Nigella Sativa
I ran several searches and only saw the black seed oil (nigella sativa) mentioned in here in passing. Because I feel fairly new at this, I hesitate to say too much. I still have so much to learn and I don't know what's been discussed. I'm wondering if any of you have tried the nigella sativa (black seed oil) or know anyone that has. I've read a lot about it and since it's been around and recommended as far as 3,000 years back and doesn't seem to have negative side effects; I decided to give it a try. The Bible talks about the black seed plant being divine and the prophet of Islam said that black seed cures everything but death. It has been used for just about every ailment and people have sworn by it for many things. King Tut was buried with some and he's still dead, so I guess it doesn't cure death, lol.
The NCBI and a few other medical institutions have discovered some strong anti-tumor properties and I saw a study that said it helps with radiation damage too besides slowing down and blocking tumor growth. It has not had much human testing, except in some other countries, but it may be because there isn't enough profit to be had from the oil. I take 3 teaspons a day and that is the maximum dose. More can put too much stress on the liver from what I've read. I did have to stop taking it off and on because it is a very strong flavor and nausea during chemo and even during radiation has been a problem. I started taking it right after my biopsy showed that I have carcinosarcoma and I read so many bleak outcomes. The black seed oil that is prepared properly (cold-pressed, organic) has some amazing properties in it, including active compounds, crystalline nigellone and thymoquinone. The seeds also contain myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, palmitoleic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, proteins and vitamins B1, B2,B3, calcium, folate, iron, copper, zinc and phosphorous and Omega-3 fatty acids. It's not cheap, but compared to prescription meds it is a good price. I believe 32 ounces was $89, but at 3 teaspoons a day, it lasts for quite awhile.
If you haven't done any checking on this, you should. It seems to have some very promising possibilities when it comes to cancer. I'm disappointed at the shortage of human studies, but it's longevity is impressive. I originally heard about the oil in my religious text. I am a Muslim convert and having a natural plant that might help that was used so long ago, intrigued me, so I started researching it. If it wasn't a useful treatment, I would think it's use would have faded away over the 3000 plus years. I have a friend who basically got a death sentence here in the U.S. for stomach cancer and went to China and had a combination of Eastern and Western medicine and was still NED ten years later when I lost track of him, but it convinced me of the possible value of using natural/ Eastern medicine along with western treatment.
I'm including a link that talks about various studies and comparisons. Even if it just slowed tumor growth, that could still be a huge blessing. https://www.honeycolony.com/article/benefits-of-black-cumin-seed-oil/ I get my oil from a company on Amazon that I know follows the right processing procedures. NCBI has some research abstracts. There is an excellent anti-inflammatory property in thymoquinone, an active ingredient in the oil. With Lupus, inflammation is one of my chronic problems and from what I understand, inflammation is a real problem in many cancers too. I did tell my Dr. I was taking it and he said it was okay. I take about 20 different over the counter vitamins and natural treatments. The only ones he told me to stop taking were the vitamin C and the tumeric and a mushroom supplement, but that had C in it. If the nigella sative (black seed oil) is old news, then.....nevermind, lol. I feel like I'm giving my body some options and I hope it's paying attention!!
Comments
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Amatullah
I'm not sure if you read my story, but my metastatic endometrial cancer went into complete remission,
and I just passed my 3 year anniversary and am still totally cancer free. The doctor who led me to
my remission was an integrative oncologist, and practiced what he described as a combination of western
and eastern medicine as you discuss.He put me on a regimen of 45 supplements- black seed cumin oil is one of those supplements. I also take
frankencense (bosswelia) and myrrh (kanachar guggulu) along with curcurmin (some believe to be the gold
portion of the 3 gifts of the wise men. I personally believe the only way to heal metastatic cancer is with
integrative medicine and supplementation is a key part of that. All of the supplements I use target many
different things, to ensure all parts of my body are functioning properly so my body does not create an
environment where cancer wants to grow. I don't know why your doctor said to stop taking the turmeric,
but it is one of the better known supplements known to fight cancer, because it is an anti-inflammatory.
I also take 4 mushroom supplements (Chaga, Maitake D fraction, Shitake and Coriolus NK or Turkey Tail mushroom).
