RAWYA EXTRA STRONG
COMPANY INFO
Rawya is a registered trademark of HNF Foods Inc. The name "Rawya" is derived from the Turkish language, meaning “narrator” or “storyteller.” In our opinion, the branding appears to be inspired by one of the most recognized black seed oil brands in the Middle East, “Messenger Speech,” where "messenger" refers to the Prophet. Imitating successful trademarks is not uncommon in Turkish branding practices.
The product is distributed by HNF Foods Inc., headquartered in Newark, New Jersey. The product description on Amazon identifies Farmeks, a Turkish manufacturer, as the actual producer of the oil.
● On March 20, 2025, we contacted the company via email to request oil information, including any available lab analyses or supporting materials. No response was received. All the information in this report was therefore gathered through independent research using publicly available sources.
It’s important to note that only three companies responded to our inquiries: Piping Rock, Bionatal, and Prime Natural.
PACKING AND SAFETY SEAL
The oil is packaged in a branded green glass bottle with a plastic cap featuring a tamper-evident neck ring. It is sealed with a heavy-duty black shrink wrap, and a plastic dropper insert is placed inside the bottle neck. The bottle is placed into the aluminum container for protection.
● The sealing appears secure and sufficient to prevent leaks, even under high temperatures, when black seed oil can expand by up to 20% during transportation.
However, we did notice that the cap was oily beneath the shrink wrap. There was no visible leak or damage, suggesting that the shrink wrap may have been applied to a cap that was already oily during packaging.
SEEDS ORIGIN
According to two sources — the website of the producer, Farmeks, and an image of Rawya Extra Strong specification on Amazon — this oil is made from Turkish-grown Nigella sativa seeds.
OIL DISCRIPTION
Rawya Extra Strong black seed oil has a dark yellow, cloudy appearance with a pleasant herbal aroma and a bitterness slightly above medium intensity.
In our assessment, this oil is virtually identical in color, flavor, and aroma to a number of well-known brands, including Heritage Store, Piping Rock, Zhou Nutrition, Healths Harmony, Freshfield, and officially recognized Turkish-origin oils such as Sweet Sunnah Premium, Kiva, Prime Natural, Maju, and Amazing Herbs Premium.
However, some of our testers noted that Rawya Extra Strong has noticeably more bitterness than the other brands with similar profiles. Under certain lighting, the oil also appears slightly darker, a detail we also observed with Healths Harmony and Freshfield.
●The increased bitterness may be attributed to the variation in farm elevation and regional temperatures across Turkey, particularly between the cooler Black Sea coast and the warmer Mediterranean coast.
Interestingly, our testing revealed that the regular Rawya black seed oil is indistinguishable from the Rawya Extra Strong version. In our opinion, both oils appear to be identical in color, taste, aroma, and bitterness, suggesting they may, in fact, be the same product.
THYMOQUINONE (TQ)
Although the TQ level is not listed on the product label, we found a Rawya Extra Strong advertisement image on Amazon stating a minimum thymoquinone content of 2%. Based on our analysis, this claim appears to be realistic, as Rawya oil exhibits the highest bitterness among all Turkish black seed oils we have tested — an indicator often associated with elevated TQ levels.
This estimate is consistent with other Turkish oils that report similar levels, although none of these brands have made their Certificates of Analysis publicly available:
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Maju and Rawya – Minimum 2%
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Sweet Sunnah Premium – 1.71%
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Freshfield – 1.64%
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Prime Natural, Kiva – Over 1.5%
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Amazing Herbs Premium – Minimum 1.2%
● As confirmed by experienced farmers, TQ levels can vary even among seeds grown in the same country. In Turkey — a nation known for its mountainous landscape — the elevation of the farms can differ significantly, impacting seed potency. Additionally, the climate variation between the cooler Black Sea coast in the north and the warmer Mediterranean coast in the south also contributes to differences in thymoquinone concentration.
TABLE OF ANALYSIS
Extraction oil videos & photos
YES
Acids pH level analyses
YES
Nigellon level
NO
Non-filtered oil with seeds
YES
Thymoquinone level
YES
Volatile Oils level
YES
Cold press method analyses
YES
Thymohydroquinone level
YES
Heavy Metals level analyses
YES
Thymol level
YES
Industry Clarifications:
(The following industry points are worth noting)
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"Unrefined" ≠ Non-Filtered: Even unrefined oils are typically filtered and don’t contain seed particles.
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"Cold Press" misuse on the label: The term is widely used without proof. True cold pressing should be validated by testing for compounds like Benzo(a)pyrene and related PAHs.
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"Organic" ≠ Pesticide-Free: USDA standards still allow natural pesticides (§§ 205.601 - 205.602). No Nigella sativa seeds are entirely free from them.
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"Non-GMO" claims are unnecessary: Nigella sativa is not genetically modified, and global demand doesn’t justify GMO cultivation.
FINAL RANKING #3-A
The #1 and #2 spots in our ranking are firmly held by the world’s strongest black seed oils—both extracted from Ethiopian Nigella sativa seeds.
Rawya Extra Strong, a Turkish black seed oil officially confirmed by the brand, stands out with noticeably more bitterness and flavor than most other Turkish oils. However, there’s no significant difference between Rawya Extra Strong and the regular Rawya oil. It was up to our team to evaluate where they fit in comparison to other Turkish brands that show slight advantages in taste flavor — such as Freshfield and Healths Harmony.
After extensive testing involving more than 10 real testers over a long period, we concluded that Rawya and Rawya Extra Strong only differ slightly in taste flavor but not bitterness when compared to Freshfield and Healths Harmony. We’ve kept both Rawya oils in the ranking list because the company has made no misleading claims. While there's no actual difference between the two, the brand hasn’t falsely advertised otherwise — so there’s no basis to disqualify them.
We award the #3 spot with sub-position “A” to Rawya Extra Strong, mainly due to its name, which does reflect a slightly stronger bitterness and flavor profile than other Turkish oils. The regular Rawya receives sub-position “B.” Despite their solid standing, both Rawya oils fall short when compared to the significantly more potent Ethiopian black seed oils that dominate the top of the list.
BRAND OWNERS:
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