Nigella sativa (Black Seed, Kalonji)

Written by on in Spices

Nigella sativa — commonly called black seed, black cumin, or kalonji — is a small, triangular, jet-black seed with a pungent, slightly bitter, onion-peppery flavor, central to the spice pantries of the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa.

CategorySpices
Scientific nameNigella sativa L.
OriginEastern Mediterranean and Western Asia, with archaeological finds in Egyptian tombs dating to the Bronze Age

History & Origins

Archaeological evidence places Nigella sativa in Tutankhamun's tomb (c. 1323 BCE), and the seeds were prescribed by Dioscorides in De Materia Medica as a digestive aid. The 11th-century polymath Avicenna wrote of it in The Canon of Medicine as a remedy for breathlessness and skin conditions, and the seed is traditionally known in Arabic as ḥabbat al-barakah ('the blessed seed'), referenced in Prophetic medicine. It spread along caravan routes into Mughal India, where it became fixed as kalonji, and into Anatolia and the Levant through Ottoman trade.

Nutrition Facts

Per 100 g, edible portion (estimated)

  • 345 kcalCalories
  • 16.7 gProtein
  • 22.8 gFat
  • 44.2 gCarbs
  • 6.7 gFiber
  • 2.1 gSugars
  • 853 mgPotassium
  • 570 mgCalcium
  • 9.7 mgIron
  • 7 mgVitamin C
  • 18 mcgVitamin A

Culinary Uses

  • Sprinkled on naan, simit, and Turkish çökelek cheese before baking
  • Tempered in ghee or mustard oil as a finishing tarka for dals and curries
  • Component of Bengali panch phoron, fried first to release aroma
  • Folded into Armenian string cheese, Nazareth white cheese, and Middle Eastern pickled vegetables
  • Sprinkled over hummus, labneh, and flatbreads for a nutty-bitter note

Known Benefits

  • High in thymoquinone, a bioactive with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity
  • Source of dietary calcium, iron, and essential fatty acids
  • Traditionally used to support respiratory comfort and digestion
  • Contains nigellone, associated with bronchodilation in folk medicine

Hidden Benefits

  • May support balanced blood-glucose response when used long-term in cooking
  • Prebiotic fiber in the seed coat may benefit gut microbial balance
  • Topical oil pressed from seeds is studied for atopic-skin comfort
  • Phytosterols may contribute to lipid metabolism support

Cautions & Considerations

  • May slow platelet aggregation — discontinue before scheduled surgery
  • High doses have traditionally been considered uterotonic; culinary amounts are customary in pregnancy, but medicinal doses should be avoided
  • Can potentiate antidiabetic and antihypertensive medications
  • Pollen of related Ranunculaceae plants can cross-react in sensitive individuals