Nigella Sativa for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

A 2016 study found that 2000mg of Nigella sativa significantly improved thyroid function and decreased anti-TPO antibodies in people with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis compared to placebo over 8 weeks. All people were on levothyroxine during the study. Weight and waist circumference also significantly improved in the group taking Nigella sativa. Nigella sativa contains thyimoquinone, which is thought to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Long-term use and high doses of black seeds may cause stomach upset among other, possible serious, side effects.

Farhangi MA, Dehghan P, Tajmiri S, Abbasi MM. The effects of Nigella sativa on thyroid function, serum Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) - 1, Nesfatin-1 and anthropometric features in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2016 Nov 16;16(1):471. doi: 10.1186/s12906-016-1432-2. PMID: 27852303; PMCID: PMC5112739.

Kemal Sener, Adem Cakir, Onder Yesiloglu, Ertugrul Altug, Ramazan Guven, Semih Korkut, Rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury after consumption of black seed oil, Toxicon, Volume 245, 2024, 107787, ISSN 0041-0101, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2024.107787.