Some time ago we wrote about an Iranian animal study in which a supplement containing Nigella sativa boosted testosterone levels. But the dose used was gruesomely high. Today we’ve come up with some animal studies in which Black Seed Oil extracted from Nigella sativa seeds also causes testosterone concentration to rise. And the dose needed? It was more acceptable.
Black Seed Oil also goes by the name of Black Cumin Seed Oil. It’s a health food that’s pretty hip at the moment. According to ethnopharmacologists, the oil reduces blood pressure, has a painkilling effect and kills gut parasites. Women in some cultures use Black Seed Oil as a contraceptive and traditional healers give it to girls who are late with the onset of puberty.
The main components of Black Seed Oil are linoleic acid and oleic acid. [Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences, Volume 14, Issue 2, June 2015, Pages 172–177.] In addition, Black Seed Oil contains sterols and a range of potentially bioactive substances.
Androgenic effect
In 2011 Moroccan researchers published an animal study in which male rats had been given an injection of Black Seed Oil in their small intestine every day for 30 days. [Phytothérapie (2011) 9: 338–342.] If you convert the dose to a human adult male weighing 85 kg, you come up with about 6 ml per day. [Traité] Rats in the control group were given no active ingredients. [Témoin]
At the end of the 30 days, the rats that had been given Black Seed Oil had higher testosterone levels than the animals in the control group. In addition, the testes and prostate of the rats in the experimental group were larger.
Oral administration
Iraqi researchers also reported comparable effects in 2011, after they had administered Black Seed Oil orally. [Iraqi J. Vet. Med. 2011 35(2):52–60.] The Iraqis gave rats 1 ml Black Seed Oil per kg bodyweight every day for 30 days. The human equivalent of this dose would be about 12 ml per day.
At the end of the 30 days, the testosterone level was 7.04 nanogram per millilitre in the rats that had been given Black Seed Oil. In the male rats in the control group the testosterone level was 3.98 nanogram per millilitre.
The concentration of LH and FSH, the hormones that stimulate the testes to produce testosterone, was also higher in the rats that had been given Black Seed Oil than in the rats in the control group.
Conclusion
Interesting stuff, this Nigella sativa. Watch this space.
The effects of Nigella sativa oil administration on some physiological and histological values of reproductive aspects of rats
Summary
The goal of this study to investigate the effects of Nigella sativa (Ns) oil on reproductive values, some hematological parameters serum biochemical characteristics, some sexual hormones concentration and histological changes of treated and normal male reproductive organs. The experiment (1) dealt with 20 males and 20 female rats at 21 days of age, 10 rats of each sex were giving orally Ns oil at the rate of 1ml/kg/day for 30 days and the others left as a control group. Insignificant changes were occurred in hematological parameters except the white blood cells (WBCs), were significantly increased in treated groups (P<0.05). The treated groups showed significant increases in total protein and significant decreases in total cholesterol liver enzymes markedly increased in treated rats Significant increases in the levels of LH, FSH and testosterone for males and LH, FSH, estrogen and progesterone for females were recorded. The experiment (2) dealt with effects of Ns oil on 20 adult males and 20 adult female rats that were given same dose of Ns oil for 30 days. There were significant increase in litter size and weight of rats born in treated groups. The experiment (3) dealt with the effects of Ns oil on castrated males fifteen adult rats were divided equally into 3 groups, two groups were castrated while, the third group was left as a control group; one castrated group was treated with same dose of Ns oil for 30 days, there were significant increases in serum testosterone concentration and weight of accessory glands in treated group. Histological changes in the accessory glands of treated groups were evident. In conclusion, the administration of 1ml/kg/day of Ns oil stimulated the secretion of sexual hormones that led to improve protein synthesis of hepatic enzymes, white blood cells count and decrease the serum cholesterol
concentration in blood
Source: http://www.iasj.net/iasj?func=fulltext&aId=24262
