Nigella sativa pharmacological applications

Nigella sativa, a flowering plant used in traditional medicine across the Middle East and South Asia, has attracted growing scientific attention for the measurable biological activity of its primary bioactive compound, thymoquinone. Researchers have documented antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anticancer effects across a range of laboratory and animal models, with preliminary evidence extending to conditions such as diabetes and neurodegenerative disease. A central challenge now is translating these findings into human clinical contexts, where questions of bioavailability, optimal dosing, and long-term toxicological safety remain incompletely resolved. Work in this area also examines how thymoquinone interacts with conventional therapeutics, which carries direct implications for patients who use Nigella sativa preparations alongside standard care.

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16,076

Total citations

182,352

Keywords

Nigella sativaThymoquinoneAntioxidantAnti-inflammatoryCancerImmunomodulatory