You may have heard about black seed and its health benefits. But what is black seed honey? What is the plant that produces the precious dark seeds, and how can bees take its medicinal properties to a new level? Read on to find out.
Pure black seed honey is an exclusive monofloral honey that is made by bees feeding on Nigella satvia flowers only. Unlike black seed oil, black seed honey has a sweet flavor and exquisite aroma and lets you experience some of the black seed benefits while also giving a treat to your taste buds.
What Is Egyptian Black Seed?
Black seed (Nigella satvia) - also known as Egyptian black seed, black cumin, or kalonji - is one of the medicinal plants that have stood an amazing test of time, used at least from the times of Ancient Egypt till the present day. Today, science has confirmed the medicinal power of the black seed - the power the ancient civilizations knew about for centuries.
Humans are not the only ones to reap all the health benefits that black seed has to offer. Bees readily collect, nectar, pollen, oils, and other trace elements from black seed flowers and turn it into delicious, potent medicinal honey they use to keep their colonies healthy.
The most famous black seed product is certainly the seed itself, and also the oil derived from it. However, that’s not the end. If you want to incorporate the black seed into your diet and supplementation routine - pure, raw, organic black seed honey is the tastiest and the most flexible way to go about it.
Uses of black seed throughout history
Black seed might be one of the most ancient medicinal herbs, highly popular in various traditional medicine and nutritional systems, as well as in folklore.
The earliest writings about black seed use came from ancient Egypt. Black seed oil was found in the 33000 years old tomb of Tutankhamun, the most famous Egyptian pharaoh. Queen Cleopatra was also known as an avid user of black seed.
Black seed is also highly regarded in Islamic literature, recommended to be used on a regular basis in Tibb-e-Nabawi - Prophetic Medicine. The most famous quote about the medicinal powers of black seed came from Muhammad (pbuh), who said that “it is a cure for all diseases except death”.
This wonder-plant is also a favorite in other traditional forms of medicine such as Ayurveda, Unani and Tibb, and Siddha
Why is Black Seed So Good and Healthy
Black seeds exhibit high nutritional and bioactive value. The seeds contain amino acids such as arginine, aspartate, cysteine, glutamate, and methionine; nutrients such as iron, zinc, copper, calcium, phosphorus, niacin, thiamin, and folic acid. Additionally, alkaloids, saponins, sterols, and essential oils are also present - black seeds contain 28 established bioactive phytochemicals.
When you look at the list, it is no wonder that a large body of modern scientific studies confirm the medicinal value of black seed and found a wide spectrum of pharmacological traits. Black seed has antimicrobial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, gastro-protective, reno-protective and antioxidant properties.