When Black Seed goes wrong:Toxic products deceptive labeling

Let me start this post by saying that I am NO Hater. I DO believe in the miraculous healing properties of the black seed and it’s cold-pressed, 100% All Natural Oil. Not because of the hundreds of scientific studies or the multitudes who have jumped on the black seed bandwagon, or even the many who insist it’s cured them, but because it was the called the cure for everything but death and old age, and because of its utilization since antiquity to treat all manner of illness and disease. And I use it on an almost daily basis I might add. Most of us who visit sites like CZ and the many other natural/alternative medicine pages, forums, and online communities, do so to educate and empower ourselves and loved ones. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned, crunchy, all-natural NUT : ), a healthy person or someone stricken with an ailment, you can usually come here and gain some useful knowledge in the forums of our CZ resident experts. I am not a GURU and don’t pretend to be, I’m a laymen like most of us here, but that THING that draws us to the most popular websites, like CZ or Green Med, or elsewhere, seeking wisdom on how to lead a healthier life or rid our bodies of disease, is not only their informative and WELL-written content, it’s also the fact that their lifestyles seem consistent to what they preach, at least for me it is. Visit any of the websites for the leaders of the alt med/health communities and the content is full of great information on how to attain optimal health. If you read their books, listen to their lectures, or buy their herbs and supplements, they coalesce in harmony with said expert’s message. You’re convinced it’s about lifestyle and not their livelihood or just a mere money-making scheme, and that’s why MANY of us have purchased the God-knows-how-many products from these sites over the years : )!

And as such, and on our journey to attaining or maintaining good health, Lord willing, we have expectations of our alternative/natural health/med leaders. If you saw your favorite naturalist, or that guys you brought those books on herbal cures from, eating fast or processed food, you’d probably think twice about taking their advice or at least call them on it. Right? I respect and admire my herbalist. She grows her own food, doesn’t eat anything processed, and obsesses over the ingredients of ANYTHING she buys for her family. She makes her own soaps, detergents and cleaning products, hair and skin care products, and all of her families clothing too! And, as someone who only consumes all things natural and organically based, and consults and advises individuals on all things natural and herbal, ALL of the products she sells are also ALL-NATURAL! She shakes in her environmentally-friendly socks when she sees chemically corrupted products being passed off as “organic,” “natural,” “herbal,” “pure,” and would NEVER advise her family, friends, or clients to EVER buy that CRAP! Wouldn’t the credibility of any person(s) or company, who makes their living selling the supposedly, organic, pure, and ALL NATURAL, online or otherwise, be SHOT if it sold, promoted, recommended, or advertised products that anything but? Shouldn’t it? Or do we just blindly follow like sheep and keep buying any product put in front of our unwitting eyes, even after clear evidence that the goods are tainted, or at the very least not what they were claimed to be?

So, when we learned that the Hemani’s black seed oil, which has been so revered and propagated as some the BEST stuff on earth is diluted with mustard and sesame oils, it sent up our red flags. Good for Hemani and their spokespeople! They pull the wool over our eyes, cut the black seed oil with this stuff to alter its color and taste and make more profit from an inferior product, but the consumer is left wondering just how much of the oil is black seed and how much is vegetable, mustard, and sesame oils? Since their bottles DON’T list these other additives, and you have to virtually pull teeth and tell them you may be allergic to one of the carrier oils to get them to divulge their “secret” formula, we thought we would demonstrate how another product that says BLACK SEED on the label can actually contain MOSTLY TOXIC ingredients and still be touted as a top-rated herbal/alt health product! Oh, did we mention Hemani also sells black seed petroleum jelly and a black seed massage cream with mineral oil, petroleum, and paraffin in it? Notice a pattern here? Are we sheep supposed to just believe that a company that sells these low-budget and substandard “healthy” imitations is also selling a top of the line pure black seed oil? Mixing neurotoxins with black seed oil, does not make it an all-natural herbal product!

The following are the ingredients as listed on a bottle of Dabur Vatika 500g BLACK SEED Hair Mask Treatment Cream This company is based overseas and has made BILLIONS in Asia and the Middle East selling their “natural” beauty products, but since I happened to get my hands on the Black Shine shampoo and the ingredients of this black seed hair mask were online, I thought I’d prove my point above and list the absolutely unnatural TOXINS included in these hair care selections.…Aqua, Cetearyl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Nigella sativa seed extract, Propylene glycol, Parfum, Magnesium Nitrate, Magnesium Chloride,Methylchloroisothiazolinone,Methylisothiazolinone, citric acid , CI 19140, CI 42090, CI 16035, CI 16035, CI 15985, CI 28440

Now Let’s Review…

Aqua=Water

Cetearyl Alcohol=Any nat health nuts here a fan of alcohols in you “Natural” products?

Myristyl Alcohol=Ditto

Cetrimonium Chloride= Suspected to be an environmental toxin, Human skin toxicant or allergen

Nigella Sativa-Hopefully the real deal, cold pressed and not some imitation

Propylene glycol, Propylene Glycol is a form of mineral oil,

Parfum (Artifical Fragrance), Environmental Toxin, Respiratory Toxin, Immune System Toxin, Organ System Toxin, Allergen, Irritant (Skin, Eyes, and Lungs
Magnesium Nitrate,

Methylchloroisothiazolinone: Environmental Toxin, Brain Toxic, Allergen, Irritant (Skin, Eyes, and Lungs)

Methylisothiazolinone Also called MIT, this ingredient is often found in antibacterial products. Unlike some synthetic chemicals, however, this one isn’t just a mild skin irritant. A recent study found the chemical may actually be linked to nerve damage, and it’s also known to be toxic in several other ways.

