Black Seed Oil, A Daily Supplement
Black seed oil for heart health? During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, our black seed oil became a very popular supplement for strengthening the immune system. Having a strong immune system is one the better defences against Covid-19 infection. Black seed oil is very potent, hence the recommended amount per day is only 1 teaspoon.
Upon taking a teaspoon of black seed oil daily, a lot of people started experiencing its various other benefits as well. Such examples are; less lethargic, lesser rashes breakout or overall a healthier body. Therefore, it sparked people’s curiosity to read & learn more about black seed oil. That’s how they found numerous other benefits as well apart from boosting our immune system.
Black Seed Oil’s Anti-Hypertension Effect
For thousands of years, human have been consuming black seed oil for a wide range of benefits. A lot of modern studies have been done the oil & many more are still on-going. The results from those studies generally support black seed oil’s traditional use to treat various illness. There are many valuable benefits from consuming it. Among the top valued benefit is its ability to lower both systolic & diastolic blood pressure.
In this article, we will discuss black seed oil for heart. Specifically it’s blood pressure lowering effects. According to a 2015 study by our Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Department of Pharmacology, black seed oil’s blood pressure lowering effect was comparable to nicardipine. This is a common medication used to treat high blood pressure. From various other similar studies, it’s found that black seed oil has several possible mechanisms involved in reducing blood pressure, which includes:
- Relaxant effect
- Calcium channels blocking property
- Antioxidant reducing oxidative stress
- Diuretic effect
- Cardiac depressant effect
1. Relaxant Effect
The narrowing of blood vessel by the muscles in our artery walls is known as vasoconstriction. When that occurred, blood flow is will be reduced & the pressure in the artery will increase. Thus, causes higher blood pressure. Several studies have found that black seed oil relaxes the muscle tension in our blood vessel.
As the muscle relax, it widens the blood vessels. Hence, reversing the effect of vasoconstriction. Which is also known as vasorelaxation. By relaxing the blood vessel’s muscle tension, it decreases vascular resistance & increases blood flow. Therefore, the blood pressure will decrease to a healthy level again.
2. Calcium Channels Blocking Properties
Researchers has found that black seed oil has calcium channels blocking properties. This is one of the factors contributing to its relaxant effects. Calcium is needed for muscle contraction throughout our body. It enters our muscle cells & sends the signal which coordinates muscle contraction.
Calcium channel blockers can lower blood pressure by blocking & reducing calcium ions from entering our heart or artery. By reducing calcium, our heart & blood vessel muscles can relax. Eventually the heart contractions will decrease & arteries widen as well. As a result, it becomes easier for the heart to pump blood. Therefore, the blood pressure will reduce.
3. Antioxidant for Reducing Blood Pressure
Further studies on heart health indicates that oxidative stress causes higher blood pressure. Oxidative stress occurs when there are more free radicals being forms than antioxidants. Free radicals are continuously formed in our body. It’s just part & parcel of our body’s physiological process. The same goes to antioxidants as well, they are continuously being produced to neutralize free radicals. This is our body’s natural defence mechanism that helps to keep things in balance.
However, as our body age, the production of antioxidant decreases. This leads to more free radicals in our body, which damages our cells & consequently increases oxidative stress level. When that occurs in our artery, it reduces nitric oxide (an important vasodilator to widen blood vessel) production into our blood vessel. As a result, the blood vessel becomes narrow & thus increases the blood pressure.
That’s why as we age, external source of antioxidants becomes more important to continuously neutralize the free radicals that our body produces. By supplementing with external source of antioxidant, it helps to maintain the balance between free radicals & antioxidant. Therefore, our blood pressure can stay at a healthy level.
4. Diuretic Effects
Our kidney also plays a critical role in controlling our blood pressure, to such extent that diuretics are often the first medication to try for managing high blood pressure. Diuretics increase diuresis or urination, which reduces salt & water in our body. A reduction in salt & water leads to a decrease in overall blood volume. When that occurs, the blow flow through our blood vessels decreases as well. Consequently, that causes a decrease in blood pressure.
Black seed oil has natural diuretic effect. Research indicates that it increases diuresis by 16% after 2 weeks. It’s not as strong as common diuretic drugs that can increases diuresis by up to 30%. Nevertheless, by reducing salt & water in our body, it helps to reduce blood pressure as well.
5. Cardiac Depressant Effects
So far, researchers have not discovered the mechanisms on how black seed oil affects the heart to reduce heartbeat rate. Current studies have only found that it does decreases heart rate. This may be an overall result due to the combined effects discussed above. But presently, researchers in general agree that black seed oil has cardiac depressant effects. The depressant effect reduces heart rate & consequently reduces blood pressure.
Closing Thoughts: Black Seed Oil For Heart
Based on the points discussed above, black seed oil reduces high blood pressure via multiple mechanisms. With history of use dated thousands of years back & no side effects, this makes it a very valuable supplement to have for heart health. Especially when coupled with various other benefits as well besides for treating high blood pressure.