Black Cumin Seed May Help Fight Cancer
Research Reveals Positive Results Against Colon and Breast Cancers
Nov 2, 2009
Nigella sativa, known in English as Black cumin, is an annual flowering plant native to southwest Asia. The pungent seeds of the plant are used to add spice to the recipes of many of the world's cuisines. Black cumin is also an important medicinal spice. For centuries, it has been a part of herbal traditions in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Black cumin is known for its anti-hypertensive, carminative, and anthelminthic properties. Both as an herb and as an expressed oil, it is useful in promoting and maintaining respiratory health, liver and kidney function, and intestinal health, as well as in supporting the circulatory and immune systems and as a general tonic for well-being.
Black cumin is a powerful antioxidant, making it of interest in anti-cancer research. Antioxidants have been found to be quite successful in arresting the progress of some cancers. Antioxidants protect the body by neutralizing free radicals, thus ending the scavenger reaction. Thymoquinone, a primary active component of Black cumin, is known for its inhibition of oxidative stress. When compared to a chemotherapeutic drug of choice, thymoquinone demonstrated remarkable chemotherapeutic responses.
Anti-cancer Research
A study was conducted to evaluate and compare the effects of Black cumin extracts on colon cancer cells. Cell viability, cell number, cellular morphology, and cellular metabolism were compared for the control and treatment groups. The results showed a significant decrease in the numbers of cancer cells in the groups treated with the extract, comparable to the results obtained with chemotherapeutic agents. The reduced cell numbers suggest that Black cumin extracts may have important chemotherapeutic effects.
Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer at Jefferson in Philadelphia found that thymoquinone blocked pancreatic cancer cell growth and killed the cells by enhancing the process of programmed cell death, (apoptosis). The findings suggest that thymoquinone could have use as a preventative strategy in patients who have gone through surgery and chemotherapy or in individuals who are at a high risk of developing cancer.
An herbal preparation including Black cumin seeds has been recommended for cancer patients by traditional medical practitioners in Sri Lanka. Investigations demonstrated that short-term treatment with the herbal decoction significantly inhibited diethylnitrosamine mediated expression of Glutathione S-transferase in rat liver. A subsequent investigation was conducted to determine whether longer term treatment with the decoction would be successful in blocking the progress of overt tumors or histopathological changes leading to tumor development.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women, and the third most common cancer worldwide. In an effort to increase understanding of the molecular basis of this fatal disease, the therapeutic effect of Black cumin seed extract against mammary cancer in laboratory animals was studied.
Research animals that received injections of an extract including Black cumin in addition to a known carcinogenic substance showed a reduced rate of the formation of mammary tumors, as compared with control animals in which the carcinogen was administered without the herbal extract. These results suggest a protective role of Black cumin against mammary cancer; however, the underlying mechanisms of these effects await further investigation.
References:
Norwood AA, Tan M, May M, Tucci M, Benghuzzi H. Comparison of potential chemotherapeutic agents, 5-fluoruracil, green tea, and thymoquinone on colon cancer cells. School of Health Related Professions, University of Mississippi Medical Center Jackson, Mississippi 39216, USA. Biomed Sci Instrum. 2006;42:350-6.
Iddamaldeniya SS, Thabrew MI, Wickramasinghe SM, Ratnatunge N, Thammitiyagodage MG. A long-term investigation of the anti-hepatocarcinogenic potential of an indigenous medicine comprised of Nigella sativa, Hemidesmus indicus and Smilax glabra. J Carcinog. 2006 May 9;5:11.
el-Aziz MA, Hassan HA, Mohamed MH, Meki AR, Abdel-Ghaffar SK, Hussein MR. The biochemical and morphological alterations following administration of melatonin, retinoic acid and Nigella sativa in mammary carcinoma: an animal model. Int J Exp Pathol. 2005 Dec;86(6):383-96.
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