I never took Vitamin C but take liquid resveratrol and eat alot of berries each day (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries,
cherries strawberries, and add black raspberry powder to my daily smoothie.I started taking all my supplements while i was on chemo and continue with them today. My doctor had a
PHd in molecular biology and knew every supplement to provide a cancer patient. He helped put my late
stage cancer in complete remission, along with many others who had terminal cancer. You can read my
entire story posted as 'NED from Stage IV metastatic endometrial cancer." first posted in January 10, 2016.I take the black seed cumin oil as a capsule made by Life Extension (www.lef.org).
They are a good source of high quality supplements and the website is excellent for
background on health issues and integrative treatment.You may also want to look into taking low dose aspirin- I take 2 each day. Aspirin targets
inflammation and is known to reduce the chance of any cancer by 25%.Takingcontrol58
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Thank you for posting this,
Thank you for posting this, Amatullah. I'd been working with a naturopath (since retired) and take a lot of supplements, but never heard of this one. I'll be adding it to my repertoire. Thank you for the confirmation, TakingControl58, and the reminder that I'd like to find a good integrated oncologist in the So Cal area. Meanwhile I looked nigella sativa up at PubMed and found one of the articles. I was impressed.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3252704/
I also looked it up on the Memorial Sloan Kettering herbs and supplements site. The section under "for healthcare professionals" is a nice introduction to the PubMed info for someone such as myself who's completely unfamiliar with it.
https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/nigella-sativa
If I may indulge in a small rant, WTF can't we get this type of information from our treatment teams? I've never gotten one G**dam bit of information about supplements from anyone at my hospital, and God knows I've asked. I make my oncologist reveiw the list of supplements I currently take, and I opted out of antioxidants and vitamins during radiation per the radiologist's instructions, but it's a sin and a shame that the best I can get is benign neglect. Again I'm reminded how important this website is!
p.s. Not sure why the tumeric was verboten per your doctor. That's one of the biggies that almost all studies cite. Strange.
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Thanks Taking Control and DerMaus
I suspect that my dr. told me not to take things he was unsure about or had no information on. I would rather them tell me they don't know. I did a lot of studying up on tumeric and the dosage and was impressed by what I read, but I figured he does this for a living so he knows better. But I believe we create the environment in our body that either inhibits or aids the cancer's existence. So we decide what to follow and not follow. I'm going to have to do some more reading. I don't think black cumin is the same as Nigella Sativa aka black seed oil, but I think their properties and purpose are very similar. I'm open to most natural treatments. I get a lot of products from Life Extensions to treat Lupus and think they have good products. I draw the line at coffee enemas though, lol.
I finished my brachytherapy and pelvic radiation last Monday. I'm worried because I'm still having a problem with nausea. I had a problem with it during the therapy which from what I understand most people don't, but I expected it to go away when I stopped the treatment. Today I've been sick again, complete with dry heaves when I can't puke anymore. Of course that's got me worried that it could be cancer related, rather than treatment complications since I'm not being treated now. I had a pet scan about 6 weeks ago and it was great, so I wouldn't think that it could be cancer related. Of course we can't quite stop thinking about the worst case scenario. Sigh. Anyway thanks again.
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It Takes Time
I had extended pelvic radiation which went all the way up to my breastbone. It ended in early August. I still have occasional nausea and my appetite hasn't returned so I'd hazard a guess that your system is simply still recovering. I had a prescription for Ondansetron and also used Emerol OTC; hopefully your doctor has prescribed something. I'm glad your scan was clear, congratulations !
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derMaus and Amatullah
It is interesting you quoted the Sloan website. I received my chemo infusions at MSKCC and
they were very against supplementation. The nurses in the chemo room said they were not
allowed to talk about supplements. The oncologist that administered my chemo treatment
berated my integrative oncologist who had so much more experience than she did, but
they couldn't stop me from working with him.You have to remember, current cancer treatment in our country is about dispensing
cancer drugs only. They focus on treating a tumor. They need to focus on treating our
entire body. Cancer is a systemic disease. Our entire body allows cancer grow.This approach all goes back to the creation of the American Medical Association in the early 20th century.
It was created by the Rockefellers who started giving money and took over the curriculum of the
medical schools. At this point, anyone who did not treat with allopathic medicine was a quack.
I'm sure you can find the history of all the doctors whose careers were destroyed by the AMA
and their associates. It is not much different today. Until we get the government to mandate
integrative treatment in our medical system, not much will change. That means they will need
to approve insurance payments for integrative treatements and change the curriculum of the
medical schools. The pharmaceutical companies are closedly tied with the government and
since they can't patent plants and sell them, they work very hard to denigrate supplementation.
