Nigella sativa Linn (Family: Ranunculaceae) Bengali name “kalo jera” is used as spice in Bengali foods. Native to Western Asia, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, the black seed oil has been valued for its health benefits for centuries. This plant has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of stomach aches, asthma, bronchitis, coughs, fevers, tumour and as a tonic. The dried and grounded seed was extracted with ethanol and the extract was evaluated for anti-inflammatory activity in carrageenan induced rat paw edema model. The extracts were administered orally at the doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight, and statistically significant (p<0.05) anti-inflammatory effects were observed in a dose dependant manner. The extract showed 28.75% and 43.79% inhibition of inflammation at the doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight after first hour of the carrageenan administration which was comparable to that of standard drugs aspirin 40.52% and hydrocortisone 47.71% respectively. The result of this study supported the traditional medicinal uses of this seed.

Ibrahim Med. Coll. J. 2011; 5(1): 22-24

Key word: Nigella sativa, inflammation, carrageenan

Address for Correspondence:Dr. Saima Parveen, Lecturer, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College, Moghbazar, Dhaka, Bangladesh