Nigella sativa (black-Seed), also known as nigella or kalonji, often called black cumin, is an annual flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to south and southwest Asia.
Nigella sativa grows to 20–30 cm (7.9–11.8 in) tall, with finely divided, linear (but not thread-like) leaves. The flowers are delicate, and usually coloured pale blue and white, with five to ten petals.
The black caraway fruit is a large and inflated capsule composed of three to seven united follicles, each containing numerous seeds which are used to produce the oil.
There are three natural phytochemical compounds in black seed oil that produce a tremendous benefit that researchers were very surprised to discover. The three compounds are thymoquinone (TQ), thymohydroquinone (THQ), and thymol.