Potential of Black Seeds (Nigella sativa) in the Management of Long COVID or Post-acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) and Persistent COVID-19 Symptoms – An Insight

Background: Some individuals may experience symptoms persisting for many months after the recovery from COVID-19 and patients with Long COVID are managed mainly with symptomatic treatment and supportive care. Objective: This review article focuses on the beneficial effects of black seeds (Nigella sativa) in the management of long COVID and persistent COVID symptoms. Methods: The literature was searched in databases such as LitCOVID, Web of Science, Google Scholar, bioRxiv, medRxiv, Science Direct, EBSCO, Scopus, Embase, and reference lists to identify studies, which evaluated various effects of black seeds (N. sativa) related to signs and symptoms of long COVID. Results: Black seeds (N. sativa) have shown potential anti-COVID, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antihypertensive, anti-obesity, antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, and antiasthmatic properties in various clinical, animal, in vitro, in vivo, and in silico studies, which would help the patients recovered from COVID to mitigate Long COVID complications. Conclusion: Patients experiencing Long COVID may use black seeds (N. sativa) as adjunctive therapy in combination with symptomatic treatment and supportive care to prevent further deterioration and hospitalization. The safety and efficacy of N. sativa in patients with Long-COVID would further be established by future randomized controlled clinical trials.