Nigella Sativa (Black Seed) Consistently Is Beneficial For Thyroid Function

[zarrin77]

I know it isn’t very “Peaty” here because it contains PUFAs. Yet, the phytonutrients in this seed more than make up for it by strongly protecting against oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and assisting energy production. The main ingredient seems to be thymoquinone, a quinone obviously, but the whole seed usually works better than this single compound.

In this post though, I’m just going to post studies as it relates to thyroid hormone / function, because there are plenty. (Keep in mind, most of the human studies just used the ground seeds at 1g x 2 a day, but the most effective case series (image below) used 5g x 2 a day.

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http://ijrar.org/papers/IJRAR1944176.pdf
Effect of Safoof-e-kalonji (Nigella sativa) in the Managament of Subclinical Hypothyroidism

(Pre / Post values taken about a month apart) 10g total per day, seeds

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https://www.researchgate.net/public..._Hashimoto's_thyroiditis_A_randomized_control

The effects of Nigella sativa on thyroid function, serum Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) - 1, Nesfatin-1 and anthropometric features in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis: A randomized controlled trial

2g total per day, seed

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https://www.researchgate.net/public...L-23_in_patients_with_Hashimoto's_Thyroiditis

Nigella Sativa treatment and serum concentrations of thyroid hormones, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) and interleukin 23 (IL-23) in patients with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

2g total per day, seed

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Effects of Nigella sativa L. Seed Extract on Fatigue, Blood Biochemical Parameters and Thyroid Function in Male Mice

Rodent study. Hydroalcoholic extract, so much higher human-equivalent doses than used in the human studies (doses listed below the table, highest dose would equal 2.8g of this “extract” for a large 91kg human.

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Here’s a couple more:
- https://www.researchgate.net/public...U_in_rat_biochemical_and_histological_studies

Can nigella sativa oil (nso) reverse hypothyroid status induced by PTU in rat? biochemical and histological studies
- https://www.researchgate.net/public...d_glucose_in_alloxan-induced_diabetic_rabbits

Effects of Nigella sativa L. on serum concentrations of thyroid hormones, thyroid stimulating hormone and glucose in alloxan-induced diabetic rabbits

- Study the effect of Nigella Sativa on thyroid function and reproductive hormone of female rat | Journal of Contemporary Medical Sciences

“Twelve females rats were used and divided randomly into two groups (6 animals for each) first group served as treatment and gave Nigella sativa oil (1ml /kg BW/day ) orally according to body weight for a period of 30 consecutive days. While other group drenched with normal saline at same dose that above mentioned and served as control.Results The result revealed significant increase in levels of LH, Estrogen T3 and T4 and significant decrease in level of TSH. Histological sections of thyroid gland revealed presence vaculation in colloid of thyroid follicle.Conclusion In conclusion, the Nigella sativa oil caused the elevation of thyroid hormones as well as LH and estrogen but still within normal value.”

Discussion: “Thyroid gland of female rats treated with Ns showed no histological changes when compare with the control except that some of the follicles were enlarged and containing vacuolated colloid as appear from Figure 2. This might be attributed to increased endocytotic activity of many follicular cells reflecting a compensatory mechanism to the augmented release of the stored hormones in the follicular lumen.”

- https://www.researchgate.net/public...BY_EXPOSURE_TO_DI_2-ETHYLHEXYL_PHTHALATE_DEHP

THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF NIGELLA SATIVA OIL (NSO) AGAINST THYROID ULTRASTRUCTURAL CHANGES INDUCED BY EXPOSURE TO DI (2-ETHYLHEXYL) PHTHALATE (DEHP)

- [PDF] Efficacy of Nigella sativa on serum free testosterone and metabolic disturbances in central obese male. | Semantic Scholar (Human study)

Lastly, this one isn’t thyroid-related, but this before and after treatment chart is just kinda insane.
(750mg x 2 a day, seed)

 

[zarrin77]

Oh, and most studies (the exception being some very high dosed extracts) show that it is completely safe.

Acute and Chronic Toxicity of Nigella Sativa Fixed Oil - PubMed

Toxicity Effect of Nigella Sativa on the Liver Function of Rats

 

[GenericName86]

So the seeds are better to consume than the oil? I read black seed oil can raise brain levels of serotonin

 

[zarrin77]

So the seeds are better to consume than the oil? I read black seed oil can raise brain levels of serotonin

We don’t know, becuase none of the studies tested the oil form. All human studies just used the seeds ground up.

I know about the serotonin study as well. Yet, as far as thyroid goes, black seed is very beneficial regardless.

 

[SOMO]

The beneficial component in Black Seed are the Quinones.

Why not just consume another Quinone and then you won't have to drink nasty oil + unnecessary PUFA + unnecessary calories?

 

[zarrin77]

The beneficial component in Black Seed are the Quinones.