Medical students are basically taught how to dispense pharmaceutical drugs- they are not taught
very much about diet and supplementation. I don't think most oncologists know very much about
basic biology, since that is what cancer is all about. If they focused on the causes of cancer, we
would have less cancer.Amatullah, Black seed cumin oil comes from Nigella Satvia. I used to get another brand but I get what
my pharmacy usually recommends if another brand is out of stock. It is like Curcurmin comes from the turmeric root.
You might want to look into taking some good probiotics- you need to replace all the good gut bacteria that the
chemo destroyed. That may be the cause of your nausea. I never experienced any nausea and didn't take any of my
Odansetron pills, but I was taking a probiotic, along with many other supplements.I actually buy all my supplements through a pharmacy in NYC. The pharmacist worked very closely with my past integrative
oncologist and current one. Only a few of my supplements come from Life Extension but they are a good source for certain things.DerMaus, as you say you will have to find a good integrative oncologist to work with who understands both
supplementation and cancer treatment. I know it is not easy. It is unfortunate that you opted out of
vitamins and antioxidants during treatment, as it has been proven that certain supplements make the
treatments work better and help lessen side effects. I think the reason I didn't have any side effects
(except hair loss) was because I was taking supplements. As they say, it is better to prevent a problem
than deal with it afterwards. So many women experience neuropathy, because it is well known our treatment
causes this- but the supplements I used kept me from developing serious neuropathy. I just don't understand
why oncologists can't at least prescribe supplements with treatment to prevent some of the side effects but
that is not the practice of standard cancer treatment today. Instead, they prescribe more chemical drugs once
you have the side effects. That is why I went the integrative treatment route.You might want to get the book "Natural Strategies for Cancer Patients" by Russell Blaylock. I used this
book to learn all about supplements and cancer treatment before I met with my integrative oncologist
and often refer to it now as I finally understand it at this point. He talks about supplements to use with
both chemo and radiation as well.Takingcontrol58
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Thanks again!
I do take probiotics, although I've never been quite sure what to take. I just got some new ones in a drink mixture called Vital Reds by Gundry MD. I haven't started them yet. Money is tight so I alternate between less expensive sometimes. I'm taking a cheap one now, so maybe switching will help. I take Armour Thyroid, Potassium, Hydroxychlorquine, DilTIAzem, Tramadol HCL, Oxycodone, Vitamin D3, Magnesium, Glucosamine, Tumeric/Curcumin (stopped temporarily), B Complex, B2, B6, Zinc, L-Glutamine, Aloe Vera, Ubiquinol, Tumeric, Curcumin (stopped taking), Black Seed Oil, Manukah Honey, Graviola(Soursop),Vital Reds (Probiotics)starting now. The L-Glutamine has really helped my neuropathy which was bad before I got cancer treatment. The only time it got really bad is when they upped the level of my taxotere. It was awful then. My pelvic radiation did some nerve damage in my right hip/butt. It's numb and hurts, but I'm hoping that will go away, along with the nausea. I had crackers and peanut butter for dinner tonight. That sits better than real food.
Someone told me if I take antioxidants that repair cells, then it will make the chemo and radiation not kill the cancer cells. There doesn't appear to be any human studies that prove this though. From what I've read, the vitamins help prevent many of the side effects, but I can't understand why they haven't ran some studies on the antioxidants, since they are advising against them. https://integrativeoncology-essentials.com/2013/03/hey-doc-can-i-take-antioxidants-during-chemo-and-radiation/
Again I appreciate the information and how much you guys and this site helps me know what I need to research. I start 3 rounds of chemo in a couple of weeks, I guess. I'm waiting for my oncologist to call. They didn't have an opening until December 18th which I objected to waiting that long. I'd rather hit any stray cancer cells now while they are "traumatized" from the radiation than wait over a month. They're supposed to call me tomorrow. After the three more rounds of Taxotere and Carb(?), I imagine I wait for 3 or 6 months and get tested. My hair is starting to grow in since I've been on radiation for the last 6 weeks and now it's going to fall out again. That is so trivial compared to the big picture. I'm off to read up on diet during chemo again. I got so weak last time I could barely get up and I lost 40 pounds. Since I'm on my own, I can't really afford to just lay there and be too tired to even eat. Hopefully I can do better. Thanks again.
