Why Black Seed Is So Revered with Abrar Al-Shaer
Herbs with Rosalee
Rosalee de la Forêt
4.9 • 564 Ratings
🗓️ 4 February 2026
⏱️ 78 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Is there anything black seed can’t do?
In this episode, herbalist and nutritionist Abrar Al-Shaer takes a deep dive into the many gifts of black seed (Nigella sativa), a revered herb that has been used medicinally for thousands of years. Abrar has been studying this plant since she was a child, and has so much to share about it—from the home remedies her mother gave her as a child, to ancient teachings from Islamic medicine, and even modern-day medical research on this celebrated plant.
Abrar also shares her recipe for Black Seed Herbal Energy Bites—combined with warming spices and fragrant rose water, this is a deliciously nourishing way to get black seed into your diet! You can download your beautifully illustrated recipe card here.
As Abrar notes, it is traditionally thought that black seed can help with almost any ailment—and if it can’t, it’s just because we haven’t figured out how to properly prepare it yet! Here are just a few ways that black seed can be worked with to benefit your health:
► Supports lung health, providing relief for coughs, bronchitis, and asthma
► Promotes cardiovascular health, including healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels
► Topically, black seed oil helps to nourish and protect the skin
To learn even more of black seed’s benefits, be sure to check out the entire episode!
By the end of this episode, you’ll know:
► Why black seed has been revered for centuries in traditional Islamic medicine
► The many ways black seed can be prepared: mixed into honey, added to water or food, pressed into oil—or even applied by the drop into the nostrils!
► What modern research says about black seed’s role in cardiovascular and metabolic health
► How black seed can support both acute concerns, such as chest congestion or tooth pain, as well as long-term chronic health concerns like inflammation and immune resilience
► Simple, food-based ways to incorporate black seed into everyday meals
► and so much more…
For those of you who don’t know her, Dr. Abrar Al-Shaer, PhD, RD is a registered dietitian and herbalist and the owner of Precision Women’s Care, a women’s health, integrative nutrition & herbal medicine practice. She is also a clinical teaching professor at Stony Brook University’s School of Medicine, where she teaches advanced case management in integrative nutrition therapy.
Dr. Abrar completed her PhD in nutritional biochemistry & immunology with a dietetic specialization in high-risk OBGYN. With over a decade of experience as an herbalist, she frequently weaves together her herbal medicine and medical nutrition backgrounds to provide patients the highest quality of care.
I can’t wait to share our conversation with you today!
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You can find Dr. Abrar at PrecisionWomensCare.com.
For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!
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On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.
Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.
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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Herbs with Rosalie podcast, a show exploring how herbs heal as medicine, |
| 0:10.9 | as food, and through nature connection. |
| 0:13.4 | I'm your host, Rosalie de la Foray. |
| 0:15.9 | I'm an herbalist teacher and the best-selling author of the books Alchchemy of Herbs, and Wild Remedies. |
| 0:21.9 | I created this podcast to share trusted herbal wisdom so that you can get the best results |
| 0:26.6 | when relying on herbs for your health. I love offering up practical knowledge to help you |
| 0:32.4 | dive deeper into the world of medicinal plants and seasonal living. My goal is that you'll walk away from each episode feeling inspired to start working with |
| 0:42.2 | herbs in your everyday life. |
| 0:44.9 | Each episode of the podcast is available on my Herbs with Rosalie YouTube channel, as well as |
| 0:50.4 | your favorite podcast app. |
| 0:52.9 | Transcripts and recipes for each episode can be found at |
| 0:56.1 | Herbs with Rosaliepodcast.com. To get the latest news as well as fun bonuses, be sure to sign up for |
| 1:03.0 | my weekly herbal newsletter. Okay, grab your cup of tea. Let's dive in. Well, Black Seed, Nigella Sativa, is often credited with a thousand |
| 1:14.4 | and one uses from supporting the heart to digestion, to tending the lungs, and with all that |
| 1:20.6 | fanfare, it can be easy to wonder what's real and what's hype. But the truth is, this is one of the |
| 1:26.7 | most revered herbs in the world. |
| 1:30.3 | That's why I was especially thrilled when a bar al-Share chose black seed as her plant for the show. |
| 1:36.3 | She generously shares her family stories and traditions, ancient Islamic teachings, modern research, |
| 1:43.3 | and the deep meaning that this herb holds for her as part of the Palestinian diaspora. |
| 1:49.2 | It was truly an honor to host this conversation with her bar, and I know you're going to leave with an even greater appreciation for this small but mighty seed. |
| 1:58.5 | And hey, if you enjoy this episode, please give it a thumbs up. |
| 2:01.3 | Some more plant lovers can find us. |
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