Why not just consume another Quinone and then you won't have to drink nasty oil + unnecessary PUFA + unnecessary calories?

For sure you can. Nootropics Depot has just that type of extract if that’s what you want.

For me, I just want to follow what the studies did. Much of the time, compounds in herbs act synergistically. There are likely many other active compounds in black seed, including p-cymene, carvacrol, 4-terpineol, t-anethol, sesquiterpene longifolene, α-pinene, thymol etc.

While many studies show that thymoqunione supplementation gets good effects, it also has a higher toxicity (at the same relative dosage) than the whole seed or full spectrum extract.

Why not consume another quinone? I’m not aware of other quinones having this type of consistent evidence for thyroid function. If you have some studies about this, please send it my way. Black seeds have also been used for thousands of years and have a very low toxicity. I also just eat 3-5 g of freshly ground seeds at a time, so very low calorie and relatively low PUFA.

 

[RealNeat]

For sure you can. Nootropics Depot has just that type of extract if that’s what you want.

For me, I just want to follow what the studies did. Much of the time, compounds in herbs act synergistically. There are likely many other active compounds in black seed, including p-cymene, carvacrol, 4-terpineol, t-anethol, sesquiterpene longifolene, α-pinene, thymol etc.

While many studies show that thymoqunione supplementation gets good effects, it also has a higher toxicity (at the same relative dosage) than the whole seed or full spectrum extract.

Why not consume another quinone? I’m not aware of other quinones having this type of consistent evidence for thyroid function. If you have some studies about this, please send it my way. Black seeds have also been used for thousands of years and have a very low toxicity. I also just eat 3-5 g of freshly ground seeds at a time, so very low calorie and relatively low PUFA.

The oil was used to stabilize other PUFAs, it seems much more protective than your average vitamin E depleted PUFA.

 

[zarrin77]

There is 1.5 g max of total fat in 5g of ground seeds. I just feel like focusing on the PUFAs in this situation is missing the forest for the trees.

 

[SOMO]

For sure you can. Nootropics Depot has just that type of extract if that’s what you want.

For me, I just want to follow what the studies did. Much of the time, compounds in herbs act synergistically. There are likely many other active compounds in black seed, including p-cymene, carvacrol, 4-terpineol, t-anethol, sesquiterpene longifolene, α-pinene, thymol etc.

While many studies show that thymoqunione supplementation gets good effects, it also has a higher toxicity (at the same relative dosage) than the whole seed or full spectrum extract.

Why not consume another quinone? I’m not aware of other quinones having this type of consistent evidence for thyroid function. If you have some studies about this, please send it my way. Black seeds have also been used for thousands of years and have a very low toxicity. I also just eat 3-5 g of freshly ground seeds at a time, so very low calorie and relatively low PUFA.

1. All of those terpenes/essential oil volatile compounds can be found in other herbs (oregano, pine, thyme, anise and cannabis) that do not require the consumption of oils.


2. All quinones act as electron acceptors in redox reactions, this is a universal trait of quinones and is not limited to the quinones in Black Seed.

3. I'm not sure about any specific thyroid benefit from the other quinones, but I do know that Thyroid function is involved in blood clotting and Vitamin K - which is a Quinone - corrects blood clotting issues (over-clotting or lack of clotting. This article links 3 studies.

thyroid hormone does seem to affect the vitamin K-dependent plasma factors of blood coagulation, including factors II, VII, IX, and X (12). I’m not going to get into great detail about blood clotting, but this involves platelets, as well as proteins called clotting factors, which create a network of fibrin, and this in turn acts like glue to hold blood clots together. So both sufficient numbers of platelets and clotting factors are important.

In any case, thyroid hormone, along with other hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis (TSH and TRH) help to regulate the synthesis and secretion of vitamin K-dependent plasma coagulation factors (12) (13). Having low thyroid hormone levels seems to lead to a decrease in blood clotting, and therefore patients with hypothyroidism have an increased risk of bleeding (R3). On the other hand, those with hyperthyroidism have increased coagulation factor levels and therefore have an increased risk of thrombosis, which is the formation of blood clots inside a blood vessel (14) (15).

Vitamin K and Thyroid Health

Effects of the hormones of the thyroid axis on the vitamin K-dependent plasma factors of blood coagulation (II, VII, IX, and X). - PubMed - NCBI

The hormones studied were: TRH (0.06 mg/kg b.w.), TSH (1 MU/kg b.w.), T3 (0.08 mg/kg b.w.) T4 (0.08 mg/kg b.w.) prolonged aPTT (p<0.001) and PT (p<0.001). TRH and T3 significantly reduced the activity level of factors II, VII, IX and X; T4 only reduced the level of F II (p<0.05), and TSH did not induce significant changes in the haemocoagulation factors studied. The TRH, TSH, T3 and T4 hormones, although elements of one and the same axis, have an ambiguous effect on the vitamin K-dependent factors of blood coagulation. The results obtained show that the determined changes in the activity levels of the vitamin K-dependent plasma factors of blood coagulation are undoubtedly related to the hypocoagulation observed in the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways under the influence of the hormones of the thyroid axis.

