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farah
30th June 2009, 11:58 AM
Nigella sativa has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries, both as a herb and pressed into oil, in Asia, Middle East, and Africa. It has been traditionally used for a variety of conditions and treatments related to respiratory health, stomach and intestinal health, kidney and liver function, circulatory and immune system support, and for general well-being.

In Islam, it is regarded as one of the greatest forms of healing medicine available. The prophet Muhammad once stated that the black seed can heal every disease—except death—as recounted in the following hadith:

Narrated Khalid bin Sa'd R.A:We went out and Ghalib bin Abjar R.A was accompanying us. He fell ill on the way and when we arrived at Medina he was still sick. Ibn Abi 'Atiq came to visit him and said to us, "Treat him with black cumin. Take five or seven seeds and crush them (mix the powder with oil) and drop the resulting mixture into both nostrils, for 'Aisha has narrated to me that she heard the Prophet saying, 'This black cumin is healing for all diseases except As-Sam.' 'Aisha said, 'What is As-Sam?' He said, 'Death.' " (Bukhari)

Avicenna, most famous for his volumes called The Canon of Medicine, refers to nigella as the seed that stimulates the body's energy and helps recovery from fatigue and dispiritedness. It is also included in the list of natural drugs of 'Tibb-e-Nabavi', or "Medicine of the Prophet (Muhammad)", according to the tradition "hold onto the use of the black seeds for in it is healing for all diseases except death" (Sahih Bukhari vol. 7 book 71 # 592).

In the Unani Tibb system of medicine, N. sativa is regarded as a valuable remedy for a number of diseases.

The seeds have been traditionally used in the Middle East and Southeast Asian countries to treat ailments including asthma, bronchitis, rheumatism and related inflammatory diseases, to increase milk production in nursing mothers, to promote digestion and to fight parasitic infections. Its oil has been used to treat skin conditions such as eczema and boils and to treat cold symptoms. Its many uses have earned nigella the Arabic approbation 'Habbatul barakah', meaning the seed of blessing.




Germinating Nigella Sativa...

It is hardy to zone 0 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in July, and the seeds ripen in September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Hmm I'm tempted to try this from the packaged 'kalonji' seeds by KTC

Riz
30th June 2009, 02:48 PM
hi farah..

its a miracle plant huh :)

i actually grew a few of them, when i asked my mum for some seeds :).. i sowed them really late in the season and did not collect the seeds made after it flowered..

ze leetle elper
1st July 2009, 12:05 AM
I have these all over my garden! Had no idea what they were until recently! I've got looooads of pods now, just waiting for them to dry out and collect seeds yay! :cheerleader:

tahir_phoenix
1st July 2009, 08:08 AM
Yes a miracle plant indeed and you beat me to it Farah, I have just got some seeds off ebay for this plant and will post a few pics later in the week on their progress!! :goodpost:

farah
1st July 2009, 11:01 AM
Do the seed packets have any information on suitable growing conditions? I'm guessing :tumbleweed: like if its grown in Egypt usually....

Riz
1st July 2009, 09:47 PM
I have these all over my garden! Had no idea what they were until recently! I've got looooads of pods now, just waiting for them to dry out and collect seeds yay! :cheerleader:

beautiful blue colour :)

Riz
1st July 2009, 09:48 PM
Do the seed packets have any information on suitable growing conditions? I'm guessing :tumbleweed: like if its grown in Egypt usually....
you can grow them in uk,, but in mid may, so we have all slightly missed the boat in this one.

here is one pic of the flowers. i got the seeds from my mum, :)

farah
2nd July 2009, 12:52 PM
hmm time to put a reminder in the calender for next year in sha Allah there's so many uses for one single plant alhumdalillah

khabbab
31st July 2009, 12:55 PM
can i grow those Nigella sativa seeds which are available from grocery stores and herbal shops? if yes, what will be ideal sowing time for my zone 10b. i live in lahore,pakistan. thnks

Riz
1st August 2009, 04:19 PM
i think you can sow them in early may.. i used the seeds that my mum had in her kitchen and they germinated, ( low germination though)

ze leetle elper
5th April 2010, 11:24 PM
I've planted a huge batch of nigella sativa...seeds taken from my plants last year :D (see above for pic of the plant from my garden!) Seems like every seed has sprouted mashaallah lol cos the pots are overcrowded so will have to thin them out to one per pot until they ar ready for the ground.

Not sure of how they should be grown, I have just sown them in trays and kept them indoors for now as we are having a cold spell!

Riz
6th April 2010, 09:36 AM
i grew some the season before last.. its also called the fennel flower... if you can and have space in the garden try germinating some seeds in the ground too as they will grow bigger....

Fennel is grown for its leaves, these can be harvested as soon as the plant has flowered. You will find that the fennel (Foeniculum) plant produces more leaves if you remove the flowers after they have bloomed. It is important not to grow dill in the same area as Fennel, as the Dill species is closely related and able to cross pollinate! Seeds should be harvested in the autumn and stored in a Tupperware or similar container.

ze leetle elper
6th April 2010, 01:29 PM
Here's my black seed so far! Jazakallah for the good advice Riz, good to be back here again now growing season has started! :GreenThumbs:

Azman
8th April 2010, 02:03 PM
assalamualaikum...

can nigella sativa grow in a tropical country such as Malaysia ?

wassalam

Riz
8th April 2010, 04:02 PM
its actually a tropical perennial , so yes it can...

Azman
8th April 2010, 04:39 PM
its actually a tropical perennial , so yes it can... Riz, thanks for the reply...

ronil
16th October 2011, 01:13 PM
Hi everybody,

Is the Black seeds that we can buy in the grocery store can be grown anywhere in south east asia?