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Additional Information
Thank you Amatullah and Takiing Control for sharing about this supplement's benefits. It's another weapon to consider adding to our fight against this cancer, but you just have to know that I'm going to pipe up as I usally do with some other considerations besides the benefits for taking this.
I don't mean to burst anyone's bubble when I do this, but I think someone needs to add notes of caution here before anyone jumps into "adding this to their repertoire" (sorry Der Maus!) without knowing the cons as well as the pros. We are all individuals with different health issues and medications that we are using dealing with them, so nothing you read here on this board is going to be one-size-fits-all. My mind always goes in this direction because all drugs, including the class known as supplements, have benefits, risks, side effects, drug interactions and contraindications. It's especially important to find out what these are for supplements because they can take more effort to find. There's nothing about nigella sativa on Consumerlab.com, unfortunately. I was wishing that there was a PDR (Physicians Desk Reference) for supplements and there actually is one on Amazon, but it's worthless because it doesn't even bring up the cautionary information.
I looked at some of the links shared here and found a more recent one on pub med from 2016 at:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5052360/
I also read the MSKCC site Der Maus shared and looked into what exactly Cytochrome P450 substrate drugs are that qualify as contraindications for taking Nigella Sativa. It would have been so much easier if they had just listed the drugs or at least the classes of these drugs because there'd be a lot to list.
The classes are:
1.) Anti-diabetic drugs. You need to monitor your blood sugar more often/closely if taking nigella sativa when you take these drugs because black seed has a moderate potentiating effect on these drugs that can make your blood sugar drop more than it's safe for it to do.
2.)Immunopuppressants. Nigella sativa can interfere with medications meant to suppress the immune system bcause it strengthens the immune system.
3.) Anticoagulants/Antiplatelets. Nigella sativa has a moderate effect slowing clotting and therefore increases risks of bruising and bleeding. This can be a positive effect since things like cancer, chemo, and diabetes increases blood clotting, but can be a negative in combination with these kinds of drugs (like baby aspirin, NSAIDs, Elaquis, Warfarin, etc.) or in the presence of existing low platelet issues that can develop during the course of cancer treatment. Platelet levels should be regularly monitored when taking this supplement as well as these kind of drugs and it's a good idea to stop them at least 2 weeks before any surgery or test (like a colonoscopy where a polyp might get removed).
4.)Antihypertensive Drugs. Nigella sativa has a moderate antihypertensive effect and can cause blood pressure to drop further than you want in combination with this class of drugs. Avoid taking the maximum safe dose of nigella sativa if you are being treated for high blood pressure and be aware that dizziness, fainting, and falls are a risk with this combination.
5.)Sedatives (CNS depressants). Nigella sativa has a moderate effect increasing sleepiness and drowsiness when taking this class of medications.
The appropriate dosage of nigella sativa is also not going to be one-size-fits-all. It's going to be impacted by age health, and weight. This natural medicine may have been around for thousands of years and showing real promise in the studies that are out there, but please don't self-medicate with it. Doing so is not without risk.
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MaBound
I've read the cautions for black seed oil, but I feel like someone was really stretching to try and find something wrong with it. It lowers your blood pressure, so if you take blood pressure meds, you need to be careful. Or you can take black seed oil and reduce or eliminate the need for blood pressure meds. It thins the blood some, which is great for people who need warfarin or baby aspirin. It is the same with the caution on diabetes and the blood sugar levels. Rather than take synthetic medicines in a struggle to keep the blood sugar low, take black seed oil and possibly take less diabetes meds. The only one I worry about is the immune system. The think that is hard to figure out about that is I thought we get cancer because our immune system is not doing it's job. So then we suppress our immune system to help get rid of it? It does lower my blood pressure, btw. That's a good thing for me. :-)
I was already taking the black seed when they did my blood panels, so my numbers factor that in. But I agree with you. We need to realize most meds are not created equal and we don't react the same way. I doubt I could find a doctor to advise me on the black seed oil, since it's not been studied enough, but after I read the prognosis for carcinosarcoma, I decided I needed to do something more than what most people are doing. Way too many people who die of uterine cancer have my type of cancer and although most of the studies on it are old, they don't seem to have a lot of new treatments for it. I'm on medicare and my treatment seems to be the same as the less aggressive cancers. It's not likely I'll ever be able to get any of the more specialized treatments that they are coming up with based on individual genetics. I take some natural stuff because I need to do something besides passively accept the same treatment they've been using for a couple of decades that has such lousey results. I doubt 3 teaspoons of black seed oil has that much impact on the immune system. One of the ironies of having Lupus is it causes my immune system to be on hyper-drive and it attacks my own tissue, but yet it must have just ignored the cancer cells, sigh. My oncologist does know I'm taking the oil. He was going to look into it, but told me to go ahead. Thanks for the info. Being cautious is good.
