with 2 g NS and TT were statistically not different from each other, whereas H. pylori eradication with other doses was significantly less than that with TT [P <0.05]. Dyspepsia symptoms improved in all groups to a similar extent. N. sativa seeds possess clinically useful anti-H. pylori activity, comparable to triple therapy. Further clinical studies combining N. sativa with antibiotics are suggested

Effect of oral ingestion of Nigella sativa seeds on some blood parameters

The effect of 2 weeks daily treatment with 2 g Nigella sativa [N. sativa] on the blood levels of glucose, uric acid, cholesterol, triglycerides, BUN and creatinine was studied on 16 second year male medical students. Nine students took 2 capsules of 500 mg N. sativa twice daily and served as the test group. Seven students served as controls and took 2 capsules of 500 mg brown sugar twice daily. In the test group, the parameters which showed a significant decrease by the end of the first week of treatment were glucose [p < 0.01] and cholesterol [p = 0.05]. However, both levels went up by the end of the second week of the treatment but remained below baseline. Creatinine was significantly elevated [p < 0.01] by the end of the first week. Uric acid showed a progressive but a nonsignificant decrease. A finding of interest was that the control group showed a progressive and significant increase in uric acid. It is concluded that N. sativa has a potential reducing effect on the blood levels of both glucose and cholesterol