INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS, cilt.46, ss.317-323, 2013 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Nigella sativa L. (Ranunculaceae), commonly known as 'black cumin', is an erect herbaceous annual plant. N. sativa seeds have traditionally been used in folk medicine as a natural remedy for various diseases as well as a spice. The seeds contain both fixed and essential oils, proteins, alkaloids and saponins. Much of the biological activity of the seeds has been shown to be due to thymoquinone, the major component of the essential oil. The fixed oil is composed mainly of unsaturated fatty acids, including the unusual C20:2 eicosadienoic acid.