Table 1.

Summary of the effect of Nigella Sativa on gastrointestinal diseases.

Organs	Disease	Effects of Black Cumin	Conclusion
Stomach	Peptic ulcer disease	-Reduction in gastric acid secretion. -Decrease in neutrophil invasion. -Enhancement in ulcer healing in rats. -Potential anti-H.-pylori properties in humans.	-NS shows potential anti-ulcer activity, but further clinical trials verifying the efficacy of NS are needed to determine the appropriate dose and safety when used in combination with antibiotics.
Pancreas	Type 2 diabetes	-Nigella sativa has antihyperlipidemic and hypoglycemic effects.	-NS may be an important factor in complementary therapy with other drugs used in the treatment of diabetes and the prevention of diabetic complications. -NS shows cardiovascular protective effects in patients with type 2 diabetes by improving lipid profile, glycemia, and anti-inflammatory effects.
	Pancreatic cancer	-Several mechanisms underlying apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells were described regarding TQ-mediated pancreatic cancer. -It was shown that pretreatment of pancreatic cancer cells with TQ can increase the cells’ sensitivity to pharmacotherapy.	-Further research is needed to effectively plan the intervention and evaluate the safety of TQ and mechanisms involved in the fight against pancreatic cancer.
Liver	Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)	-Increased levels of antioxidant enzymes. -Decreased selected liver enzymes (ASP, ALT, ALP). -Reduction in lipid peroxidation -Lower body weight. -Lowered inflammatory factors (e.g., TNF-α).	-NS supplementation can improve the liver profile and reduce liver steatosis.
	Hepatitis C (HCV)	-Reduction in HCV viral load. -Improvement in some biochemical indices, e.g., RBC, albumin, and platelets. -Lowered glycemic levels in HCV patients. -Inhibition of IFN-γ and TNF-α and blocking of NF-κB signaling.	-Studies showed improvements in patients’ overall clinical condition. NS supplementation may reduce the adverse effects of drugs; therefore, this could be considered for introduction into primary therapy.
Intestines	Overall impact	-Improved both enzymatic and nonenzymatic parameters of the antioxidant defense of the intestinal mucosa. -Increased intestinal GSH and catalase levels were observed with TQ supplementation. -Showed apoptotic effects by increasing both expression and activity of caspase-3 in proliferative MCF7 and HCT116.	-May be considered as a potential adjunctive therapy for inflammatory bowel disease. -It shows an adjunctive effect in methotrexate therapy. -Participates in the therapy of aging breast and colon cancer cells.

NS—Nigella sativa, TQ—thymoquinone, ALP—alkaline phosphatase, AST—aspartate aminotransferase, ALT—alanine aminotransferase, RBC—red blood cells, IFN-γ—cytokine interferon-gamma cytokine, NF-κB—nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells, GSH—reduced glutathione, TNF-α—tumor necrosis factor-α.