Why is our oil special?

As most of our customers use our oil for medicinal purposes, the quality of the oil is more important to us than anything else like branding and marketing. We believe our oil is the most fresh, pure and powerful black seed available on the UK market. If you’ve found any better, please do let us know. In order to understand this, let’s answer a few important questions.

What makes seeds good quality?

Well, more important than which country the seeds are grown is how they are grown and how they are then stored and transported. Our seeds are grown in Southern Turkey and are “Good Agriculture” certified. This is the Turkish equivalent to organic certification which means no GMO and no pesticides, etc. We can source seeds from more exotic sounding places but ensuring quality of production is not as easy or feasible. 

What makes a quality oil?

There are many ways of getting oil out of seeds but not all of them are equal. We use the best processes to ensure the oil extracted is the best possible. See our list of terms below to understand the special features of our oil. 

What keeps Black Seed fresh?

Black seed is full of natural chemicals and nutrients that can be spoiled or lost by environmental factors. The two biggest natural threats are sunlight and air. Seeds are a bit more resilient but once turned into oil, it is more susceptible to environmental factors, especially when it is raw, organic and unfiltered. That’s why we import fresh, certified seeds in air sealed, double wrapped packaging and press fresh oil every week. We then bottle it in a coated glass bottle which keeps out the light and seal it with a tamper-proof lid, locking out the air. 

In summary, we ensure your oil is pressed from the best quality seeds; pressed in the best way possible, and get it to you in the quickest time possible. We can’t really think of a better way to get you the best oil but you can rest assured that if we do, we will let you know. Below are some other terms you might be curious about. 

The Jargon

What does freshly-pressed mean?
When you order oil from our website, it is not pulled from a shelf ready to go, or poured from a large container produced months or years ago in a distant land. Rather, you will get oil pressed to the highest quality from a fresh sack of seeds.  

What does Organic mean?
This means it is produced without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other artificial chemicals at any stage of production. This ensures none of the powerful natural chemicals are diluted, distorted or lost and that you are not exposed to the potential harms of any foreign substances you did not intend to consume.

What does Unrefined and Unfiltered mean?
Our philosophy is that the gifts of nature are usually best with minimal interference by us. When oil is pressed, there are natural variations in colour, there might be bits of sediment from the seeds, etc. Many mass produced oils are filtered or refined to make the colour and texture more consistent. This also gives the oil a slightly longer shelf life which has obvious commercial benefits. Processes for this can vary and some involve using chemicals and heat. We don’t do any of that to avoid the risk of losing any of the oil’s benefits or introducing anything foreign into it. Yes, that means the oil might last only 6 months instead of a year like refined oil, but this doesn’t concern us and shouldn’t concern you. I mean, why would you want to leave the good stuff sitting on a shelf for so long?

What does Virgin mean?
A lot of terms used in the oil industry have similar meanings and you will find different terms in different places. Virgin oil means the oil has been extracted directly from seeds without using any chemicals or heat.

What does raw mean?
The word raw is usually used to refer to oil that hasn’t been exposed to heat which could be harmful to the quality of the oil. As mentioned, there is overlap in some of the terms commonly used. 

What does cold-pressed mean?
This is when the oil is pressed through pure mechanical force without the aid of heat. This means the oil is of a higher quality and there’s less risk of compromising the beneficial nature of the oil. 

What does non-GMO and GMO-free mean?
The seeds themselves are not genetically modified. There are no preservatives or additives in the seeds or the oil so nothing else genetically modified is in the product either. 

What does no additives mean?
Sometimes have extra oilsare to increase the volume of the product, thin the consistency or make it keep for longer. Even if some of these additives are harmless, they can still compromise the quality and potency of the oil which is why we avoid using any of them. 

What does vegan mean?
This means our seeds and oil do not contain any animal products, nor is there any contamination with animal products.