The Tiny Seed with Big Benefits for Your Heart
Imagine if a tiny seed that’s safe and simple to supplement could produce massive benefits for your heart. You don’t have to just imagine it.
Black seed, or Nigella sativa, may not be as well-known as some of the most famous herbs, but it will be. It is a powerful and versatile herb.
Black seed has already been shown to have important benefits for your heart. At least two systematic reviews, which including a meta-analysis of 17 controlled studies, have found that black seed benefits cholesterol and triglycerides (Pharmacol Res 2016;106:37-50; J Res Med Sci 2016;21:3). And a systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 controlled studies shows the same power over blood pressure (J Hypertens 2016;34(11):2127- 35).
Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is a measure of vascular function that measures blood vessel dilation in response to increased blood flow. It is especially important in people at risk for atherosclerosis or other cardiovascular diseases. FMD is an important indicator of early stage atherosclerosis. Each 1% increase in FMD translates into a 13% reduction in the risk of suffering a cardiovascular event.
Black seed can increase FMD. A new double-blind study gave either a placebo or 500mg of black seed oil twice a day to 50 people who had cardiovascular disease risk factors.
At the end of the two month study, compared to the placebo group, the black seed group had significantly increased levels of FMD, showing that black seed improves vascular function in people who have risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Phytother Res. 2022 May;36(5):2236-2245