The Black Seeds

Here at SuperForest we love seeds…a lot. And with the Millennium Seed Bank Coalition in full swing, I thought it would be an appropriate time to drop some crazy seed knowledge while at the same time sharing a family secret. Here it goes!!!

I proudly present to you, Black Caraway Seeds (or as we simply call them in my family…black seeds).



The seeds appear pretty normal but the reality behind their meager appearance is that they are actually very powerful. To commence our Black Seed Informative Tour we are going to go back in time. Here are a few facts...

1.Black seeds were discovered in Tutankhamen's tomb. This implies that it may have played an important role in ancient Egyptian practices or at the very least, was important enough for them to take with them to the afterlife.

2. Dioscoredes, a Greek physician of the 1st century, recorded that black seeds were taken to treat headaches, nasal congestion, toothache, and intestinal worms.

3. The many uses of black seed has earned for this medicinal herb the Arabic approbation habbatul barakah, meaning "the seed of blessing."

So history is trying to tell us that these little guys were important and that they can be used to treat wide variety of ailments. How amazing! Nature is so kind to provide us with such incredible gifts. A lot of scientific studies have been conducted and also validate the awesome power of the black caraway seed. Studies show that the black seeds help strengthen the immune system, inhibits histamine release, contains anti-tumor properties, fights bacteria, and works as an anti-inflammatory. Now I know what you’re thinking;this sounds too good to be true, does it work? I can only respond to this by saying I cannot remember the last time I had a cold (knock on wood).



So here comes the family secret: next time you are feeling a little under the weather, try this.

1. Go to your local market and buy a bag of these black seeds, if you know of a Mediterranean foods store try them, there is a much higher chance they carry these seeds.

2. Take a pinch of these seeds, just a pinch is all you will be eating (trust me, the seeds pack quite a punch, you won’t want to eat too much)

3. Place the seeds in your mouth and chew the seeds up really well. (This is the part where things get to get a little gross, you see, black caraway seeds are notoriously bitter. They don’t taste really good but hey, neither does medicine. You wanna get better don’t you?)

4. Swallow (probably the hardest part but trust me, it will all be worth it)

That’s it! Easy as that, take it a couple times a day and you’ll start to feel better straight away. The one thing that is important to keep in mind is that you must take the seeds right when you start to feel you’re coming down with something, if you take it when you are in the thick of symptoms, well, you might be a little too late.

And there you have it; a potential cure for the common cold. You read it here on SuperForest. In celebration, here is a lovely jam by a little band from New Zealand called…The Black Seeds (surely these lads knew the power of the black seeds when choosing their band name).

SuperForest wishes you all a very healthy 2009! Go on with your bad selves.

-C

(Here's some more info on the black caraway seed.)