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Black Seed Cumin Oil
I do agree that it would be ideal to have a doctor prescribe the correct group of
supplements for a patient but unfortunately, that does not always happen.
Everyone is unique in their needs. But certain supplements are known to
have anti-cancer benefits for all cancer patients, and black seed cumin oil
is one of them.I know it is very difficult to find an integrative oncologist or good naturopath who also
treats cancer patients. As long as you understand all the risks, that is good.
Most doctors don't even tell their patients about all the risks of pharmaceutical
drugs. It is very important to do your own research. When my doctor tells me
to take something, I always do my own research first. There is alot of research
on black seed cumin oil.Amatullah, my integrative oncologist who put me on the black seed cumin oil
had a PHd in molecular biology- he understood what supplements can be used
by cancer patients. He even mentions it in the last book he published before
he died - "The Gene Therapy Plan" by Mitchell Gaynor. He lists the supplements
he considers that are among the most important ones for cancer patients. I
take ten of the twelve he lists. I can provide the list if you like.
I am also on metformin and aspirin at the same time and
haven't had a problem. In the big picture, there is alot less risk taking a supplement
than getting chemotherapy.Takingcontrol58
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Balanced Information
Amatullah, and anyone else for that matter, don't ever feel that you have to justify to anyone why you are following a particular path on this journey. If I've learned anything since my diagnosis, it's that there are a lot of variables and options involved in treating this cancer and no one needs to justify what's working for them when they share their journey with the rest of us. You never know who you help when you do, so these kind of contributions are always of great benefit. It's just important to remember that nothing is one-size-fits all, so the information shared about them needs to include both the pros and the cons so each person can make a well-informed decision for themselves.
The reason I piped up in this thread, and others on supplements, is that what gets shared tends to be weighted towards the benefits that these OTC drugs offer and the "buts" get left out. Natural or not, these pharmaceuticals all have the capacity for powerful impacts depending on one's situation and we all need to know what they are to have the information we need to weigh into our decisions to ask our doctors about taking them or not. Incomplete information can sometimes be dangerous.
TakingControl, I think I'm a lot like you in that I have to research everything new I learn about. Please keep sharing your journey, I think a lot of us find it really interesting and inspiring.
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Thanks MaBound and TakingControl
We definitely need to do our own research and most of all advocate for ourselves. I'm supposed to start my last 3 rounds of chemo because I just finished the radiation I did in between the first 3 rounds of chemo. They don't have an opening for 6 weeks and I was told I should wait three weeks and then start. Now they're saying 6 weeks is fine. So in comes the paranoia since I was told that it's easier to kill off the microscopic cancer cells when they are still "reeling" from the radiation. Cancer has made me a bit distrustful when they tell me one thing and then another, sigh. TakingControl, I would like to know what you are taking. People do the Metformin when other meds aren't working well enough??? Is that true. I did start taking aspirin again this past week. I was told I needed it, but stopped because of the surgery, then forgot. I get dehyrated pretty easily, so I need to take that one. MaBound, having the discussion group works best when we do present the variouspieces of information and then do our own research. I appreciate it when you and others add information that might be overlooked. Thanks.
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Metformin
Hi everyone. I joined CSN a few months ago but this is my first post as I thought I should add my own ltd experience with metformin. I live in London and consulted with Care Oncology Clinic who are carrying out a trial using a cocktail of repurposed drugs. My protocol is metformin, mebendazole, atatorvastin. I've only been on the drugs a few weeks so too early to say one way or the other if they are having any effect and no guarantee that they will - a bit like chemo then! My oncologist is not happy stating that there are no randomised clinical trials but I have gone ahead as I have nothing to lose as I am stage 4 endometrial serous carcinoma. There are a number of organisations lookjng into repurposing existing drugs for cancer treatments.
