According to Dr. Axe, the creator of the famous American site of alternative medicine, which cites the information of the Egyptian Journal of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, cumin seeds include very important Phytochemical components that make this product very powerful and useful:
• Thymoquinone (TQ)
• Thymohydroquinone (THQ)
• Thymol
Here are some details about those Phytochemical components:
• THYMOQUINONE – this substance is contained in 30-40% essential oils of Nigella Sativa seeds. This substance was first obtained in 1960 by Professor El-Dakhakhny.
• THYMOHYDROQUINONE – it’s another kind of Thymoquinone. It is the most potent natural acetylcholinesterase inhibitors on the planet. Thymohydroquinone has the main role in halting enzyme activity. This allows a brain to keep a big amount of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine longer. .
• THYMOL – is an active and famous ingredient that has medicinal properties, benefits, and useful qualities. Thymol is widely used in medical practice and in the pharmaceutical industry. There is even a medical drug called “Thymol” - antihelminthic drug, antiseptic, bactericidal, antipruritic, and anthelmintic means. On its basis, there are also other drugs, such as tooth elixirs and disinfectants.
Now consider the chemical composition of seeds of black onion. Seeds from different countries have been tested and investigated in various laboratories around the world since the early 1990’s. There are many research results with different data since we have already mentioned the fact that seed nutrition depends on the place of origin, as the main factors affecting the development of seed are the soil, water, and climate of a particular region. In this case, we will compare the seeds from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, India, Pakistan, China, India, Ethiopia, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, and Sudan. We took analyses results which were determined by the of AOAC methods in 1997, and for comparison, we added research results from other Middle East countries.
“The pure seeds of Nigella sativa showed richness and diversity in its biological structure. These seeds contain carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, volatile, and fixed oils” (Rajsekhar and Kuldeep, 2011)