1. www.jcimjournal.com/jim
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Letter to the Editor
Nigella sativa is a safe herbal product
Abdullah Bamosa
Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
KEYWORDS: Nigella sativa; diabetes mellitus, type 2; kidney failure, acute
DOI: 10.3736/jintegrmed2014007
Bamosa A. Nigella sativa is a safe herbal product. J Integr Med. 2014 January; Epub ahead of print.
Received December 28, 2013; accepted December 31, 2013.
Open-access article copyright © 2014 Abdullah Bamosa.
Correspondence: Abdullah Bamosa, PhD, Associate Professor; E-mail: aosbamosa@gmail.com
This is a comment on the following article:
Arslan E, Sayın S, Demirbaş Ş, Çakar M, Somak NG,
Yeşilkaya Ş, Sağlam K. A case study report of acute renal
failure associated with Nigella sativa in a diabetic patient.
J Integr Med. 2013; 11(1): 64-66.
We are currently publishing results on one-year N. sativa
treatment in diabetic patients. It showed that N. sativa has
hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and cardioprotective effects
with no adverse effects.
Competing interests
We have been conducting research on the beneficial
effects of Nigella sativa for more than 15 years. We have
conducted several clinical trials and used up to 3 g/d
and found no toxic effect, rather N. sativa had positive
effects on these patients. N. sativa in three doses (1, 2, and
3 g/d) with 40 mg nexium produced from 50% to 67%
eradication of Helicobacter pylori in non-ulcer dyspeptic
patients[1]. Furthermore, N. sativa in type 2 diabetic patients
with the same doses (1, 2 and 3 g/d) reduced fasting blood
glucose and hemoglobin A1c significantly by the end of the
three months treatment and all basic indexes were normal[2].
I really think that the investigators[3] should have looked
at the composition of the tablets they reported that cause
acute renal failure before they attributed this effect to
N. sativa. Many herbal products sold in public shops are
contaminated with other products that could be sometimes
toxic. I would not agree with the conclusion of the
investigators and I think their approach should have been
more scientific before jumping into such a conclusion.
The author declares that he has no competing interests.
REFERENCES
1
2
3
Salem EM, Yar T, Bamosa AO, Al-Quorain A, Yasawy MI,
Alsulaiman RM, Randhawa MA. Comparative study of
Nigella sativa and triple therapy in eradication of Helicobacter
pylori in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia. Saudi J Gastroenterol.
2010; 16(3): 207-214.
Bamosa AO, Kaatabi H, Lebdaa FM, Elq AM, Al-Sultanb
A. Effect of Nigella sativa seeds on the glycemic control
of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Indian J Physiol
Pharmacol. 2010; 54(4): 344-354.
Arslan E, Sayın S, Demirbaş Ş, Çakar M, Somak NG,
Yeşilkaya Ş, Sağlam K. A case study report of acute renal
failure associated with Nigella sativa in a diabetic patient. J
Integr Med. 2013; 11(1): 64-66.
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