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Lej,Lej said:Metformin
Hi everyone. I joined CSN a few months ago but this is my first post as I thought I should add my own ltd experience with metformin. I live in London and consulted with Care Oncology Clinic who are carrying out a trial using a cocktail of repurposed drugs. My protocol is metformin, mebendazole, atatorvastin. I've only been on the drugs a few weeks so too early to say one way or the other if they are having any effect and no guarantee that they will - a bit like chemo then! My oncologist is not happy stating that there are no randomised clinical trials but I have gone ahead as I have nothing to lose as I am stage 4 endometrial serous carcinoma. There are a number of organisations lookjng into repurposing existing drugs for cancer treatments.
Lej,
Just wanted to welcome you to our board and let you know we are here for you. So sorry you are having to deal with cancer. I'm glad you found us and I hope you continue to post and let us know how you are doing. Never give up hope! There are several members here with stage 4 that continue to live happy lives.
Love and Hugs,
Cindi
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Thank youTeddyandBears_Mom said:Lej,
Lej,
Just wanted to welcome you to our board and let you know we are here for you. So sorry you are having to deal with cancer. I'm glad you found us and I hope you continue to post and let us know how you are doing. Never give up hope! There are several members here with stage 4 that continue to live happy lives.
Love and Hugs,
Cindi
Hi Cindi. Thanks very much for your welcome. Yes, I'm trying to keep as positive as I can under the circumstances. I hope to keep posting when I have a contribution to make. I do like the positive tone in a lot of the posts - very encouraging!
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Nigella Sativa
Hi Amatullah & other ladies who have contributed on this topic. I did look into this product when I got my diagnosis in the summer but didn't go any further probably due to information overload! The posts on this forum as well as information from a member has encouraged me to look into it again. Also studies on pubmed etc look promising. I am not familiar with the various brands that this product is sold under - does anyone have experience with the brand "Amazing Herbs" ? Or, a recommendation for a reliable brand would also be helpful. Thanks very much.
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I see it this way.
I see it this way.
Let's say this is all a placebo. I used to say that a placebo is a cure, but maybe in many of our cases, it isn't. I have a chronic disease. But I digress.
My nurses and dietician cleared me for Vitamin B-12, non-acidic Vitamin C, probiotics and black seed oil in addition to my usual vitamins and supplements. The black seed bottle I have says two teaspoons a day. The stuff tastes nasty to me, though ... I may follow the recommendations on the bottle and mix it with a little honey. Honey also has curative properties.
But anyway, let's say that this is a placebo. (Not saying it is, though! I am not into spending lots of money for placebos.)
So what?
if it makes you more aware of your dietary needs, maybe you'll look into other aspects ... yoga/tai chi, mild exercise, etc. Maybe you'll look into meditation/prayer/reishi/focused thought. Maybe you'll cut down on the sweets just a little and add some better food to your diet. Maybe you'll feel like you're trying to DO something for yourself, rather than rely on drugs with names you can barely pronounce.
How on earth can that hurt? As long as your nurses clear it (I would not recommend being stealthy about it), and you follow any recommendations, such as temporarily discontinuing the black seed oil two weeks before surgery since it can affect your blood, isn't it better to be proactive?0 -
Nigella SativaLej said:Nigella Sativa
Hi Amatullah & other ladies who have contributed on this topic. I did look into this product when I got my diagnosis in the summer but didn't go any further probably due to information overload! The posts on this forum as well as information from a member has encouraged me to look into it again. Also studies on pubmed etc look promising. I am not familiar with the various brands that this product is sold under - does anyone have experience with the brand "Amazing Herbs" ? Or, a recommendation for a reliable brand would also be helpful. Thanks very much.
Lej,
Amazing Herbs is the brand I originally started using. When my pharmacy is out of it, I use the
Life Extension Brand.Takingcontrol58
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I think you are correct,MAbound said:Additional Information
Thank you Amatullah and Takiing Control for sharing about this supplement's benefits. It's another weapon to consider adding to our fight against this cancer, but you just have to know that I'm going to pipe up as I usally do with some other considerations besides the benefits for taking this.
