What You Need to Know About Black Cumin Seed Oil Skin Benefits

Whether you have nice skin and simply want to keep it that way with an effective beauty regime, or you want to develop a complete plan for improving your skin, there’s certainly no lack of products on the market that promise to work miracles. Like most people, I’ve probably spent hundreds of dollars on things that fell rather short of their promises. What’s even worse is that I’ve learned that many of these can actually be detrimental to overall health. Having learned that I did some digging and found that the black cumin seed oil’s skin benefits are worth looking into.

I found out that black seed oil for skin can help with numerous skin issues because its very unique chemical constituency is varied and powerful. Black cumin seed oil (Nigella Sativa L.) is an annual herb that has been used medicinally for more than 3,000 years.

It might surprise you to know that black cumin was mentioned in the Bible as a spice in baking, primarily as an ingredient in cakes and bread. The Prophet Muhammad is quoted, “Hold on to the use of the black seed for indeed it has a remedy for every disease except death.”

That may have been giving this tiny seed a tad more credit than it is worth, but when you find it in many tombs, including Tutankhamun's, and learn how physicians of ancient Egypt used it for numerous illnesses, including allergies, infections, toothaches, headaches, colds, digestive issues, and inflammation, it certainly was held in high esteem throughout history.

The list includes many naturopathic masters such as Hippocrates and Dioscorides. And the use of black cumin seed oil did not end there. Many notations of its use are present in medical books and records throughout history, including “The Canon of Medicine” published in 1025, the 1539 book “New Kreuterrbuch” (“The New Herbal”) by Leonhart Fuchs which depicts 517 botanicals, and “The New Complete Herbal Book” written in 1731.

There are nearly three dozen compounds in black cumin seed oil. While each has individual benefits, it’s the abundance of phytochemicals that packs the punch making using black cumin seed oil for skin such a great idea.

There is one component, thymoquinone is one of the main active ingredients and is well known for its  anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer properties. This may sound a bit over the top for the average skin care regime but isn’t it nice to know you could be preventing serious problems in the future?

I’m particularly enthused that scientists have conducted a study with mice and found that the thymoquinone and thymohydroquinone in black seed oil resulted in a 53% decrease in cancer tumor cells. While this study was looking at internal cancer rather than skin cancer, it does give me a good feeling that preventing skin cancer may be one of the black cumin seed oil skin benefits. Other studies found that black cumin seed oil is effective for decreasing eczema.

As with any product, both natural and synthetic, it is always possible to have an allergic reaction. Black cumin seed oil is deemed likely safe for most people when taken internally in small quantities, such as a food flavoring or when used medicinally for the short-term. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should not use large amounts.

​​​​​Most other precautions are intended for internal use rather than using black seed oil for skin. For example, it can lower blood sugar so a diabetic may need to adjust accordingly. It can also lower blood pressure which is advantageous, but those on medication may need to adjust accordingly. The potential for slower blood clotting exists so use of black seed oil should be discontinued two weeks prior to a scheduled surgery. Again, these side effects are more relevant if you opt to use black seed oil internally.

There’s nothing wrong with using black seed oil simply to have healthier, more radiant skin. However, it can also be used for a variety of skin conditions you may be dealing with. As already noted, eczema sufferers can notice a decrease in skin inflammation as the emollient properties add nutrients to the skin.

This is the case for psoriasis sufferers as well, but is further helped by the compounds which work to regulate immune cells to fight the abnormal cell proliferation occurring. The anti-inflammatory benefit, along with a natural antihistamine, makes it helpful for acne as well. Bruises can also be reduced.

Infections such as fungal skin infections and ringworm benefit from the anti-fungal properties of black cumin seed oil. Some professionals believe rosacea is caused by a fungi or bacteria, so that would make black seed oil helpful. Even if that is not the cause, it will help as an anti-inflammatory and with skin healing.

As mentioned previously, there is research that indicates that black seed oil can prevent skin cancer and also fight squamous cell carcinoma.

If you aren’t convinced just yet about whether to ditch your over the counter skin complexion products and give black seed oil a try, consider that those products are loaded with artificial ingredients and dyes – many of which are believed to be cancer-causing. Additionally, many do not work so you are doing harm without the benefit of relief.

I believe a better route is to use black cumin seed oil to restore the vitality and health of your skin by getting to the root causes of any skin issues rather than mask them over with a product that could be harming your overall health. I also love that one product can have many other uses as well, including being great for hair and scalp and as a pick-me-up when mixed with my morning orange juice. Whether you stick to external skin care or use it internally, be sure to get yours from a trusted source for purity.