Pharmacological Potential of Nigella Sativa in Metabolic, Inflammatory, and Neurological Disorders: A Comprehensive Review from an Unani Perspective

Abstract

Nigella sativa (NS) is a plant extensively used for its therapeutic properties. NS is also termed as Kalonji, Black seed, or black cumin. In Unani medicine, it has properties of Muhallil-i-waram (anti-inflammatory), Mudirr-i-Bawl (diuretic), Mufattiḥ-i-Sudad (deobstruent), and Muqawwī-i-A‘ṣāb (nervine tonic). It has been used for inflammatory, metabolic, respiratory, and neurological disorders. This review aims to provide a detailed description of Kalonji (NS) in the Unani System of Medicine and to critically evaluate the pharmacological potential of Nigella sativa in metabolic, inflammatory, neurological, and respiratory diseases, especially from an Unani perspective. We performed a literature search using various keywords such as Nigella sativa from the year 2020 to 2026 with the help of PubMed and Google Scholar databases for different therapeutic activities of this plant, focusing on antidiabetic, thymoquinone, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties, etc. It has a significant potential role to modulate neuronal functions, glycaemic control, inflammatory pathways, and oxidative stress based on experimental as well as clinical findings. Despite this current potential for therapeutic efficacy, the evidence today is largely from preclinical studies, and large-scale standardized clinical trials are lacking. More research is warranted to determine safety, efficacy, dosage standardization, and chronic therapeutic use of integrative medicine.