I don't mean to burst anyone's bubble when I do this, but I think someone needs to add notes of caution here before anyone jumps into "adding this to their repertoire" (sorry Der Maus!) without knowing the cons as well as the pros. We are all individuals with different health issues and medications that we are using dealing with them, so nothing you read here on this board is going to be one-size-fits-all. My mind always goes in this direction because all drugs, including the class known as supplements, have benefits, risks, side effects, drug interactions and contraindications. It's especially important to find out what these are for supplements because they can take more effort to find. There's nothing about nigella sativa on Consumerlab.com, unfortunately. I was wishing that there was a PDR (Physicians Desk Reference) for supplements and there actually is one on Amazon, but it's worthless because it doesn't even bring up the cautionary information.
I looked at some of the links shared here and found a more recent one on pub med from 2016 at:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5052360/
I also read the MSKCC site Der Maus shared and looked into what exactly Cytochrome P450 substrate drugs are that qualify as contraindications for taking Nigella Sativa. It would have been so much easier if they had just listed the drugs or at least the classes of these drugs because there'd be a lot to list.
The classes are:
1.) Anti-diabetic drugs. You need to monitor your blood sugar more often/closely if taking nigella sativa when you take these drugs because black seed has a moderate potentiating effect on these drugs that can make your blood sugar drop more than it's safe for it to do.
2.)Immunopuppressants. Nigella sativa can interfere with medications meant to suppress the immune system bcause it strengthens the immune system.
3.) Anticoagulants/Antiplatelets. Nigella sativa has a moderate effect slowing clotting and therefore increases risks of bruising and bleeding. This can be a positive effect since things like cancer, chemo, and diabetes increases blood clotting, but can be a negative in combination with these kinds of drugs (like baby aspirin, NSAIDs, Elaquis, Warfarin, etc.) or in the presence of existing low platelet issues that can develop during the course of cancer treatment. Platelet levels should be regularly monitored when taking this supplement as well as these kind of drugs and it's a good idea to stop them at least 2 weeks before any surgery or test (like a colonoscopy where a polyp might get removed).
4.)Antihypertensive Drugs. Nigella sativa has a moderate antihypertensive effect and can cause blood pressure to drop further than you want in combination with this class of drugs. Avoid taking the maximum safe dose of nigella sativa if you are being treated for high blood pressure and be aware that dizziness, fainting, and falls are a risk with this combination.
5.)Sedatives (CNS depressants). Nigella sativa has a moderate effect increasing sleepiness and drowsiness when taking this class of medications.
The appropriate dosage of nigella sativa is also not going to be one-size-fits-all. It's going to be impacted by age health, and weight. This natural medicine may have been around for thousands of years and showing real promise in the studies that are out there, but please don't self-medicate with it. Doing so is not without risk.
I think you are correct, MABound, when you say you have to be careful taking any supplements without knowing their side effects. My blood does not clot very good and I have damage to my stomach lining from chemo. I cannot take aspirin or any NSAIDs so nigella sativa would be off-limits to me. The other problem with supplements is you cannot trust their potency since they are not regulated by the FDA.
My sister is a microbiologist and one of the companies she previously worked for did testing on some of these supplements. She said there are some good companies out there but most of them are not.
I take several supplements prescribed by my doctor and from the companies recommended by my sister. I'm also taking 2000 mg of Metformin every day. In September, I'll be four years NED from Stage II, UPSC (knock on wood).
Love,
Eldri
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Advise needed from takingcontrol58takingcontrol58 said:Amatullah
I'm not sure if you read my story, but my metastatic endometrial cancer went into complete remission,
and I just passed my 3 year anniversary and am still totally cancer free. The doctor who led me to
my remission was an integrative oncologist, and practiced what he described as a combination of western
and eastern medicine as you discuss.He put me on a regimen of 45 supplements- black seed cumin oil is one of those supplements. I also take
frankencense (bosswelia) and myrrh (kanachar guggulu) along with curcurmin (some believe to be the gold
portion of the 3 gifts of the wise men. I personally believe the only way to heal metastatic cancer is with
integrative medicine and supplementation is a key part of that. All of the supplements I use target many
different things, to ensure all parts of my body are functioning properly so my body does not create an
environment where cancer wants to grow. I don't know why your doctor said to stop taking the turmeric,
but it is one of the better known supplements known to fight cancer, because it is an anti-inflammatory.
I also take 4 mushroom supplements (Chaga, Maitake D fraction, Shitake and Coriolus NK or Turkey Tail mushroom).
