Botanical Information

Family: Ranunculaceae

Botanical Name: Nigella sativa L.

Physical Characteristics: The seeds are tiny (1-3 mm long), black, three sided and look a bit like pieces of flint under a microscope having a strong, spicy, peppery taste.

Common Names: Ajenuz, Black Caraway, Black Cumin, Black Seed, Corekotu, Charnushka, Faux Cumin, Fennel Flower, 

Fitch, Habba Soda, Habat-al-Baraka, Kaladuru, Kolonji, Kalonji, Nutmeg Flower, Roman Coriander, Schwarzkummel.

Range: N. Africa to Ethiopia and W. Asia

Habitats: Cultivated Beds. Easily grown in any good garden soil, preferring a sunny position. Prefers a light soil in a warm position. This species is often cultivated, especially in western Asia and India, for its edible seed. The seed is aromatic with a nutmeg scent. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes.

Edible Part: Seed

Edible Use: Condiment

Energy and Flavors: Hot energy, Spicy flavor

Systems Affected: Lungs, Stomach, Spleen

Biochemical Constituents: Alanine, arginine, ascorbic-acid, asparagine, campesterol, carvone, cymene, cystine, dehydroascorbic-acid, eicosadienoic-acid, glucose, glutamic-acid, glycine, iron, isoleucine, leucine, d-limonene, linoleic-acid, linolenic-acid, lipase, lysine, methionine, myristic-acid, nigellin, nigellone, oleic-acid, palmitic-acid, phenylalanine, phytosterols, potassium, beta-sitosterol, alpha-spinasterol, stearic-acid, stigmasterol, tannin, threonine, thymohydroquinone, thymoquinone, tryptophan, tyrosine