Not Your Mama’s Cumin!

You’ve probably been glued to your electronic devices just waiting for my next bit of fascinating information, so here it is! My goal is to once a week send out a Blog. But, I started back to work last Monday, the 11th, which also happened to be my birthday. Do not ever have a birthday scheduled immediately after your office starts up after being shutdown for six weeks. We were all scrambling to get our new protocols in place, and I had to ratchet up my speed from slow and easy to quick and fast-paced. I went from seeing just a few neighbors outside and the friendly folk I passed on my daily walk, to over 100 staff, patients and parents! I also had to get acclimated to the new tools of my trade as a Greeter – like a Level 3 face mask, a clipboard, and a thermometer. So, while I received many “Happy Birthday greetings” via Facebook, e-mail, and text, and enjoyed a traditional Birthday Breakfast with Jan and Leitha, I only received one celebratory goodie at work. I was very grateful to get a homemade lovely and luscious lemon square from Amy, our Financial Administrator’s lunch, with “Happy Birthday, Wendy” written on a square of paper towel!

Now on to black cumin, also known as Nigella Sativa, or simply “black seed.” This is another Tweak from one of my favorite books, How Not to Diet by Dr. Michael Greger. Black cumin is not even a distant cousin to the cumin used in many Mexican dishes since black cumin is a member of the buttercup family, not the carrot family. (I remember the difference by thinking “B” is for black and for buttercup and “C” is for carrot family and cumin. Just thought I’d share this in case you’re ever on Jeopardy and the category is Know Your Roots!)

Black cumin is used in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines and is prized for it’s ancient medicinal benefits. It is mentioned in the Old Testament, by the Prophet Muhammad, and even found cached away in King Tut’s tomb. However, in the last 50 years, it was finally put to the test, and culminated in more than a thousand papers being published in medical literature.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials have found that daily black cumin consumption significantly improves cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and blood sugar control. WHAT!? An herb that has been medically proven to improve the trifecta of impending heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes? Notice the key word is “improve” and not “cure.” A month after stopping this spice, cholesterol levels did creep back up. It appears to be a cheap, safe, effective and even fairly tasty treatment for some of our deadliest risk factors.

You do have to grind it, just like flax, to be able to absorb it’s super powers. I put it in a small coffee grinder and then store it in a black pepper container to use instead of pepper. It has a mildly spicy taste. I started taking the recommended dose of 1/4 tsp once a day a month ago. The studies showed that 1/4 tsp of black cumin appears to reduce body mass index within a span of a few months. I found it odd that with all my reading, I had never heard of black cumin. Turns out, that since it’s just a spice and only costs a few cents a day to take, there is no profit margin for drug companies. I really liked the fact that the only side effects noted were possible loss of appetite and weight loss. I won’t know if it has worked for me until I have my blood lipids and A1C done in June for my yearly physical. Improving my health by lowering my cholesterol and A1C numbers (plus the added bonus of losing a little weight) would give me an excellent Profit and Loss Statement!