I bought black seed oil after watching a health influencer rave about it. I made the mistake of starting at a full tablespoon on day one because that is what the influencer recommended. Within an hour, I had burning stomach pain, acid reflux that felt like lava, and nausea that persisted for most of the day. I was burping black seed taste for six hours.
Day 2: Reduced to one teaspoon. Still experienced noticeable heartburn and loose stools. Ate a larger meal with it this time which helped somewhat.
Day 3-7: The GI symptoms persisted at a lower level. Never debilitating, but a constant awareness that something was irritating my stomach. Loose stools became a daily occurrence. I have a history of mild IBS-D, so this may have exacerbated an existing vulnerability.
Day 8: Switched to capsules (500mg, twice daily). The heartburn and taste issues resolved completely, but I continued to have loose stools.
Day 14: Stopped entirely. Within three days, my digestion returned to baseline.
I recognize that my experience is not representative — plenty of people tolerate it without issues, and I likely started too aggressively with an already sensitive stomach. But I want people with existing GI issues to know that this supplement is not inherently gentle. The peppery compounds that give it its medicinal properties are the same compounds that can irritate an already unhappy gut.
If I try again, I will start with 500mg capsules once daily and titrate up very slowly. I may not try again.