Abstract
Nigella sativa seeds and Bee honey (BH) had been widely used in traditional medicine. In the present study we assessed their effect in treating asthma. A dose of 2 g of whole N. sativa seeds and 1 teaspoon full of BH per day were taken by the subjects -5 asthmatics and 22 non-asthmatics, 8 to 40 years in Khartoum for three month. They were also asked to smell crushed seeds that were warped in porous cloth three times a day. We assessed the effects of both on pulmonary, renal and hepatic function. Regarding pulmonary function, there was a significant increase in forced vital capacity (FVC) (P=0.023) in asthmatics' group and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) (P = was 0.049) in non-asthmatics' group. For evaluating the toxicity of both renal and hepatic functions, both were assessed before and after treatment. Hepatic enzymes were spared whereas serum creatinine in non-asthmatics and blood urea in asthmatics and in those having upper limit blood urea decreased significantly (creatinine (P=0.049) and urea (P value = 0.023, 0.017, respectively). In conclusion both N. sativa and BH seem to have some benefits to asthmatics with no hepato-renal toxicity.