So there seems to be an intimate relationship between the thyroid hormones, the pituitary hormones which stimulate thyroid hormone production and Vitamin K/Quinone.

Clinical review: Thyroid dysfunction and effects on coagulation and fibrinolysis: a systematic review. - PubMed - NCBI

This analysis confirmed that clinically overt hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism modify the coagulation-fibrinolytic balance, indicating that thyroid hormone excess or deficit is the probable main pathophysiological mechanism. Patients with overt hypothyroidism and overt hyperthyroidism appear to have an increased risk of bleeding and of thrombosis, respectively.

This study doesn't mention quinones, it just mentions the thyroid's effect on blood coagulation, which is not negligible. One would logically expect Vitamin K to have a balancing effect on blood clotting.

4. Also PQQ, another quinone, seems to reduce the negative effects of T4 supplementation
Pyrroloquinoline quinone ameliorates l-thyroxine-induced hyperthyroidism and associated problems in rats. - PubMed - NCBI

Administration of l-T4 (500-µg kg(-1) body weight) enhanced not only the serum T3 and T4 levels but also the tissue LPO, serum SGOT, SGPT and urea with a parallel decrease in the levels of antioxidants and serum lipids. However, on simultaneous administration of PQQ (5 mg kg(-1) for 6 days), all these adverse effects were ameliorated, indicating the potential of PQQ in the amelioration of hyperthyroidism and associated problems. Possibly, the curative effects were mediated through inhibition of oxidative stress. We suggest that PQQ may be considered for therapeutic use for hyperthyroidism after dose standardization.

To clarify, my main point is just that you can get all of Black Seed's benefit (seed or oil) from other compounds.

Also many people on this forum are trying to lose weight, and consuming extra calories in the form of oil will not help them and the small decrease in TSH will not be enough to restore metabolism. Speaking of which, those post-Black Seed TSH levels are still high.

 

[zarrin77]

1. All of those terpenes/essential oil volatile compounds can be found in other herbs (oregano, pine, thyme, anise and cannabis) that do not require the consumption of oils.


2. All quinones act as electron acceptors in redox reactions, this is a universal trait of quinones and is not limited to the quinones in Black Seed.

3. I'm not sure about any specific thyroid benefit from the other quinones, but I do know that Thyroid function is involved in blood clotting and Vitamin K - which is a Quinone - corrects blood clotting issues (over-clotting or lack of clotting. This article links 3 studies.

Vitamin K and Thyroid Health

Effects of the hormones of the thyroid axis on the vitamin K-dependent plasma factors of blood coagulation (II, VII, IX, and X). - PubMed - NCBI

So there seems to be an intimate relationship between the thyroid hormones, the pituitary hormones which stimulate thyroid hormone production and Vitamin K/Quinone.

Clinical review: Thyroid dysfunction and effects on coagulation and fibrinolysis: a systematic review. - PubMed - NCBI

This study doesn't mention quinones, it just mentions the thyroid's effect on blood coagulation, which is not negligible. One would logically expect Vitamin K to have a balancing effect on blood clotting.

4. Also PQQ, another quinone, seems to reduce the negative effects of T4 supplementation
Pyrroloquinoline quinone ameliorates l-thyroxine-induced hyperthyroidism and associated problems in rats. - PubMed - NCBI




To clarify, my main point is just that you can get all of Black Seed's benefit (seed or oil) from other compounds.

Also many people on this forum are trying to lose weight, and consuming extra calories in the form of oil will not help them and the small decrease in TSH will not be enough to restore metabolism. Speaking of which, those post-Black Seed TSH levels are still high.

I appreciate the research. I agree that the quinones are the main drivers. Yet, animal studies that compare thymoquinone alone vs. nigella sativa extract shows that they do not usually get the same results.

While both thymoquinone and vitamin K are quinones, they still have quite different structures (attached) that may affect absorption into different tissues or organelles such as the mitochondria. There are likely many overlapping functions, but they will not behave identically, and I’m not going to assume they will without something more than hypothesis baking that up. And afaik, only one of these has shown benefits for thyroid function (repeatedly).

Black seed has repeatedly been shown to help with weight loss
The Effects of Nigella Sativa L. On Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - PubMed
And like I said above, at the *highest dose used* in the studies I cited in the OP, 10g a day, that would be a whopping 56 calories and 3g of total fat... This is not going to hinder anyone’s weight loss. (I have never suggested drinking the oil).

