PlainPill

Nigella

The short answer. There isn't much data on Nigella yet — 8 mentions, 1 with a clear outcome — so treat these numbers as anecdotal. It is well studied — 69 meta-analyses on PubMed.

What users report
0%helped1 reports · few reports
0 helped1 mixed0 didn't help

From 8 mentions in total — the rest didn't say how it went and aren't counted.

Clinical research
AStrong research base
69
meta-analyses
86
RCTs
2,690
papers

What Nigella does, according to users

Of the people who reported each effect, the share who said it got better.

What the research says

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, with their published conclusions.

AStrong research base

3+ meta-analyses or systematic reviews and 10+ randomized controlled trials in humans. The grade measures how much human research exists — read the conclusions below for what it found.

Medicina (Kaunas) · 2021 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Ayurvedic Herbal Preparations for Hypercholesterolemia

Conclusion: Conclusion: There is moderate to high level of evidence from randomized controlled trials that the Ayurvedic herbs guggulu, garlic, and black cumin are moderately effective for reducing hypercholesterolemia. In addition, minimal evidence was found for any side effects associated with these herbs, positioning them as safe adjuvants to conventional treatments.

PubMed 34071454 ↗
Nutrients · 2023 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
The Influence of Nutritional Intervention in the Treatment of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis-A Systematic Review

Conclusion: Varied outcomes of analyzed dietary interventions may be due to the heterogeneous thyroid condition, high variability between patients, and differences in habitual intake of critical nutrients (e.g., iodine, selenium, and iron) in different populations. Therefore, there is a great need for further experimental studies to determine whether any nutritional interventions are beneficial in Hashimoto's disease.

PubMed 36839399 ↗
Pharmacol Res · 2023 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Comparative effects of nutraceuticals on body weight in adults with overweight or obesity: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of 111 randomized clinical trials

Conclusion: Supplementations with green tea (MD: -1.25 kg, 95%CI: -1.68, -0.82) and glucomannan (MD: -1.36 kg, 95%CI: -2.17, -0.54) demonstrated small weight loss, also the certainty of evidence was rated low. Based on our findings, supplementations with nutraceuticals can result in a small weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity.

PubMed 37778464 ↗
Nutrients · 2020 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Dietary Interventions in the Management of Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review and Best-Evidence Synthesis

Conclusion: Interpretation of these studies was limited due to the frequent poor quality of the study design, the wide heterogeneity between studies, the small sample size and a high degree of bias. Therefore, there is insufficient evidence to recommend any one particular nutritional intervention for the management of fibromyalgia and further research is needed.

PubMed 32878326 ↗

Dosage people report

As stated by users — not a recommendation. Follow the label or your doctor.

2 capsas reported

Reported side effects

How often each side effect came up across all reports.

No side effects reported so far.

What users say

First-hand experiences, quoted verbatim. We show one positive and one negative where both exist.

“nigella helped for a few weeks but stopped. I take it daily however.”
MixedRead the discussion ↗
“Trying Magnolia and Nigella. Magnolia works okay for my sleep and you only need a small amount to see effects. Neither work that well for anything else I have.”
Read the discussion ↗
“I haven’t been taking either, and I’ve actually been using Nigella, Reishi, and Curcumin and literally have noticed not a single difference in anything DHT related.”
Read the discussion ↗
Top discussions (5)

Other options for digestion

User data from public discussions; research from PubMed. Information only, not medical advice — talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. Data updated October 3, 2026. How we rate