Doctor’s Tip: Add black cumin seeds to your daily symphony of nutrients

Black cumin seeds is a misnomer because they have nothing to do with cumin. The scientific name is Nigella sativa, and it is a spice with a peppery flavor used for centuries in East Indian and Middle Eastern cooking. It was found in King Tutt’s tomb and is mentioned as a miracle spice in the Old Testament; the Prophet Mohammed allegedly said that it can “heal every disease except death.”

During the past few decades, scientific studies have been done on herbs and spices used in traditional folk medicine, and as expected some have been shown to have health benefits, others haven’t, and some have caused side effects. Dr. Michael Greger has a non-profit called nutritionfacts.org and he and his staff review the tens of thousands English-language scientific papers that come out every year on nutrition. He presents the valid and useful information on his website and through his books, which include “How Not to Die,” How Not to Diet,” and “How Not to Age.” A year or so ago he and his staff reviewed over a thousand papers on black cumin seed, another “wonder spice.”

It’s important to realize that the herbs and spices that have been shown to have health benefits, mentioned in this series of columns, should not be thought of as “silver bullets” that will—on their own—make you healthier or live longer. What has been shown to do that is daily intake of a variety of plant foods—vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Such a diet contains what Dr. Esselstyn (featured in the Forks Over Knives documentary, author of “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease”) calls a “symphony” of thousands of micronutrients that work synergistically to promote good health and longevity.

Following are the evidence-based reasons to add black cumin seeds to your daily diet. They have been shown to:

• lower total cholesterol
• lower triglycerides
• lower LDL (bad cholesterol) by 27 percent after two months versus a placebo—as much as statins but without the side effects sometimes associated with statins
• lower blood pressure
• lower blood sugar
• lessen appetite, resulting in weight loss
• reduce symptoms of menopause
• lower markers of inflammation such as C-reactive protein
• have favorable effects on inflammatory diseases such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis
• lower risk of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, a common cause of hypothyroidism
• help prevent kidney stones

Black cumin seeds are cheap and you can buy them on the internet, but they are very small and go right through you unless you grind them in a coffee grinder. The dose is 1/4 of a teaspoon a day, and you can put them on your oatmeal in the morning or stir them into a small glass of water or juice. If you have one of the conditions that black cumin has been shown to help, you should certainly consider taking it. But even if you don’t, it would be a good idea to add it to your daily “symphony of nutrients.”

Dr. Feinsinger is a retired family physician with special interest in disease prevention and reversal through nutrition. Free services through Center For Prevention and The People’s Clinic include: one-hour consultations, shop-with-a-doc at Carbondale City Market, and cooking classes. Call 970-379-5718 for an appointment, or email [email protected].