Nigella sativa

Abstract

The wide versatility of medicinal plants has made them of great interest all around the world. Nigella sativa (NS, commonly called black seed), a member of Ranunculaceae family, is one of the most important medicinal plants. NS is reported in the treatment of a wide variety of medical ailments due to its chemical constituents which may enhance the source of functional and nutritional foods. The constituents of NS have the competence to cure many biological ailments including, asthma, diabetes, digestive diseases, inflammatory diseases, and rheumatoid arthritis. Wide-ranging pharmacological activities including analgesic, antidiabetic, anticancer, anti- inflammatory, antimicrobial, immunostimulatory, broncho- dilator, spasmolytic, antihistaminic, and hepatoprotective have been reported for the seeds and oil extract of NS. It affects the reproductive system, central nervous system, and immune system as anticonvulsant and wound-healing mediators. NS can be exploited for producing a series of drugs for the medication of numerous diseases. In the present chapter, we discussed the general introduction of NS and its geographical location followed by chemical constituents. Further, some crucial pharmacological activities and toxicological effects of NS are also described