Black cumin seeds have been used in traditional medicine practices to treat menstrual pain, eczema, digestive issues, and bronchitis.

A new study has found that black cumin seeds may help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as reduce the risk of obesity.

Study Finds Metabolic Benefits in Black Cumin

The study, published in the journal Food Science & Nutrition, included a randomized controlled trial with 42 participants, mostly ages 20 to 50. Participants who took a daily 5 g dose of black cumin seed powder for eight weeks had lower cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, and higher HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels.

In a lab model, the researchers also found that black cumin seeds can slow the formation of adipocytes, or fat cells, which could help reduce obesity risk.

Together, the cell-based findings and the human data suggest that black cumin seeds are a “promising natural metabolic health-supporting food,” Akiko Kojima-Yuasa, PhD, senior author of the study and an associate professor at Osaka Metropolitan University, told Verywell in an email.