Disclaimer: My goal with this blog is education and
harm reduction. I am not a doctor, please don't consider anything I say
as health advice.
Hi guys!
It's
been a while since you've heard from me (it's been how many years?
jeez) but I'm going to be doing some new articles about some of my
favorite herbs and supplements.
Today's article is about one of my absolute favorites - Blackseed (Nigella sativa).
Blackseed
first came to my attention quite a few years ago when researching mu
(opiate receptor) agonists and potentiators and I was amazed to find an article that described clinical trials where blackseed was used to
treat acute opiate withdrawal (Link). The study was done in Pakistan and consisted of people who were in acute withdrawal from heroin being
locked in a 'treatment' facility and either being given nothing or
ground blackseed capsules (yikes). Amazingly, the group who received the
blackseed had a marked reduction in their withdrawal symptoms.
Now
- I am definitely not suggesting using blackseed capsules alone for
opiate withdrawal, not when we have kratom and a number of other really
useful herbs available to us, but it absolutely has a place in many
people's natural withdrawal kit and it also is commonly used as a
potentiator for kratom. The great thing about it is that it has a number
of other health benefits (it's purported to be an antioxidant, an
anti-inflammatory, to help with cardiovascular health, blood sugar, and
more).
A quick bit of history: Blackseed,
also known as black cumin seed and kalonji, has been used as a food,
spice, and folk medicine since ancient times. In fact, the seeds have
been found in Egyptian tombs, including that of Tutankhamun. It was used
in ancient Persia, India, and the middle east, as well as parts of
Europe. Traditionally used as an herbal remedy for a large variety of
maladies, current research has begun to confirm a number of potential
benefits.
As of this writing, there are
over a thousand articles indexed on PubMed, and much more research is
being done. Some of the more promising studies are on the potential for
positive effects on cardiovascular health, including lowering blood
pressure and LDL cholesterol, and raising HDL cholesterol (that's the
good kind).
However - I'm sure you guys who are
reading my blog are most interested in it's ability to either ease
opiate withdrawal and/or act as a potentiator for kratom. There is a bit
of research out there (some of it here), that seems to confirm that black seed
alone does indeed ease withdrawal symptoms. Anecdotally, I have heard
from numerous people that it really helps to take the edge off.
In
terms of potentiating kratom, there is also a lot of anecdotal
evidence. Most commonly I hear that it helps to prevent tolerance. That
is, it's not necessarily making the kratom seem stronger, rather that it
keeps it from getting less effective with regular use.
I
have personally used blackseed on and off for a number of years. I also
used it as part of my withdrawal 'kit' when I kicked opiates a number
of years ago (I might talk more about that kit later - watch this
space).
Thanks for reading! Watch this space for more great articles about herbs and botanicals.
-Mustafa
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