Table 1.
Acute toxicity of Nigella sativa in animal studies
| Substance/dose | Animals used | Observation period | LD50 | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N. sativa seed VO, FO, and AE, i.p. | SWR mice | 24 h | AE: 3,020 mg/kg VO: 1,853 mg/kg FO: 3,371 mg/kg |
[51] |
| N. sativa seed FO 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 mL/kg, i.p. | Both sexes of mice | 15 days | 2.06 mL/kg | [49] |
| N. sativa seed FO 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, and 50 mL/kg, p.o | 28.8 mL/kg | |||
| N. sativa seeds AE, ME and CE 6, 9, 14 and 21 g/kg, p.o. | Both sexes of young virgin mice | 7 days | No mortality | [4] |
| N. sativa EO 0.2, 0.4, 0.4, 0.8, 1 mg/kg, p.o. | Both sexes of white Wistar rats and NMRI | Not specified | No mortality | [62] |
LD50, lethal dose 50%; VO, volatile oil; FO, fixed oil; EO, essential oil; AE, aqueous extract; ME, methanol extract; CE, chloroform extract; SWR, male Swiss albino; NMRI, albino mice; i.p., intraperitoneal, p.o., per oral.