A new study on a widely revered herbal medicine has produced a potential breakthrough in treating a condition that is a warning sign of serious disease risks. This common health problem affects as many as 90 million Americans, most of whom don’t even know they are in danger.
It’s common knowledge that our liver is the organ that pays the price if we consume too much alcohol. What is less well known is the vital role the liver plays in the regulation of fat in our bodies. Like a central processing hub, the liver removes fat from the bloodstream, from both the food we eat, and as fat is released from other tissues. The liver exports the fat to other parts of the body where it is either burned for fuel or stored for later. When liver metabolism is distorted, as with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), also called isolated fatty liver (IFL), this balance is not properly regulated, causing fat to accumulate to dangerous levels in the organ.
What alarms health researchers about fatty liver disease is its prevalence among U.S. population -up to 25% of Americans are affected, but most don’t know it- and IFL’s “canary in a coalmine” effect of signaling deeper problems on the horizon, such as heart disease, diabetes, and liver cancer. Another cause for concern is the lack of effective drug treatments. Due to the metabolic derangements caused by many pharmaceuticals, several drugs have been found to cause liver disease, such as corticosteroids, and certain cancer and arthritis medications.
Nature is proving once again to be the best cure for what ails us. Nigella sativa, aka black seed, was the subject of a recently released study that sought to determine if the tiny seed with potent historical value could help treat IFL, a condition researchers called “the most common cause of progressive liver disorders worldwide.” Published in March 2017 in the Journal of Ayub Medical College Abbottabad-Pakistan, the study divided seventy outpatients diagnosed with fatty liver into two groups. Herbal medicine was provided to the experimental group, while a control group was given placebo. The medicine was a 1-gram capsule of ground black seed, given twice per day. Over the course of three months, researchers evaluated the effect that nigella sativa had on various disease markers, such as body weight, BMI, liver enzymes, and ultrasounds.
Twelve weeks later, the group treated with nigella sativa showed dramatic improvements across all indicators. Combined body weight decreased 22 lbs. (10 kilos), and overall BMI dropped from >29 to 26 versus the placebo group. Researchers cite a “remarkable reduction in aminotransferases level,” signaling reversal of elevated liver enzymes that are key markers of liver damage. Perhaps the most stunning finding is the overall benchmark: more than half the treatment group (57.14%) showed a normal ultrasound after 12 weeks of treatment with nigella sativa as compared to placebo group. Researchers concluded this tiny seed can effectively reverse the damaging effects of fatty liver disease, especially when used in the early stages, and can prevent the condition from becoming life-threatening.