Boost Your Energy Levels with Black Cumin

The AP Team on April 20, 2018

You’re sitting at your desk, trudging through a long day of work, when it hits you. That dreaded afternoon slump. It’s almost as if you can feel your energy levels dropping through the floor.

Instead of reaching for that daily caffeine fix to push you through your day, there may be a more permanent solution with longer lasting effects and bigger benefits.

Black cumin seed, otherwise known as Nigella sativa, has been used throughout history and in modern times as a treatment for a variety of diseases and ailments.

You know black cumin as an immune system booster, but what about as an energy booster? Black cumin is often used for is a lack of energy and fatigue.

According to a study done by the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, “The Canon of Medicine,” a medieval text written by Persian philosopher Avicenna noted long ago that the black seed stimulates the body’s energy and aids in recovery from fatigue and low spirits.

So, What’s in the Seed?

Black cumin seed is such a great energy booster. This tiny but might seed is jam packed with so many great nutrients. The main compound found in black cumin is crystalline nigellone, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

Black cumin seeds, according to Health Guidance, contain over 100 chemical compounds, some of which have yet to be identified.

Broken down further, the seed contains many nutritionally valuable compounds such as beta-sitosterol, thymoquinone, stearic acid, proteins, calcium, folic acid, iron, copper, zinc, phosphorous and vitamins B1, B2 and B3 just to name a few.

B vitamins

The B1 and B2 vitamins are part of where the energy boost comes in. According to the book Black Cumin: The Magical Egyptian Herb For Allergies, Asthma, and Immune Disorders by Peter Schleicher and Mohamed Saleh, B1 and B2 are both energy-focused vitamins.

In their book, the pair state that, “Vitamin B1 is the ultimate energy vitamin. It helps generate energy from carbohydrates […] Vitamin B1 is essential for a healthy nervous system and a deficiency can lead to depression. It also enhances memory and mental alertness.” They go on to note that, “B2 is necessary for enzymes to initiate the energy production from substances such as protein, fat and carbohydrates.”

These two B vitamins found in black cumin seed can help boost both physical and mental energy, improving general weakness and mental state.

Iron

Not only is black cumin a source of B1 and B2 vitamins, it’s also a source of iron.

Iron deficiency can lead to chronic fatigue or generally low energy. Upping your iron intake could mean upping your energy levels.

According to Health Canada, the recommended daily value for iron is 14 mg. In the US, the RDA is 11mg for adult men and 15 mg for adult women. According to HealthBenefitsTimes.com, there is 9.7 mg of iron in 100 g of black cumin seeds.

Black cumin seeds also improve sleep quality. Of course, a better sleep, in turn, means more daily energy.

The folklore of the black cumin seed

Given black cumin’s lengthy history as a natural health remedy, it’s no surprise that both black cumin seeds and their oil have a long history in folklore both as medicine and food.

According to a study published in the Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences, black cumin seeds have traditionally been used in Middle Eastern folk medicine to treat numerous diseases for more than 2000 years.

The study also states that black cumin has been used as both a stimulant and a sedative.

Black cumin can impact different bodies in different ways. The best way to discover how black cumin impacts your body is to try taking it at different times of the day to see whether you personally benefit from a more immediate boost of energy or a second-hand boost through improved sleep.

How to Take Black Cumin

There are a few ways to get black cumin into your system.

As is

For starters, you can consume the seed as is, in seed form. Many people recommend cooking with the seeds. For instance, Kitchen Doctor author Ingrid Naiman suggests cooking with black cumin seeds to get the benefits of the seed and add flavor to foods.

Leaf suggests steeping the seeds in hot water to make a black cumin tea.

According to The Blessed Seed, heating the whole seed for cooking and other purposes will not damage the seeds, and you won’t lose any of the nutritional value the seeds have to offer.

Heat the seeds at a low temperature, stir regularly and make sure they don’t burn.

Grind ’em

There’s also the option of ingesting black cumin by grinding the seeds down into a powder. This way, it’s easy to mix into smoothies, water, juices, yogurt and other food items.

As an oil

Finally, there’s the option of consuming your black cumin seed in oil form. This is arguably the best method, especially considering that actual black cumin seeds can be hard to come by.

Oil is much more concentrated than the whole seed and is more easily absorbed. Due to the concentration of black cumin oil, you only need one teaspoon. Black cumin oil can be taken straight, or mixed with other foods. Don’t cook with it, though; high heat damages the seed’s benefits.

The only potential downfall to using the oil is that minerals don’t come through in pressed oils. This means the iron present in the seed, won’t be part of the benefits when taking pressed black cumin oil.

However, while you may lose the iron, you gain other rich compounds that help boost your energy, support your immune system and kill viruses in a more concentrated form.

Deena AS Hussain and M. Musharraf Hussain reported in their journal about a study that concluded that “the key to understanding why black seed oils benefits the body in this way is because it is rich in three key natural chemicals: thymoquinone (TQ), thymohydroquinone (THQ) and thymol.”

The combination

The best way to get everything you can out of black cumin seeds is to take a combination of the whole seed, either ground or in seed form, as well as in oil form. You’ll get the extra benefits of black cumin seed oil and the minerals found in the seed.

It’s important when purchasing black cumin oil to pay attention to what’s in it. The best option is an organic, pure-pressed oil, free of additional ingredients and stored in a light-protective and air-sealed container. Make sure the product you’re buying is pure to get the most benefits.

If you’re looking for a good quality black cumin oil, Perfect Press Black Cumin Oil is the only black cumin oil that fits all the important criteria. We press our 100% black cumin seed oil from organic, non-GMO seeds.

Banishing fatigue isn’t the only reason to take Perfect Press Black Cumin Oil. Discover more about this incredible remedy here.

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