Sesame Seeds Benefits, Uses and Properties
According to Ayurveda there are five types of sesame seeds. These days we tend to only have access to white and black sesame. Sesame is considered to be pungent, bitter, sweet and astringent in taste. Their effect is heating. They balance all doshas but due to their pungent nature can be less suited to very aggravated Pitta conditions. Sesame seeds are the oldest known oil crop. They love dry arid conditions to grow in where they experience the full sun. This is what gives sesame its luminosity and heating properties.
Sesame Seed Uses
Sesame is great for the skin, hair, teeth, nails and breastmilk. The black variety is considered the best of all and is good for semen production and helping in dysmenorrhea, pre-menstrual challenges. For improved lactation you can make a milky drink with sesame seeds, check out the recipe in my book The Ayurveda Kitchen on page 191.
If your periods are slow to get started or you get some cramping before or are prone to tearful PMS then try for at least 5 days before your menstruation adding 1 tablespoon of black sesame seeds to your breakfast. This ancient practice within Ayurveda has become popular recently with the practice of ‘seed cycling’ to support hormonal balance.
Try my delicious free recipe for Sesame Sugar Free Cookie Recipe.
Sesame Seed Benefits
Sesame seeds contain high levels of calcium, magnesium, a high source of fibre, zinc, B vitamins, phosphorous, Vitamin E, copper and Iron. Black seeds in particular contain more Iron than White sesame seeds and so are good to use to prevent iron deficiency. Both varieties are great sources of calcium and should be regularly consumed by vegans. The trick with sesame seeds is to ensure you chew really well so that your body has the best chance of extracting all the benefits. There is another benefit to you as all that chewing really improves your digestive system and further enhances the absorption possibilities.
Additionally, sesamin a constituent of Sesame helps to prevent damage to the gut and suppresses neuro-inflammatory responses. This basically means it helps prevent inflammation in the brain caused by inflammation from the gut.
In Ayurveda, we regularly recommend and use sesame oil for external massage as well as for ‘oil pulling‘. We ‘cure’ sesame oil before we can use it. To do this we place it in a saucepan on a very low grade heat for 2 hours, this is a good source of sesame that hasn’t been cured yet from Oshadhi. This activates certain properties within the oil and makes them more absorbable through our skin. Sesame oil is the most stable vegetable oil against oxidation out of all known oils. This might have something to do with the fact it is able to grow in the searing heat. If you don’t want to cure it yourself then I recommend the following source to purchase it from Essential Ayurveda.