I never took Vitamin C but take liquid resveratrol and eat alot of berries each day (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries,
cherries strawberries, and add black raspberry powder to my daily smoothie.I started taking all my supplements while i was on chemo and continue with them today. My doctor had a
PHd in molecular biology and knew every supplement to provide a cancer patient. He helped put my late
stage cancer in complete remission, along with many others who had terminal cancer. You can read my
entire story posted as 'NED from Stage IV metastatic endometrial cancer." first posted in January 10, 2016.I take the black seed cumin oil as a capsule made by Life Extension (www.lef.org).
They are a good source of high quality supplements and the website is excellent for
background on health issues and integrative treatment.You may also want to look into taking low dose aspirin- I take 2 each day. Aspirin targets
inflammation and is known to reduce the chance of any cancer by 25%.Takingcontrol58
Thank you for sharing the supplements you take. Please can you provide the name of the integrative oncologist that you used and all the supplements you take. I am in need due to a recurrence of endometrial cancer. I would really appreciate your help. Also what was the dosage of the supplements you took and where did you get them from. I would be very grateful if you could assist with the above. Many thanks
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Nigella Sativumtakingcontrol58 said:derMaus and Amatullah
It is interesting you quoted the Sloan website. I received my chemo infusions at MSKCC and
they were very against supplementation. The nurses in the chemo room said they were not
allowed to talk about supplements. The oncologist that administered my chemo treatment
berated my integrative oncologist who had so much more experience than she did, but
they couldn't stop me from working with him.You have to remember, current cancer treatment in our country is about dispensing
cancer drugs only. They focus on treating a tumor. They need to focus on treating our
entire body. Cancer is a systemic disease. Our entire body allows cancer grow.This approach all goes back to the creation of the American Medical Association in the early 20th century.
It was created by the Rockefellers who started giving money and took over the curriculum of the
medical schools. At this point, anyone who did not treat with allopathic medicine was a quack.
I'm sure you can find the history of all the doctors whose careers were destroyed by the AMA
and their associates. It is not much different today. Until we get the government to mandate
integrative treatment in our medical system, not much will change. That means they will need
to approve insurance payments for integrative treatements and change the curriculum of the
medical schools. The pharmaceutical companies are closedly tied with the government and
since they can't patent plants and sell them, they work very hard to denigrate supplementation.
Medical students are basically taught how to dispense pharmaceutical drugs- they are not taught
very much about diet and supplementation. I don't think most oncologists know very much about
basic biology, since that is what cancer is all about. If they focused on the causes of cancer, we
would have less cancer.Amatullah, Black seed cumin oil comes from Nigella Satvia. I used to get another brand but I get what
my pharmacy usually recommends if another brand is out of stock. It is like Curcurmin comes from the turmeric root.
You might want to look into taking some good probiotics- you need to replace all the good gut bacteria that the
chemo destroyed. That may be the cause of your nausea. I never experienced any nausea and didn't take any of my
Odansetron pills, but I was taking a probiotic, along with many other supplements.I actually buy all my supplements through a pharmacy in NYC. The pharmacist worked very closely with my past integrative
oncologist and current one. Only a few of my supplements come from Life Extension but they are a good source for certain things.DerMaus, as you say you will have to find a good integrative oncologist to work with who understands both
supplementation and cancer treatment. I know it is not easy. It is unfortunate that you opted out of
vitamins and antioxidants during treatment, as it has been proven that certain supplements make the
treatments work better and help lessen side effects. I think the reason I didn't have any side effects
(except hair loss) was because I was taking supplements. As they say, it is better to prevent a problem
than deal with it afterwards. So many women experience neuropathy, because it is well known our treatment
causes this- but the supplements I used kept me from developing serious neuropathy. I just don't understand
why oncologists can't at least prescribe supplements with treatment to prevent some of the side effects but
that is not the practice of standard cancer treatment today. Instead, they prescribe more chemical drugs once
you have the side effects. That is why I went the integrative treatment route.You might want to get the book "Natural Strategies for Cancer Patients" by Russell Blaylock. I used this
book to learn all about supplements and cancer treatment before I met with my integrative oncologist
and often refer to it now as I finally understand it at this point. He talks about supplements to use with
both chemo and radiation as well.Takingcontrol58
Can you kindly share a contact of a good integrative oncologist for breast cancer and metastaic bone cancer.
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