We investigated the toxicity of the fixed oil of Nigella sativa L seeds in mice and rats through determination of LD50 values and examination of possible biochemical, hematological and histopathological changes. The acute toxicity of Nigella sativa fixed oil was investigated in mice. LD50 values, obtained by single doses, orally and intraperitoneally administered in mice, were 28.8 ml/kg body w...

The use of “purified” cooling agents in pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations only dates back to the late 1880s with the commercial production of menthol from Japanese peppermint (Mentha arvensis) oil in Japan (1). The cultivation of peppermint in Japan before the Christian era appears to predate any other country, and menthol is reputed to have been used medicinally for almost as long (2). ...

Interspecific hybridization, especially when regularly followed by backcrossing (i.e., introgressive hybridization), conveys a substantial risk for many endangered organisms. This is particularly true for narrow endemics occurring within distributional ranges of widespread congeners. An excellent example is provided by the plant genus Knautia (Caprifoliaceae): Locally endemic K. carinthiaca is ...

Aim: To identify the anti-mutagenic effect of Nigella sativa on the experimentally induced chronic diabetes (type – II) in Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: The anti-mutagenic effect was evaluated in Nigella sativa treated diabetic rats against the streptozotocin nicotinamide (STZ-NA) (at a dose rate of 45-110 i.p mg/kg b.wt for 90 days) induced type-II diabetes mellitus using bone marrow mic...

Sinapis arvensis is a weed with strong biological activity. Despite being a problematic annual weed that contaminates agricultural crop yield, it is a valuable alien germplasm resource. It can be utilized for broadening the genetic background of Brassica crops with desirable agricultural traits like resistance to blackleg (Leptosphaeria maculans), stem rot (Sclerotinia sclerotium) and pod shatt...

UNLABELLED BACKGROUND Sonchus arvensis is used in the treatment of various human aliments as a traditional medicine in Pakistan. In the study its various fractions are characterized for scavenging of diverse free radicals. RESULTS Results of the present study revealed that various fractions of Sonchus arvensis significantly scavenged the free radicals (DPPH·, ABTS·+, ·OH, superoxide), howe...

BACKGROUND Limited evidence supports Nigella sativa's role as an effective complementary and alternative medicine and the anti-inflammatory effects of Nigella sativa on patients with allergic rhinitis. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of topical application of Nigella sativa oil and oral acetaminophen on pain in the elderly with knee osteoarthritis residing in a p...

BACKGROUND Since long high fat diet (HFD) is being blamed for causing fatty degeneration of liver and formation of atheromatous plaques. At present, no proper pharmacotherapy is available for both the conditions. In this study, different substances containing monounsaturated fatty acids were used to observe their protective effects in the HFD induced damage to liver and coronary vessels. OBJE...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Nigella sativa Linn. is extensively used in the Indian diasporas as spice, which may interact with co-administered drugs and affect their intestinal availability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Nigella on bioavailability of amoxicillin in animal model. METHODS Everted rat intestinal sacs were used for in vitro experiment to study the transfe...

In this study, the chemopreventive efficacy of Nigella sativa seed powder as an important chemopreventive herb on the formation of colon tumor has been examined through measuring the levels of hepatic oxidative stress and metabolizing enzymes in 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced colon cancer in rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into 6 groups as untreated control, Sham, DMH (30mg/kg b.w) rec...