Not all black seed oil is the same

Black seed oil comes from Nigella sativa, a plant people have been using for a very long time. The part researchers are most interested in is thymoquinone, and here is the thing almost nobody tells you: most black seed oil on the shelf is not standardized at all. That means you have no idea how much thymoquinone is actually in the bottle, and it can vary a lot from one batch to the next.

Morphus ThymoQuin® is standardized to 3% thymoquinone. Most full-spectrum black seed oil products on the market fall somewhere between 0.2% and 1.1%. So when we say standardized, we mean you are getting a known amount, every time.

Why the free fatty acid number matters

Our oil contains less than 2% free fatty acids, compared with around 8% in many other black seed oils. Free fatty acids are a marker of oil degradation. Lower is better for both absorption and taste, and it is why ThymoQuin® goes down without the harsh, bitter aftertaste that puts a lot of women off black seed oil entirely.

It is also full-spectrum, unrefined, virgin, and cold-pressed, which means the seeds are pressed slowly at room temperature with no heat, chemicals, or solvents. It contains 0.8% sunflower lecithin and vitamin E, which support the stability of the oil.

We buy our black seed oil from TriNutra™, the company that grows and extracts it. Farm to softgel, one supply chain, no mystery middle.

What the research on black seed oil shows

Here is where we want to be straight with you, because a lot of supplement pages are not.

Nigella sativa and thymoquinone have been studied extensively, and much of that research is published in peer-reviewed, indexed journals. But most of it looks at the botanical generally, not at our specific branded oil. We are showing you the research on the ingredient so you can judge it, and we are telling you where the limits of that research are.

Research in women going through menopause

One study looked specifically at our demographic. Thirty women aged 45 to 60 took 1 gram of Nigella sativa a day for eight weeks. Researchers reported changes in total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, and blood glucose measures over that period.

Ibrahim RM, Hamdan NS, Ismail M, Saini SM. Protective Effects of Nigella sativa on Metabolic Syndrome in Menopausal Women. Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin. 2014;4(1):29-33. Read it on PubMed

This was a small study, thirty women, eight weeks, and the participants were selected because they already had metabolic risk factors. That tells us something interesting about the ingredient. It does not tell you what will happen to you, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.

Antioxidant activity

A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials examined Nigella sativa supplementation and markers of oxidative stress and antioxidant status. Antioxidant activity is one of the better-established properties of this botanical.

Effect of Nigella sativa Supplementation on Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Parameters: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Where the evidence is thinner than you might read elsewhere

You will find pages online claiming black seed oil does a very long list of things. Some of that is based on animal studies, some on very small trials, and some on research in people who already have a diagnosed condition, which is a different question from what a supplement does for a generally healthy woman in midlife.

We have taken those claims off this page. Not because black seed oil is not interesting, but because we would rather you trust what we do say.

About the reviews on this page

The reviews you see here are individual experiences, shared by real customers in their own words. They are not clinical results. They have not been verified or evaluated, and no individual claim in a review has been clinically proven. What one woman experiences is not a promise of what you will.

Please do not start, stop, or change any prescribed medication based on something you read in a review. That conversation belongs with your doctor.

How to take it

Take 1 to 2 softgels per day on an empty stomach, at least 30 minutes before food or 2 hours after. Give it 4 to 12 weeks of consistent use. Black seed oil is not a fast-acting ingredient and anyone telling you otherwise is selling something.

Before you start

If you take medication for blood pressure, blood sugar, blood thinning, or thyroid, talk to your doctor before starting. This matters and it is not boilerplate. Skip it entirely if you are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding.

Black seed oil does not contain estrogen and does not act like hormone therapy.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Black Seed Oil (Nigella Sativa) ThymoQuin® 500mg

Thymoquinone 15mg

Other Ingredients: Kosher Bovine Gelatin, Glycerin, Purified Water

ThymoQuin® is a registered trademark of TriNutra®.

ThymoQuin is a patented composition

Take 1-2 softgels per day on an empty stomach (at least 30 minutes before food or 2 hours after food).

What is black seed oil? Black seed oil or black cumin seed oil, is the oil extracted from these seeds. Scientific research has found that the oil contains high concentrations of antioxidants. Morphus Thymoquin® black seed oil is composed of Palmitic Acid, Oleic Acid and Linoleic Acid.

What does full-spectrum mean? Full spectrum black seed oil means we use the whole plant and not just isolated parts of it. It is believed that black seed oil has over 100 healing components. In addition to its active ingredient, thymoquinone, it also contains P-cymene, carvacrol, free fatty acids, sterols, saponins, Novel lipids, and oils, which work together to provide its powerful benefits.

How is Morphus’ ThymoQuin® black seed oil extracted? Our black seed oil uses a cold-pressed extraction method that slowly presses the plant’s seeds at room temperature. No harsh chemicals or solvents are used anywhere in the process, and because we don’t use heat to extract the oil, the quality of our oil is high, meeting the recent USP monograph for standardized black cumin seed oil and its integrity is maintained.

What makes Morphus’ ThymoQuin® black seed oil different from other black seed oils on the market? Great question, and one we pride ourselves on answering. Our black seed oil is a branded ingredient called ThymoQuin®. ThymoQuin® is a well-researched ingredient that contains a high concentration of thymoquinone (it is standardized to 3%), and in some cases it contains up to 2 to 3 times the amount of other brands. We purchase our black seed oil from TriNutra™, the company that grows and extracts our black seed oil so you can be sure you’re getting a top quality farm-to-table ingredient and product.

Why does the 3% standardization matter? Studies show that this percentage of thymoquinone combined with low levels of free fatty acids (less than 2% compared to 8% in other brands), provides increased anti-inflammatory benefits over other black seed oil brands on the market. Morphus’ ThymoQuin® 3% has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties when compared to other black seed oil products with lower levels of thymoquinone. This proves a 3% standardization process improves its benefits.

Can men use your ThymoQuin?

Yes, they can.