Recipe
Honey with crushed black seed
- Herb:
- Black cumin Nigella sativa
- Method:
- Honey macerate
- Plant part:
- Fruit
About 10 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Toast the black seeds briefly in a dry pan (30 seconds, just until fragrant) and let them cool.
- Crush them coarsely in a mortar — whole seeds taste of little, a fine powder turns bitter.
- Stir into 250 g of runny honey and leave in a jar for 1–2 weeks to infuse.
- Serve a teaspoon on bread, in yoghurt or in a warm (not hot) drink.
Extraction
- Herb:
- 2 tablespoons of freshly crushed seeds per 250 g of honey
- Solvent:
- honey as a carrier, without heating; 1–2 weeks of infusion
- Shelf life:
- 6 months in a sealed jar at room temperature
- Target compounds:
- essential oil containing thymoquinone and p-cymene passes only partly into honey; mainly flavour and aroma
Notes
A traditional Middle Eastern breakfast pairing. Kitchen amounts of the seed are ordinary food; concentrated oils and capsules are another category and the clinical trials with them are small. No honey for children under one year.
Why it works
Crushing releases the thymoquinone-rich volatile oil, which is lipophilic and passes into honey only partly — this is mostly about taste. Clinical data on Nigella sativa (lipids, glucose, asthma) come from small trials with oils and extracts, not a spoon of honey; the review by Gholamnezhad et al. summarises them with their limitations.
Literature
- Gholamnezhad Z, Havakhah S, Boskabady MH (2016): Preclinical and clinical effects of Nigella sativa and its constituent, thymoquinone: A review. J Ethnopharmacol 190:372–386 — Review of preclinical and clinical data; most clinical studies are small.
Related
Black cumin — Herb card
Honey macerate — Processing method detail