Black seed (Nigella sativa)

Black seed: botanical (seed).

Black seed testing at Vanguard Laboratory: identity, purity and quantity $250 per sample, with results in 3 to 5 business days.

Structure

Marker compound: 2D structure drawn from the PubChem record (CID 10281).

Compound data

Botanical source

Nigella sativa Seed

Marker compounds

thymoquinone

Basis

total or named markers, as your specification states

Type

Botanical (seed)

Structure and names

Marker compounds: thymoquinone (CAS 490-91-5)

How Vanguard tests Black seed

Method for the $250 identity, purity and quantity test: HPLC-UV marker-compound assay (thymoquinone), LC-MS identity, against a reference standard, with results in 3 to 5 business days.

The USP Herbal Medicines Compendium monograph covers identity by HPTLC fingerprint and an assay of marker compounds by HPLC. Full testing to the USP Herbal Medicines Compendium monograph for Nigella sativa Seed is available and quoted.

What's reported

Marker compounds, as % w/w on the basis your specification states
Quantity, against the label claim
Identity, reported as match or no match against the reference standard
With monograph testing (quoted): the monograph’s tests against its limits

Tests and prices

Purity and quantity

$250

Chromatographic purity and mg per unit by the method matched to the compound, identity against a reference standard. 1 unit.

Raw powder purity

$200

Chromatographic purity on bulk powder. 50 mg.

Add-on tests

Add-on test	Price
Identity and impurities
FTIR identity	$90
CHNS elemental analysis (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur)	$125
Chiral purity (where a chiral method exists; new methods quoted)	$250
Water, solvents and salt form
Water content by Karl Fischer	$60
Residual solvents	$150
Counterions: chloride, acetate and TFA	$70
Assay
Assay, % w/w (with raw powder purity; $250 together)	+$50
Metals and conformity
Heavy metals: arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury and lead	$150
Conformity: purity and quantity on more units from the same lot	$100 per extra unit

10% off for 10 or more samples.

Need something else? Other tests are available on request.

Sample amount and turnaround

Purity and quantity is $250 per sample (1 unit) and raw powder purity is $200 for 50 mg, with results in 3 to 5 business days. Send the material sealed and labeled, with the label claim and the form it contains.

Salts, forms and compendial references

Nigella sativa Seed
Tell us the salt or form the label states, so quantity is reported on the same basis.

Questions about Black seed testing

Is the $250 test the same as USP monograph testing?

No. The $250 test covers identity, purity and quantity by HPLC-UV measurement of thymoquinone, with LC-MS identity. Full testing to the USP Herbal Medicines Compendium monograph for Nigella sativa Seed is available and quoted.

Is black seed oil tested the same way as the seed?

Black seed oil is tested for thymoquinone by HPLC, and its fatty acid profile is a separate GC test. Whole seed is extracted first, and results are reported per gram of seed.

Is thymoquinone stable?

Thymoquinone is sensitive to light and heat and can convert to dithymoquinone and other products. Oils and powders should be stored cool and dark before testing.

What is black seed confused with?

The name black cumin is also used for Bunium bulbocastanum, and onion seed is sometimes mislabeled as nigella. Marker testing helps confirm Nigella sativa.

Sources

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/10281

Identity facts from the USP monograph header for this compound.

Order

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