Nigella Sativa Oil (aka "Black Seed Oil") for Celiac Disease Symptoms and Other Digestive Ailments

I don't update this blog very often, but I thought this was worth sharing! Recent studies suggest that nigella sativa oil seems to be a useful supplement for people with celiac disease. In 2012, the British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research  reported that celiac patients on a gluten-free diet who took nigella sativa showed more improvement than celiac disease patients who adhered to a gluten-free diet and did not take nigella sativa.

"Results: The response to gluten withdrawal with NS oil for a period of 1 year 1 month in CD patients was better than GFD alone with significant response to serological markers. Conclusion: The administration of NS [nigella sativa] oil with GFD [gluten-free diet] to CD [celiac disease] patients leads to a significant decreases more than GFD alone in the levels of all immunological parameters with histological improvement and stop the disease process (P=0.001). Ultimately, the results emerging from this study may substantially improve the immunotherapeutic application of NS in clinical management of refractory CD cases."[1]

Nigella sativa, also called "black seed" and "fennel flower," has been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years. In July of 2011, the NCBI reported the nigella sativa is "effective against many diseases like cancer, cardiovascular complications, diabetes, asthma, kidney disease etc." and that it "is effective against cancer in blood system, lung, kidney, liver, prostate, breast, cervix, skin with much safety."[2] 

In 2009, the World Applied Sciences Journal reported that the seeds and oil have:

• Anti-inflammatory activity
• Anti-cancer activity
• Antiparasitic activity
• Antioxidant Activity
• Antidiabetic Activity[3]

If you're interested in trying nigella sativa oil (aka "black seed" oil), iHerb.com currently has three different varieties on sale here. The 8 oz bottle seems like the best deal: Black Seed, Cold-Pressed Oil, 8 fl oz (240 ml)

If you go with iherb, remember to check their sale section! The coupon code KAV533 will also get you $10 off, as well as a small free sample:
http://iHerb.com

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[1] Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical 

Sciences. 

Refractory Coeliac Disease; Role of Nigella sativa as Immunomodulator. Osman, Muhamed T.; Al-Duboni, Ghada; Taha, Balsam I.; Muhamed, Luay A. British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research;2012, Vol. 2 Issue 4, p527

[2] Anticancer Activities of Nigella Sativa (Black Cumin). Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. 2011; 8(5S): 226–232. Published online 2011 July 3. doi: 10.4314/ajtcam.v8i5S.10

[3] Anticancer Activities of Nigella Sativa (Black Cumin). Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. 2011; 8(5S): 226–232. Published online 2011 July 3. doi: 10.4314/ajtcam.v8i5S.10 

Cheap, Easy & Healthy: Gluten Free Convenience Foods Volume I:

I'm a busy student just diagnosed with celiac disease. This means I don't always have time to prepare labour-intensive gluten-free meals that I could have previously picked up at a restaurant without a second's thought. Here's one of my favourite GF snacks:

Crunchies:



These little guys pack a nutritional wallop. Add them to your GF cereal or eat them on their own. They're a  great deal if you consider how much the berries shrink down after being freeze dried. Their freeze drying process also saves more of the nutrients and phytonutrients than traditional fruit dehydration. Other varieties include strawberry, raspberry, pineapple or mixed fruit. Blueberries have the most antioxidants so I usually grab these!

The best price I've found is at iherb.com. If you're a first-time customer you can actually get $5 off with promo code KAV533, which means you can get a pack of these for free! (However, orders over $40 give you $10 off and free shipping!).

Cheap Gluten-Free Snacks for Canadians!

Since discovering that I had celiac (or "coeliac" when I'm trying to be exotic) disease last spring, my food bill has nearly doubled! I attribute this largely to my love of convenience foods. In Vancouver at least, gluten-free snacks and instant meals can cost as much as three times more than their gluten-containing counterparts. UGH!

These are top picks for finding cheap gluten-free snacks in Vancouver:

• London Drugs! Who would have thought? Their natural foods aisle is about 30% gluten-free food, and they frequently have very good sales.
• iHerb.com - Okay, so this is not a Canadian retailer, but their gluten-free food is often cheaper than I can find in Canada, and my orders somehow always manage to pass through customs without incurring any fees. First-time customers get free shipping and $5 or $10 dollars off (depending on how much they spend) with the coupon code KAV533
• Donalds Market - I think this store may only be in Vancouver, but their frozen section seems to have the best deals on gf foods. Also, like London Drugs they often have crazy sales!