this bulletin aims to provide general information on the seed and seed oil of nigella (nigella sativa) and summarizes the available information on adulteration, mislabeling, counterfeiting, and fraud in nigella raw material and its products. it also provides information on trade and market dynamics, laboratory methods for detecting adulteration, and economic and safety implications for the consumer and industry. it may be used as guidance for quality control personnel and members of the international phytomedicine and botanical supplement industries and the extended natural products community in general.