Sesame (Sesamum indicum) is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world, prized as an oilseed for at least 5,000 years. While it is beginning to regain favor due to its exceptionally high calcium and magnesium content, few realize it is also one of the most potent medicinal foods still commonly consumed today.
Contents
Uses
- One of the initial oil seeds known to humankind, sesame seeds have been widely employed in culinary as well as in traditional medicines for their nutritive, preventive, and curative properties.
- Sesame are an important sources of phyto-nutrients such as omega-6 fatty acids, flavonoid phenolic anti-oxidants, vitamins, and dietary fiber with potential anti-cancer as well as health promoting properties.
Benefits
- For constipation: Taking a tbsp of sesame oil with 1/4th ginger juice at bed time is said to loosen the bowels. Its oil is a known mild laxative.
- To cure arthritis: Take 500 g of sesame oil in a bottle and to it mix 20 g of camphor and fix the cap tightly. Keep the bottle in sunlight so that the camphor dissolves well in the oil. Apply this mixture twice daily at the site of pain.
- For swelling- For relief from swelling in any part of the body, mix ginger powder into sesame oil and massage over the area.
- To relieve headache: Rubbing warm sesame oil on the forehead relieves headache.
- For chest congestion: To treat chest congestion, warm 2 tbsp of sesame oil with a pinch of black salt and massage onto the chest followed by a eucalyptus steam inhalation.
- For healthy Hair: Eating 3-4 tsp of sesame seeds every morning provides nourishment to the hair.
- For dandruff: Massage the oil into the scalp and leave it overnight. This treatment not only cures itching scalp, but also helps get rid of dandruff.
- Skin Care: Massaging the skin gently with sesame oil has multiple benefits. Sesame oil being rich in antioxidants and vitamin E, works as a moisturizer, as anti-aging cream, and a treatment for skin diseases, such as eczema and psoriasis. Gentle oil massage also helps to sooth sunburn, minor burns and helps in the healing process.
- Scabies: Application of paste of turmeric prepared in sesame (Sesamum indicum) oil on the infected areas cures scabies.
- To gain weight: Daily consumption of sesame seeds helps in gaining weight because of its high calorific contents.
Cautions
- Unhealthy Body Weight: These lightweight sesame seeds are densely packed with calories and saturated fat.
- Colon Cancer
- Diverticulitis
- Allergic Reactions
- Anaphylaxis
- Appendix Infection
- Diarrhea
- Skin Rashes
Interactions
Unknown, please consult with your doctor.
Other names
sesame
References
Source: GreenMedInfo, http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/open-sesame-10-amazing-health-benefits-super-seed
Nutrition-and-you, http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/sesame-seeds.html
TheHealingHerbsOfIndia, http://thehealingherbsofindia.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-medicinal-herb-sesamum-indicum.html
StyleCraze, http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/serious-side-effects-of-sesame-seeds/