Black Seed and Breastfeeding

Summary of use during lactation

Black seed (Nigella sativa) contains an essential oil containing a wide variety of terpenes, thymoquinone, beta-elemene and other many constituents. Black seed and a related species (Nigella arvensis) have been used orally as galactogogues in India, Türkiye and the Middle East;[1-7] however, no scientifically valid clinical trials support this use in humans.[8] One study found a slightly greater increase in serum prolactin than placebo, but no evidence of growth promotion in infants.[9] Galactogogues should never replace evaluation and counseling on modifiable factors that affect milk production.[10,11] The oil has also been used topically. No data exist on the excretion of any components of black seed into breastmilk or on the safety and efficacy of black seed in infants. Limited information indicates that black seed is generally well tolerated. Black seed oil can cause allergic contact dermatitis. Dietary supplements do not require extensive pre-marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Manufacturers are responsible to ensure the safety, but do not need to prove the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements before they are marketed. Dietary supplements may contain multiple ingredients, and differences are often found between labeled and actual ingredients or their amounts. A manufacturer may contract with an independent organization to verify the quality of a product or its ingredients, but that does not certify the safety or effectiveness of a product. Because of the above issues, clinical testing results on one product may not be applicable to other products. More detailed information about dietary supplements is available elsewhere on the LactMed Web site.

Drug levels in milk and infant serum

Maternal Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date. Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.

Effects in breastfed infants

Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.

Effects on lactation and breastmilk

One hundred fifty-eight mothers in Iran of who reported difficulty in breastfeeding were given either a proprietary mixture of herbs (Shirafza Drop) or a chlorophyll solution as a placebo. The herbal mixture contained the purported galactogogues fennel, anise, cumin, black seed, and parsley. Infant ages ranged between 0 and 6 months and they were exclusively breastfed. Weight gain of the infants was measured over time. No difference in infant weight gain was seen between the two groups of infants.[12] Blinding and randomization in this study is unclear. A single-blinded study was performed on mothers having baby of 1 month of age or less with complaints of insufficient breast milk secretion and poor anthropometric measures of her child (weight, height, head circumference). Mothers were randomly assigned to receive either 1 gram of ground Nigella sativa seeds (n = 50) or 1 gram of a cellulose placebo (n = 50) twice daily for 28 days. Serum prolactin increased from 75 to 192 (units not specified) in the Nigella group which was slightly greater than in the control group. Babies in both groups gained weight, length and head circumference, but no difference was seen between the two groups. There were also no changes in maternal serum hemoglobin, creatinine, AST and ALT levels or differences between the groups.[9]

References

1. Sayed NZ, Deo R, Mukundan U. Herbal remedies used by Warlis of Dahanu to induce lactation in nursing mothers. Indian J Tradit Knowl 2007;6:602–5. https://nopr.niscpr.res.in/handle/123456789/1009
2. Agrawala IP, Achar MVS, Boradkar RV, et al. Galactagogue action of Cuminum cyminum and Nigella sativa. Indian J Med Res 1968;56:841–4.5693882 PubMed
3. Javan R, Javadi B, Feyzabadi Z. Breastfeeding: A review of its physiology and galactogogue plants in view of traditional Persian medicine. Breastfeed Med 2017;12:401–9.28714737 PubMed
4. Dandotiya H, Singh G, Kashaw SK. The galactagogues use by Indian tribal communities to over come poor lactation. Int J Biotechnol Bioeng Res 2013;4:243–8. http://www.ripublication.com/Volume/ijbbrv4n3spl.htm
5. Erarslan ZB, Kültür S. Medicinal plants traditionally used to increase breast milk in Turkey: An ethnobotanical review. J Herbal Med 2024;44:100849. doi:10.1016/j.hermed.2024.100849
6. Choudhury J, Bora J, Baruah D, et al. Portrayal of folk medicinal practices among the indigenous people of north Tripura district of Tripura, India. Int J Res Ayurveda Pharm 2014;5:480–8. doi:10.7897/2277-4343.05499
7. Eid AM, Jaradat N. Public knowledge, attitude, and practice on herbal remedies used during pregnancy and lactation in West Bank Palestine. Front Pharmacol 2020;11:46.32116721 PubMed
8. Zulkefli AF, Idrus RBH, Hamid AA. Nigella sativa as a galactagogue: A systematic review. Sains Malays 2020;49:1719–27. doi:10.17576/jsm-2020-4907-22
9. Khan S, Anas M, Khan DI, et al. The effect of Shuneez (Nigella sativa) as galactogogue on mothers complaining of insufficient breast milk: A single-blind clinical trial. Adv Integr Med 2025;12:100481. doi:10.1016/j.aimed.2025.100481
10. Brodribb W. ABM Clinical Protocol #9: Use of galactogogues in initiating or augmenting maternal milk production, second revision 2018. Breastfeed Med 2018;13:307–14.29902083 PubMed
11. Breastfeeding challenges: ACOG Committee Opinion, Number 820. Obstet Gynecol 2021;137:e42–e53.33481531 PubMed
12. Shariati M, Mamoori GA, Khadivzade T. The survey of effect of using "Shirafza Drop" by nursing mothers on weight gain (WG) of 0-6 months exclusively breastfed. Horizon Med Sci 2004;10:24–30. http://imtj.gmu.ac.ir/article-1-255-en.html