By Fatima Patel
Genuine black seed (lat. Nigella sativa) belongs to the plant family Ranunculaceae. Its Arabic name is Habbah al-baraka, meaning “blessed seed.”
A long tradition of use of black seed is by no means coincidence. Black seed already has several thousand year old history of usage as natural medicine and as a cosmetic ingredient. Even in the time of ancient Egypt it was used by Tutankhamen’s doctors for various medical purposes. Apparently they were so convinced in the power of black seed that they even assigned some supernatural powers to it. They were so convinced in its magic features that they decided to put bottle of black seed oil in his sarcophagus. Ancient philosophers and physicians such as Hippocrates and Galen also used black seed for multiple therapeutic purposes. Christian emperor Charlemagne explicitly ordered cultivation of black seed in his empire.
In traditional Oriental medicine, Chinese as well as in Indian ( Ayurveda ), knowledge about black seed and its therapeutic use is known for a millennia .
According to many Islamic scholars the Prophet’s Muhammad saying “The black seed is a cure for every disease except death” refers precisely to black seed ( Nigella sativa) . This has greatly affected the popularity of black seed among Muslims and thus to the expansion of knowledge about it all over the world. It should be noted that knowledge of the beneficial properties of black seed cannot be exclusively “owned” by any culture or religion because black seed has been mentioned and it has its origins in many cultures as well as religions. For instance, it is assumed that the biblical term ” Kecah ” refers precisely to black seed . In ancients times they used to sprinkle bread and cakes with black seed for the purpose of long-term preservation of health and energy. At that time this was a spice used against a variety of health problems such as Inflatable, parasitic infections, breathing difficulties, diarrhea, etc. It was also given to nursing mothers in order to improve lactation (increasing the amount of breast milk).
The cause that many still have not heard anything about this plant probably lies in the fact that in modern times, very little media time is left for natural medicine including black seed. Anyway the black seed is noteworthy, especially for a population that prefers using natural resources for disease treatment as opposed to conventional ones.
Black seed in modern science and medicine
Over the last 20 years hundreds of scientific papers on beneficial influences of black seed have been published. Interestingly, this study confirms many positive qualities of black seed which has been attributed to it for several millennia by traditional medicine. Scientific studies on black seed and its components indicate its:
• antioxidant effects
• antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties
• analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects
• anti-hypertensive (to reduce blood pressure), bile-stimulating and diuretic (water tablets) effects
• anti-allergic effects
• protective effect against oxidative stress caused by harmful radiation
• relaxing effect cramps
• bronchodilator (reduces bronchial muscle tone) effects
• ant diabetic effects and to stabilize insulin
• protective effects on the liver and kidneys
• immune stimulatory and immune-harmonizing effect
Ingredients of black seed (black cumin)
Black seed contains over 200 active ingredients. Proteins (21%), vegetable fats and oils (40%), water (5%), ash (5%) and fiber (8%). Its oil is composed of essential oils and fatty oils, containing at least 60% of polyunsaturated fatty acids, essential for the human body. When it comes to essential oils it s very important to mention a substance called Nigellone Semohiprepinon, which is extremely effective at treating bronchial asthma and whooping cough. Black seed contains approximately 32% of carbohydrate, and 1.5% of saponin, a bitter substance Nigellin and various tannins, many of the essential amino acids and phytosterols but also, lots of vitamins, minerals, etc. According to this rich and varied composition of black seed, it is not surprising that it has a wide range of beneficial effects.
Sultan Cola
Cola wars have been ongoing for many years. Some have launched and then disappeared into thin air, as popular brands Coke and Pepsi have ruled the market for decades.
However with the constant pressure on trying to drink and eat healthy, health advisors and nutritionists have been constantly warning consumers of the harmful effects of drinks such as Coke and Pepsi. So can there be a healthy equivalent?
Well UK distributors of an Austrian manufactured Cola think they have found a premium healthy equivalent – Sultan Cola.
Comparisons with Coke and Pepsi are inevitable as Sultan Cola has come into the marketplace labelled as a Cola drink, only that’s the problem….it’s nothing like Coke or Pepsi, but has its own distinctive taste.
The UK distributors say the idea of creating a refreshing beverage “Sultan Cola” was created as a synthesis of number of reasons rooted in three sources:
1. Black Seed – a miracle of nature. Members of our team have been engaged for many years in the study of traditional recipes including Black Seed. We are also aware of the results of recent studies of modern scientific medicine, which largely confirmed a wide range of beneficial effects of this plant which is known to the mankind for over 3000 years.
2. The Market of Halal products. There is an obvious gap in the market of halal food products, especially in terms of drinks. Many drinks contain traces of alcohol and substances of animal origin which is for many consumers with strong religious beliefs such as Muslims, Jews …, completely unacceptable. Sultan Cola is certified as halal product which excludes the presence of alcohol in it and it also does not contain any ingredients of animal origin.
3. Disregarding nature and its benefits is the fact that is omnipresent in all aspects of modern life style; therefore our motto is “Every step back to nature is a step towards a healthier future.”
So when healthy Black seed is combined with the addictive taste of Cola does it work?
Well if like me you are a health freak and have tried Black seed oil, you will know that although the health benefits are huge, the taste is grime and not something you will enjoy as a ‘chilling’ out drink. Nevertheless, cola on the other hand is a drink that is not only addictive but easy and pleasant on the taste buds. So a combination of the two can go either way. You can either like it or hate it.
We at Asian Sunday loved it. Sultan Cola served chilled does have it’s own distinctive yet, refreshing taste. Firstly, it feels guilt free, with the health aspect of the Black seed and secondly it actually tastes nice. Although the first sip takes getting used to if you have been a Coca Cola fan, as the taste is much more strong than Coca Cola, but after the second sip Sultan Cola doesn’t disappoint and sits nicely between the Coke and Pepsi brands.
Sultan Cola is now available are various supermarkets and restaurants and is reasonable priced for a high end premium Cola brand. For more information of stockists visit the facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/premiumsultancola/info.