Black Seeds (Nigella sativa) for the Management of COVID-19 in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women: An Insight

Aims: About 10% of pregnant women were suspected or confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 infection, while the risk of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and the use of invasive mechanical ventilation reach up to ~ 5%. This review aimed to discuss the potential of black seeds (Nigella sativa) in the management of COVID-10 in pregnant and breastfeeding women. Nigella sativa is a medicinal cum nutraceutical herb that is used in many traditional medicine systems to manage several ailments including asthma, back pain, headache, and many others.

Methodology: Online databases such as LitCOVID, Web of Science, Google Scholar, bioRxiv, medRxiv, Science Direct, EBSCO, Scopus, and EMBASE were searched to identify all scientific data relevant to the use of N. sativa in the treatment of COVID-19 pregnant patients. The safety and efficacy of N. sativa and thymoquinone were reported in different experimental studies on pregnant as well as lactating animals. Moreover, several clinical studies and in silico molecular docking studies demonstrated the potential of N. sativa in the management of COVID-19.

Results: The data indicate that N. sativa seeds in powdered or oil form can be employed as a potential adjunct therapy to manage COVID-19 in pregnant and lactating women to prevent disease severity and hospitalizations.

Conclusion: Based on these results, pregnant women with COVID-19 may use powdered N. sativa seeds or oil as adjunctive therapy along with standard care, to prevent severe illnesses and hospitalizations.