Black Seed Oil - is now being viewed by many oncologists as serious herbal remedy to assist in the treatment of cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted 2 patents that involve Nigella Sativa oil for treating cancer, preventing the side effects of chemotherapy, and for increasing the immune system functions in humans. U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,711 and 5,653,981.
As a Tumor therapy In 1991, at the Amala Cancer Research Centre, Kerala, India, studies indicated that Nigella Sativa has efficacy as a chemotherapeutic agent. In other studies, it was found that the oil diminishes toxic side effects caused by several other chemotherapeutic drugs such as cisplatin and doxorubicin. A second common type of cancer cells, Dalton’s lymphoma ascites cells, were also studied. Mice that received the EAC cells and Nigella Sativa remained normal without any tumor formation, illustrating that the active principle was 100% effective in preventing EAC tumor development.
In 1997, at the Cancer Research Laboratory of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA, it was shown that Nigella Sativa oil had enormous success in tumor therapy without the negative side effects of common chemotherapy. They found that it increased the growth rate of bone marrow cells by a staggering 250% and it inhibited tumor growth by 50%. It stimulated immune cells and raised the interferon production which protect cells from the cell destroying effect of viruses.
Anti fungal & Anti bacterial effects in the treatment of Candida- In 2003, at the Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan, the anti-fungal activity of Nigella Sativa was studied. Extracts from Nigella Sativa were found to have a considerable inhibitory effect on the growth of the Candida in all organs. They concluded that aqueous extract of Nigella Sativa exhibited inhibitory effect against candidiasis and that the traditional use of the plant in fungal infections was valid. They also confirmed the strongly anti-bacterial and anti-mycotic effects and they also confirmed that Nigella Sativa has an effect in lowering the blood sugar level which is essential for the treatment of diabetes. The report stated that a healthy immune system will detect and destroy cancer cells before the cancer endangers the patient, and concluded that the oil is an ideal candidate for use in cancer prevention and cure and that it has remarkable promises for clinical use.
For Breast Cancer- In 2003, at the Jackson State University, USA, doctors interested to investigate why Nigella Sativa had been used for such a long time for the treatment of so many acute ailments studied its effectiveness in cancer prevention. They exposed breast cancer cells to Nigella Sativa extracts, and the cells were inactivated. Doctors concluded that it had promising results in the field of prevention and treatment of cancer. Read more about this study
Cancer of the Colon- Doctors at the Osaka City University Medical School in Japan investigated the use of Nigella Sativa for the treatment of cancer of the colon. Their studies demonstrated that it inhibited the growth of cancer in the post- initiation stage. Furthermore in 2004, at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, thymoquinone extracted from Nigella Sativa was investigated to see if it could terminate human colorectal cancer cells. Their studies revealed that thymoquinone has potential for the treatment of colon cancer. Read more about this study
Studies with pancreatic cancer cells- Using a human pancreatic cancer cell line, Dr Arafat and her team found that adding thymoquinone killed approximately 80 percent of the cancer cells. They demonstrated that thymoquinone triggered programmed cell death in the cells, and that a number of important genes, including p53, Bax, bcl-2 and p21, were affected. The researchers found that expression of p53, a tumor suppressor gene, and Bax, a gene that promotes programmed cell death, was increased, while bcl-2, which blocks such cell death, was decreased. The p21 gene, which is involved in the regulation of different phases of the cell cycle, was substantially increased. She presents her findings May 18 at the Digestive Disease Week in San Diego. Dr. Arafat and her co-workers also found that thymoquinone caused “epigenetic” changes in pancreatic cancer cells, modifying the cells’ DNA. She explains that these changes involve adding acetyl groups to the DNA structure, specifically to blocks of proteins called histones. This “acetylation” process can be important for genes to be read and translated into proteins. Link to article from Kimmel Cancer Center….. Link to Dr Arafat’s study.
Liver Cancer- In this study, researchers found that when they used thymoquinone extract from Nigella Sativa on cancer rats, the growth and spread of cancer cells was effective suppressed. Link to the study
Cervical Cancer- A 2013 study sought to investigate the potential anti-cancer effects of Nigella Sativa exract. Researchers found that “Nigella Sativa showed an 88.3% inhibition of proliferation of SiHa human cervical cancer cells”. Link to the study
Brain Cancer- A thymoquinone extract from Nigella Sativa was found to selectively target aggressive glioblastoma brain cancer cells. Link to the study
Leukemia- A thymoquinone extract from Nigella Sativa was found to induce mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in vitro. Link to the study
Oral Cancer- Researchers at China Medical University in Taiwan found that thymoquinone extract induced apoptosis in oral cancer cells. Link to the study
Multiple melanoma-researchers have shown that the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (formerly known as PS-341) triggers significant antitumor activity in multiple myeloma. Link to the study
Squamous Cell Carcinoma- Nigella sativa has been proven to have a range of anti-cancer effects against many different abnormal cell types and effects against skin cancer cells have been demonstrated. Squamous cell carcinomas affect the epidermal layer of the skin and can spread and invade surrounding tissues. Nigella sativa extract has been found to be effective against squamous cell carcinoma cells in vitro (using human skin cancer cells cultured cells in a lab). The study found that the active anti-cancer extract from black seeds (Thymoquinone) inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in squamous cell carcinoma. The oil can be applied to the skin and taken internally for this.
Black Seed Oil Protocol:
- Take 1 teaspoon of Black Seed Oil mixed with ½ teaspoon of local organic honey, ½ hour before breakfast.
- Take 1 teaspoon of the oil mixed with the juice of 1 orange, or you can substitute the oil with 1 tsp of Black Cumin Seeds that have been freshly ground in a coffee grinder and then mixed with the juice of one orange. Take this in the afternoon between meals.
- Take 1 teaspoon of the oil mixed with ½ teaspoon of honey before bed.
- You can also increase the oil dosage up to 9 tbsp per day by taking 3 tbsp, 3 times per day in the same manner as stated above.
- Combine this with a healthy lifestyle and an anti-cancer diet.
In regards to the honey- The honey will act as a carrier to help get the black seed oil into the cells where it is needed. The darker the honey the better. Raw Manuka Honey is an exceptional choice as it comes from New Zealand and is taken from bees that pollinate Manuka trees. It is considered to be the queen of honeys and is reputed to have the highest anti-microbial activity of all honey. It has also been reported that hospitals and clinics in New Zealand and Australia have used this honey to treat MRSA (antibiotic resistant bacteria) that can infect surgical wounds. It has also been clinically proven for healing diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome.