Given your interest in health, I'm going to assume you've come across some of the content on seed oils.

Seed oils are detrimental to health.

There are many ways in which they negatively affect our health, which come from the industrial processing involved in producing them.

Hexane, which is a neurotoxin (see here and here), is used in the processing.

The oils are heated during processing as well, which can oxidize it and result in a rancid end product.

Sodium hydroxide, which is associated with many health issues like mucosal lesions, is used to wash/refine them.

They're bleached too in order to adjust the color of them.

This processing substantially increases the deuterium in seed oils.

Deuterium causes mitochondrial dysfunction, disrupts ATP production and a host of other health issues.

I agree that seed oils made through these processes are harmful for our health. They're some of the most processed foods on the planet.

Oils like canola, vegetable, peanut, cottonseed, safflower and sesame.

But it's important to understand why... it's the processing and the way in which they're made.

Black seed oil (also referred to as Nigella sativa & black cumin seed oil) on the other hand is an oil that has been used for thousands of years due to its many health benefits.

It is cold-pressed and is made through an entirely different process.

Cold-pressed oils are not bleached, degummed, heated, deodorized or high in deuterium.

Here's an example of how cold-pressed black seed oil is made.

Now compare that to this overview of how seed oils are made.

Black seed oil has been cherished by many different cultures as a remedy for a ton of different health issues.

Some of its benefits include:

• ​Antimicrobial​
• ​Anti-inflammatory​
• ​Anti-cancer​
• ​Anti-diabetic​
• ​Improves fertility​
• ​Improves immunity​
• ​Improves memory​
• ​Helps regulate blood sugar​
• ​Supports liver​

The benefits of black seed oil come mainly from the compounds thymoquinone, thymol and thymohydroquinone with thymoquinone being the main active compound.

I’ve successfully used this for many reasons including fighting off overgrowth of bacteria and yeast in the gut, lowering inflammation and improving liver function.

It's fairly accessible in most places.

I've found it in grocery stores, supplement stores, pharmacies and elsewhere in many different countries.

But like all foods and supplements, quality is an important factor.

When looking for black seed oil, I look for a few things:

• Only 100% cold pressed
• Ideally liquid
• High percentage of Thymoquinone
• Properly stored (ideally a dark bottle)
• That it is specifically Nigella sativa (not all “nigella” plants are black seed oil)

So, yes, I am anti-seed oils.

But not all of them.

I am very much pro-black seed oil.

​

- Nick

​

P.S. - There are a few spaces left in my 1:1 coaching for this month.

If you're interested in working with me to help you identify and resolve the true causes of your digestive issues, reply here and I'll send you over some information.