Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

General Black Seed Questions

Black seeds are also known as black caraway, black cumin, kalonji, and black onion seeds.

They come from Nigella sativa, a small plant with pale purple, blue, or white flowers that grows in Eastern Europe, Western Asia, and the Middle East.

People have used the tiny black seeds of the fruits of Nigella Sativa as a natural remedy for thousands of years. The seeds can also flavor curries, pickles, and bread in a similar way to cumin or oregano.

Black seed oil contains thymoquinone, which is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound that may also have tumor-reducing properties.

People can ingest black eed oil in the form of capsules or apply it topically to benefit the skin. It is also possible to add the oil to massage oils, shampoos, homemade skin-care products, and fragrances.

High-quality black seed oil is also suitable for use in cooking, baking, and beverages.

Black Seed Oil has been used for hundreds of years for its health benefits. Thymoquinone is the main bioactive component in Black Seed Oil that affects the natural cellular suicide of different species of cancer cells. The cancer cells include breast cancer, brain cancer and leukemia. Thus consuming a balanced amount of Black Seed Oil may help in effective reduction in cancer cells. Moreover applying it on the knee 4-5 weeks may help relieve pain and symptoms of osteoarthritis. Black Seed Oil has antiviral and antifungal properties against yeast infections that could lead to candidiasis.

Nigella seeds, popularly known as Kalaunji Seeds, are small, matte-black grains with a rough surface and an oily white interior. The seeds are frequently refered to as black cumin. They are seeds of a plant Nigella Sativa, of the buttercup family and are often confused with Onion seeds and Black Sesame Seeds.

Nigella sativa is an annual flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, while onion seeds are obtained from the Allium cepa plant. They are different botanically & belong to entirely different plant families.

True culinary onions are not at all related to Nigella species, though the seeds are remarkably similar in size, color and shape, but not in flavor. The tiny black seeds of onion look identical to Nigella/kalonji if we see normally though there is difference in size and shape but that can be compared only when both type of seeds are put together. Onion Seeds also have a potent onion flavor once we chew a few grains.

This black seed oil guide will help you to make the right choice.

Important factors must be considered when choosing which black seed oil to buy are listed below.

1. Slow Cold Pressed
This means no heat is used in the extraction. Nigella sativa seed oil contains many different components. The unique mix of compounds work together to provide the healing properties. Using heat during the extraction causes some of the more volatile compounds to evaporate [1] diminishing the quality of the oil. Ideally the pressing should also be done slowly as a fast pressing will itself generate heat up to 80 degrees celsius – this gives a dark red coloured oil and a bitter taste.

2. Totally Pure
This speaks for itself. When you pay for black seed oil you expect to get black seed oil. Pure means 100% pressed oil of the Nigella sativia seeds, completely free from any additive. Any ‘black seed oil’ bulked out with any other oils must be avoided.

3. Chemical Free Extraction
Avoid any oil which uses chemicals in the extraction process. Adding chemicals such as benzene derivatives can help to extract more oil from each batch of seeds however will inevitably result in a contaminated product.

4. Bottled in UV Filtering Glass
Glass bottles are completely inert and will preserve the oils natural integrity much better. Additionally some cheap plastic bottles leach chemicals into the oil over time. Glass is also friendlier to the environment!

5. Unfiltered / Unrefined
The whole Nigella sativa seed contains different healing compounds (e.g. the seed skin is packed with large amounts of Nigellone) in order to increase the mix of these valuable components in the oil  use an unfiltered unrefined oil.

6. Origin
The climatic and soil conditions in which the Nigella sativa plant is grown impacts on the quality of the seed and hence the taste of the oil. The best climatic conditions for any flowering crop is one in which the days are hot and the nights cool, it is for this reason Turkish black seeds are renowned as the best in the world.

References: –
1. Kiralan M.  Volatile compounds of black cumin seeds (Nigella sativa L.) from microwave-heating and conventional roasting. J Food Sci. 2012 Apr;77(4):C481-4.

MyBlackSeed Product Questions

All our Black Seed Oils are third-party tested to confirm there are no contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, or organic matter like mold or bacteria.

Current research on the compound suggests minimal side effects and a low potential for risk.

If you take any prescription medications regularly, talk to your doctor before starting to take black seed oil. You shouldn’t stop taking any of your regular medications without talking to your doctor first.

Black seed oil can be helpful to liver function, but taking too much black seed oil can also be harmful to your liver and kidneys. If you have problems with either of these organs, talk to your doctor to determine a safe dose (if any). Also, topical black seed oil can cause allergic reactions. Do a patch test before applying it to a large area on your skin.

Our high quality Black Seed Oil is made with cold-pressed organic whole seeds that come with its purest form of the Nigella Sativa plants.

It is absolutely normal for batches to vary in taste and color but the consistency of the Thymoquinone (TQ) is the same. As with any organic products, there can be a natural variance in color, scent, or flavor profile from crop to crop.

If you feel that your product is outside of this normal variance, you can call in and speak to our Customer Service team and we would be glad to answer any questions.

We’re constantly listening to customer’s feedback and working to improve all our product lines to be the best they can be.

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