CI 19140, CI 42090, CI 16035, CI 16035, CI 15985, CI 28440,
Dyes, including, tartrazine which has been proven to cause many different side-effects and allergic reactions in people. These can include: anxiety, migraines, asthma attacks, blurred vision, eczema, other skin rashes, thyroid cancer, Eosinophilia (increase in specific forms of white blood cells), clinical depression, ADHD or hyperactivity, hives, permanent DNA damage, heart palpitations, rhinitis, sleep disturbances/insomnia, general all-over weakness, hot flushes and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). In severe cases, anaphylactic-like reactions

So, the only natural products are the water and nigella sativa extract??? Wow! Now, some of you natural health “purists” would spit at commercial beauty and hair care products, as you are probably well aware of the many many chemicals with which they are laced. However, for those who have been bamboozled into believing that these kind of products are natural, and therefore good for you, or that seeing a flower and the words “black seed” on a label makes them healthy, or even safe for that matter think again! You would probably need to detox after applying this product to your hair, and get this….Vatika’s Black Shine Shampoo, actually says, and I quote, “The safety of this product has NOT been determined.” And, one of the ingredient is formaldehyde! Yes, formaldehyde (link to label pic below) Now, even with the questionable ingredients in commercial American brands, don’t most at least say not tested on animals? Like Hemani, and many products from other Eastern countries and China that are laced with lead or other bootleg components, this is a cheap, poisonous, concoction--an all-natural herbal knock off, made more appealing by the words black seed on its label! All of their so-called “natural” hair creams, cleansers, oils, and conditioners, even those that contain black seed extract, are riddled with alcohols, dyes, chemicals, and artificial fragrance/parfums that experts on alt med sites like CZ, Natural News, Green Med Info, and endalldisease.com denounce, and rightfully so! Would your herbalist promote products from this company? Mine would not!

I was shocked and amazed at the number of toxic substances in these products and I would be here all day if I listed all of the poisons in the Black Shine shampoo, so I took a pic. My herbalist would have knocked this bottle out of my hands and rolled her eyes, if asked her opinion of this mess! You would never go to a respected member of the alternative health community’s website and see chemical and toxin ridden products abound and for SALE! Their ointments, creams, tinctures, salves, soaps, lotions, herbs, capsules, spices, etc. would be consistent with their mantra! And most of those who sell advert space won’t do so to unnatural or unhealthy products! You can’t insist you have the BEST natural remedies to cure cancer and any other ailment under the sun and then peddle this CHEAP biohazard of a product! Most disease cure protocols call for intensive detoxification. Can you ethically peddle herbs, and remedies, and “cures” to clients from one hand, while selling them carcinogenic skin and hair care merchandise from the other? And as consumers, shouldn’t we raise our voices, or at least our eyebrows at alternative and natural health websites, companies, and individuals who profit from these dubious practices?

Black Seed Oil is a great product if it’s cold-pressed and of quality. It’s recommended for the maintaining of health and combating of illness, but do your due diligence before using ANY form of medication, supplement, herb, spice etc. for health. There are MANY quality Black Seed oils sold right here in the USA, and some companies have even started to cold-press their seeds here in the states, to further assure quality. Does it mean a brand imported from a foreign land is cheap and inauthentic? No! Nigella Sativa is indigenous to the Middle East. Climate, soil fertility, cultivation, and other factors determine the quality of the seed and therefore the integrity of the oil that’s extracted from it. This is why those harvested in Egypt’s Nile valley and rural areas are considered the best! Please use CAUTION! Beware of anyone selling their wares as the be-all, end all. Especially, those who spew childish and baseless aspersions at any other product they aren’t profiting from and shove these other products down your throat as the only viable options on the market! Which is ridiculous, as this stuff is only a novelty here in the US and is sold a dime a dozen in the Mid-East.

Anyway, my point of the post is that black seed has been around for thousands of years and available in ethnic stores in this country for at least two decades now. There’s been black seed books published in English going back about 15 years or more also, each chock full of cures, remedies, dosages, and protocols. NO ONE person has the franchise on black seed or its oil! It’s as ridiculous as Nestle trying to patent it : ( and tantamount to how BigPharma suppresses natural health so it can profit from its chemical poisonous drugs! And, if you see black seed on any label, read the other ingredients, if there are any, although a knockoff from East Bubble Fum will probably not make this info readily available.

Okay, I digressed : ) Now, back to this so-called black seed hair “stuff.” Let’s question the wisdom here! What self-respecting herbalist, naturopath, acupuncturist, Ayurvedist, or alternative/holistic health professional with a conscious would recommend or sell a product so replete with enviro/neuro toxins, especially to those who may suffer from cancer or diseases that have weakened their immunity unless they’re out to make a quick BUCK?! I am astounded that these products are being sold as an alternative, but to what I don’t know… Natural health 101 is to detoxify your body, and this does not mean adding black seed oil to a plethora of potentially harmful chemicals and dyes, hoping it will purify them! There are all natural alternatives like the castile soaps, which are good or the hair and body, and other companies that sell all natural bath and beauty products. The following is a database of over 80,000 alternative products. You can also look up chemicals and their detriment level to humans and the earth. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/


Healthy, all-natural, alternates are out there. Many companies work diligently and spend a lot of $ ensuring their product’s wholesomeness and lack of chemicals. And some can be made with ingredients right in your own kitchen guys. Buy homemade, all-natural, chemical-free products or make your own! And add some black seed or black seed oil, as it’s great for the skin and hair! Don’t be fooled by labels, READ them! And if your natural products merchant, herb gal/guy, alternative health consultant or GURU is selling this type of stuff…question them and their agenda, and go elsewhere!



pic of their black shine label of toxins and not tested for safety spiel

//www.curezone.org/ig/i.asp?i=67982
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