When I was young, my parents used to give us black seed to eat several days a week, and my father would sprinkle them on many of the foods we ate daily. I always wondered about the wisdom behind this, so I looked into it. Black seed, or Nigella sativa, also called Black Cumin, is an herb prescribed by the Prophet Muhammad as a remedy that “heals all diseases except the disease that you are meant to die from.” Muslims call Nigella sativa “the Seed of Blessing” because of its various remedial properties. B.H Ali (King Saud University) and Gerald Blunden (University of Portsmouth) describe some of the pharmacological and toxicological properties of this interesting herb in the abstract to one of their review articles:

The seeds contain both fixed and essential oils, proteins, alkaloids and saponin. Much of the biological activity of the seeds has been shown to be due to thymoquinone, the major component of the essential oil, but which is also present in the fixed oil. The pharmacological actions of the crude extracts of the seeds (and some of its active constituents, e.g. volatile oil and thymoquinone) that have been reported include protection against nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity induced by either disease or chemicals. The seeds/oil have antiinflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, antimicrobial and antineoplastic activity. The oil decreases blood pressure and increases respiration. Treatment of rats with the seed extract for up to 12 weeks has been reported to induce changes in the haemogram that include an increase in both the packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin (Hb), and a decrease in plasma concentrations of cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose. The seeds are characterized by a very low degree of toxicity. Two cases of contact dermatitis in two individuals have been reported following topical use. Administration of either the seed extract or its oil has been shown not to induce significant adverse effects on liver or kidney functions. It would appear that the beneficial effects of the use of the seeds and thymoquinone might be related to their cytoprotective and antioxidant actions, and to their effect on some mediators of inflammation.

(B.H Ali, and Gerald Blunden. Pharmacological and toxicological properties of Nigella sativa. 18 November 2002.  <http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/104525344/ABSTRACT?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0> )

Black seed originates from the common fennel flower plant of the buttercup family. To quote Blackseedusa.com:

An annual herbaceous plant, black cumin seed (botanical name is nigella sativa l.), or black seed for short, is believed to be indigenous to the Mediterranean region but has been cultivated into other parts of the world including the Arabian peninsula, northern Africa and parts of Asia.

The plant has no relation to the common kitchen herb, cumin. Tiny and hairy, being no more than 3mm in length, black seed originates from the common fennel flower plant (nigella sativa) of the buttercup (Ranunculaceae) family. Nigella sativa is sometimes mistakenly confused with the fennel herb plant (Foeniculum vulgare). The plant has finely divided foliage and pale bluish purple or white flowers. The flowers grow terminally on its branches while the leaves grow opposite each other in pairs, on either side of the stem. Its lower leaves are small and petioled, and the upper leaves are long (6-10cm). the stalk of the plant reaches a height of twelve to eighteen inches as its fruit, the black seed, matures. Nigella sativa is bisexual and forms a fruit capsule which consists of many white triagonal seeds. Once the fruit capsule has matured, it opens up and the seeds contained within are exposed to the air, becoming black in color (black seeds). Nigella sativa and its black seed are known by other names, varying between places. Some call it black caraway, habbat al barakah , and habbat sawda , others call it black cumin (kalounji), onion seeds or even coriander seeds. in English, the nigella sativa plant is commonly referred to as black cumin . Nevertheless, this is nigella sativa, which has been known and used from ancient times and is also known in Persian as Shonaiz.

Detailed scientific information on the benefits of black seed are provided at this link: http://www.amazingherbs.com/blacseedimsy.html . The article describes a brief study done on unhealthy volunteers who were given doses of black seed; the article concludes the following:

We proved through this study that taking Nigella Sativa (Black cummin seed), orally in a dose of 1 gram twice a day, has an enhancing effect on the functions of immunity. This was noticed in the improvement of the ratio of Th:Ts and in improving the phagocytic cells. The importance of these results is due to the possibility of using the black seed as a natural enhancement of immunity in the treatment of cancer, AIDS and other cases of immunity deficiency.

  Prophet Muhammad suggested various uses for black seed in improving health, from taking spoonfuls of black seed daily for general health, to boiling the seeds in water for asthma, to using powdered seed for acne and other skin conditions, to eating them for improving colds, backaches, and even memory (more detailed information can be found at http://www.yantaru.org/yantaruhealthnewsletter.pdf).  Although widely used in the Middle East and Muslim countries around the world, as well as having been used by ancient Egyptian and Asian doctors, black seed products are only now becoming more and more popular here in the United States as Americans learn about the benefits of this herb. Black seed is sold in various forms these days, including oil, capsules, powders, tea, creams, and even shampoo (BlackSeedUSA http://www.blackseedusa.com/index.html).

AAAAARRRRGGGHHHHHHHH......this article is horrible !!! I am NEVER eating fastfood again..ya Allah....*feels close to throwing up* ..this is awful...for anyone who eats fast food and cares to live a healthy life, plz read this article...and here's  just one quote to prepare you for what's coming :

"Back then, we looked closely at thousands of health inspection reports, and discovered some dirty dining -- a worm in a salad, a cockroach in a soda, chewing gum in a taco."

and :

" Johnson: “They put me on a stretcher. And the whole time I'm puking off both sides of the stretcher all the way through the house.”

Nancy Smith thought she was having a heart attack.

Smith: “But I had never been so sick in my life. It was so violent that I just felt like my chest was going to explode.”

Courtney Ward says she was paralyzed with pain.

Ward: “I had horrible, horrible stomach cramps. It just felt literally like someone just ripped my stomach open and was tearing through my stomach with nails. It hurt that bad.” "

so read this article and help save your life .....*shudders*....

Quote

MSNBC - Dirty Dining

 

 

It's true....I read it in a magazine a couple of days ago...they listed about five different tips for people to follow to help them get to sleep faster and to stay asleep longer. I'll list them here, and you decide whether or not they seem worth trying..and for all of you lucky people who fall asleep the moment your heads hit the pillow, I say go slap yourself. *unfortunately, since I fall into the latter category, I must now slap myself also...sound of slap heard*....

Enjoy...Tips to Help you Fall Asleep Faster, and Stay Asleep Longer:

1) Stand on one foot for about 5 minutes before bed....this will help you direct your focus and relax your mind by freeing it of other thoughts (since you are only thinking about keeping your balance).

2) Eat a bowl of ice cream before bed *I'M IN FOR THAT ONE!!!* ..apparently, dairy products help you get to sleep %50 faster than no dairy...if you don't like ice cream, drink a glass of milk, or eat a cup of yoghurt...

3) Get someone to give you a foot massage before bed...in fact, you can give yourself one. Press down on your toes slightly and rub downwards to relax the muscles..

4) While laying in bed, go through a process of muscle tensing and relaxing. Focus on one part of the body and tense that part for a few minutes, then relax, the tense again, the relax. Go on to another part and so on. Again, this technique helps your mind focus on one thing, clearing it of other thoughts that might be making you have trouble getting to sleep.

5) Stay up to watch the news....many people find it difficult to fall asleep quickly because they are simply turning in too early. Try staying up an hour later than your usual time, and see if that helps you fall asleep faster.

Soooo...I hope this time I've spent typing has not been wasted; in other words, I hope these tips benefit someone. I can't tell you if they work or not since I haven't tried them. Why? As mentioned above, I need tips to will help me wake up, not tips to help me sleep.