For the Hashimoto’s patients, they used 2g a day, a total of around 11 calories..

 

[zarrin77]

Also, yes the TSH levels were still high. Yet, besides one human study using high dose vitamin A and a couple studies using Ashwagandha, I can’t think of another nutraceutical that consistently drops the TSH with such magnitude. It is unlikely you are going to 100% fix thyroid function with one supplement without lifestyle changes, etc. If you know of some other supplement that can drop TSH like this (with human RCTs to confirm), please let me know, as I’d want to look into them.

 

[RealNeat]

There is 1.5 g max of total fat in 5g of ground seeds. I just feel like focusing on the PUFAs in this situation is missing the forest for the trees.

I agree with this, it's effective at culinary doses, that's pretty epic.

 

[papaya]

There is 1.5 g max of total fat in 5g of ground seeds. I just feel like focusing on the PUFAs in this situation is missing the forest for the trees.

what dose do you take, teaspoon, tablespoon? i have the seeds & i take a random spoonful every once in a while. they're old so i'm gonna get new ones but they don't taste rancid. they're not an oily seed.

 

[postman]

There is 1.5 g max of total fat in 5g of ground seeds. I just feel like focusing on the PUFAs in this situation is missing the forest for the trees.

There is no "making up for" shutting down mead acid production. But looking at nutritional charts the amount of PUFA you would get from consuming 5g of ground seeds is neglible, it's not even relevant. According to google (lets hope it's accurate) the percentage of PUFA of the total amount of nigella sativa seed fat is about 11.5%.

1.5 x 0.115 = 0.1725

So you get roughly 0.1725 grams of pufa from consuming your 5g dose of nigella sativa.

The serotonin thing could be of real concern however.

 

[zarrin77]

There is no "making up for" shutting down mead acid production. But looking at nutritional charts the amount of PUFA you would get from consuming 5g of ground seeds is neglible, it's not even relevant. According to google (lets hope it's accurate) the percentage of PUFA of the total amount of nigella sativa seed fat is about 11.5%.

1.5 x 0.115 = 0.1725

So you get roughly 0.1725 grams of pufa from consuming your 5g dose of nigella sativa.

The serotonin thing could be of real concern however.

This is why I’ve been saying don’t be scared off by the tiny little PUFA. Otherwise, you should be just as scared, or more, to eat an egg.

Serotonin, possibly. It seems it is specific based on which part of the brain you are looking at. I saw a study yesterday where black seed actually lowered serotonin. So, this will need more research.

 

[postman]

This is why I’ve been saying don’t be scared off by the tiny little PUFA. Otherwise, you should be just as scared, or more, to eat an egg.

Serotonin, possibly. It seems it is specific based on which part of the brain you are looking at. I saw a study yesterday where black seed actually lowered serotonin. So, this will need more research.

You should be scared to eat eggs, Ray says don't eat more than 1-2 per day. And if you do decide to eat 1-2 eggs per day then that's going to be a big part of your PUFA budget, if you want to be "deficient". Could you please link the serotonin lowering study btw

 

[zarrin77]

You should be scared to eat eggs, Ray says don't eat more than 1-2 per day. And if you do decide to eat 1-2 eggs per day then that's going to be a big part of your PUFA budget, if you want to be "deficient". Could you please link the serotonin lowering study btw

I get the egg thing, it was a counter example I was trying to point out. The point is that the PUFA load from 5g of black seed is very small.

I think it was this one: Neurochemical and Behavioral Effects of Nigella Sativa and Olea Europaea Oil in Rats - PubMed
Image below. Small dose (as we would likely be using) decreased serotonin. Large dose increased it. This study also shows that the lower dose of olive oil increased serotonin too.

 

[postman]

I get the egg thing, it was a counter example I was trying to point out. The point is that the PUFA load from 5g of black seed is very small.

I think it was this one: Neurochemical and Behavioral Effects of Nigella Sativa and Olea Europaea Oil in Rats - PubMed
Image below. Small dose (as we would likely be using) decreased serotonin. Large dose increased it. This study also shows that the lower dose of olive oil increased serotonin too.

View attachment 17638

Very interesting. Can this be used as a spice on food?

 

[zarrin77]

Very interesting. Can this be used as a spice on food?

Yeah if you happen to like the taste. There are many traditional dishes that incorporate it.

I usually just grind the seeds, mix them with honey, and eat with a spoon. Sometimes I make a tea from the ground seeds which is actually pretty good.

 

[RealNeat]

Yeah if you happen to like the taste. There are many traditional dishes that incorporate it.

I usually just grind the seeds, mix them with honey, and eat with a spoon. Sometimes I make a tea from the ground seeds which is actually pretty good.

The funny thing is most middle eastern countries use this as a sprinkle over baked goods like sesame on burger buns in the west.