Is This The Most Powerful Adaptogenic Plant Extract Known To Humankind? The SCIENCE of Black Seed Oil with Dr. Michael Murray

**Ben Greenfield** (0:00)
My name is Ben Greenfield, and on this episode of the Boundless Life Podcast.

**Dr. Michael Murray** (0:05)
I've been studying herbal medicine and natural approaches to health and healing for 45 years now, and black seed is not a new thing. It's actually one of the oldest plant medicines ever used. There's one compound in particular that gets a lot of attention. It's called F***.

**Ben Greenfield** (0:23)
I do know that there's some pretty interesting studies on it.

**Dr. Michael Murray** (0:26)
It's great that it's finally getting the recognition that it deserves.

**Ben Greenfield** (0:31)
Welcome to the Boundless Life with me, your host, Ben Greenfield. I'm a personal trainer, exercise physiologist and nutritionist. And I'm passionate about helping you discover unparalleled levels of health, fitness, longevity, and beyond.
My guest on today's show is Dr. Michael Murray. We talk a lot about this stuff called black seed oil. He has received lifetime achievement awards from the Natural Products Association, Bastyr University, the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. He is himself a naturopathic physician. He has been named as the voice of natural medicine, and he's been doing this for over 45 years. He's got a ton of books, and we are specifically diving into this compound he knows a lot about called ThymoQuin, which is derived from black seed oil. So all the show notes are going to be at bengreenfieldlife.com, you guessed it, black seed oil. That's bengreenfieldlife.com/blackseedoil.
Well, let's go talk to Dr. Michael Murray. Okay, so Michael, I heard about black seed oil, I think, for the first time, maybe like six or seven years ago, and it was kind of described in the same category as some people describe bone broth, like kind of a what can't it do raises the dead. And I'm like, oh, this is interesting stuff. And I've like come across it here and there since then, but I've never actually done like a full podcast dedicated to what the heck black seed oil is, which I'm sure you and I will have a chance to discuss. But what even turned your head about black seed oil in the first place?

**Dr. Michael Murray** (2:16)
Well, first of all, we got to talk about black seed. I've been studying herbal medicine and natural approaches to health and healing for 45 years now and black seed is not a new thing. It's actually one of the oldest plant medicines ever used.
It's really a gift from nature. And we're going to get into it and there's a lot of science behind it. And when we look at the chemical composition and the basic underlying aspects of its mechanisms of action, you're going to understand why it has this panacea like effect and why it's so perfect as a natural approach to many of the ill of modern life.

**Ben Greenfield** (3:03)
So was it like something that you first got exposed to in med school or in your practice or what got you interested in it?

**Dr. Michael Murray** (3:11)
Oh, yeah.
Again, this is one of the most historic plant medicines in the world. It's been a big part of the Ayurvedic and the Yunani systems of medicine in the Middle East and India. And it really is a very unique plant. And these seeds are truly magical in what they're able to do. And it's just an amazing history. And it's been revered by so many cultures for so long that it's great that it's finally getting the recognition that it deserves.

**Ben Greenfield** (3:53)
Yeah, I'm definitely going to be curious about the research because people always push back. They're like, well, ancestral wisdom doesn't really mean much.
So I do know that there's some pretty interesting studies on it, which we'll get to. But you mentioned, I said black seed oil. You said, well, the black seed is kind of where this starts. And then you also mentioned the plant. So walk me through this horticulturally or whatever. What is black seed oil in terms of the plant to the seed to the oil?

**Dr. Michael Murray** (4:23)
Yeah. Well, let's first talk a little bit about the oil is the valuable inside of the seed. But let's talk a little bit about kind of the reason why these seeds are black. First, I want to dispel something. Often black seed is called black cumin, but it is not in the same family as the spice cumin. So they're totally unrelated plants.

**Ben Greenfield** (4:51)
So you're not getting black cumin at Taco Bell. That's not that cumin.

**Dr. Michael Murray** (4:55)
No, they're completely different. This is not culinary spice.
This is a valuable source of active plant compounds. And I like to explain why the seeds are so black, because that gives us a clue as to why it's such a valuable plant medicine. Just as a blueberry darkens to show its increase in biological activity, the black seed also represents a really a treasure trove of plant compounds. The reason it's so black is because it contains these polyphenols that harden the case and protect the valuable inside components. These polyphenols are very similar to what we see in green tea and chocolate and many of the other compounds, but they're a little more powerful in their antioxidant effect. Have you ever been to the Middle East, Ben?