- Region
- Africa
- Origin
- Africa, Asia (South Asia)
- Sanskrit
- Tila
Africa · Food · № 356
Sesamum indicum
Food · Africa
Sesame
Sesamum indicum
Traditionally attributed effects: soothing, softens the skin, diuretic, promotes menstruation and milk flow, laxative; leaves for respiratory complaints, diarrhoea and dysentery in children, bladder catarrh; seeds for bleeding haemorrhoids, absent or painful menstruation.
Safety notes
Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Cautions by tradition (3)
- Natural skin and hair care: Watch the water level in the bottom pan of the bain-marie; it evaporates quickly. Not with a sesame allergy.
- Chinese food therapy: Not with diarrhoea or a sesame allergy. No honey for children under one year old.
- Chinese materia medica: Not with diarrhoea.
Preparation
Seed powder 1–2 g; decoction 28–56 ml; seed compress; oil on the head.
Use in traditions
Sesame is one of the oldest oil crops; it was already grown in the Indus civilisation and in ancient Egypt. In Ayurveda (tila) sesame oil is the base oil for massage (abhyanga) and oil pulling; in Chinese medicine black sesame (hei zhi ma) is a remedy for the kidneys and hair. Sanskrit name: Tila. In herbal magic associated with attracting money, helping to find hidden treasure and increasing sexual desire.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Ayurvedic materia medica
Attributed effects
Soothing, softens the skin, diuretic, promotes menstruation and milk flow, laxative; leaves for respiratory complaints, diarrhoea and dysentery in children, bladder catarrh; seeds for bleeding haemorrhoids, absent or painful menstruation; compress on ulcers and burns; oil for migraine and dizziness.
Preparation and amount
Seed powder 1–2 g; decoction 28–56 ml; seed compress; oil on the head.
Everyday Ayurveda
Attributed effects
Massage prevents ageing, nourishes the body, improves sleep, skin and joints, relieves pain; oil pulling strengthens voice, jaw and teeth, reduces gum inflammation, nausea and wrinkles, prevents dry throat and lips.
Preparation and amount
Warm sesame oil for self-massage (winter, spring, for pain) and hair oil (winter); swish 1–2 tsp sesame oil around the mouth for 3 min (oil pulling); as a binder in toothpaste; as lamp oil.
Natural skin and hair care
Attributed effects
A nourishing, slightly warming oil that sinks in well and takes up herbs in salves.
Preparation and amount
External: sesame oil is the base oil for herbal salves, a bath oil and a body scrub (see the recipes).
Caution: Watch the water level in the bottom pan of the bain-marie; it evaporates quickly. Not with a sesame allergy.
Chinese food therapy
Attributed effects
Black sesame is sweet and neutral: nourishes the blood, moistens the bowel and ensures smooth stools, soothes dry skin, strengthens the hair and is said to slow greying.
Caution: Not with diarrhoea or a sesame allergy. No honey for children under one year old.
Chinese materia medica
- Nature and taste
- sweet, neutral
- Meridians
- kidney, liver
Attributed effects
Black sesame (hei zhi ma) nourishes liver and kidney yin in early grey hair, tinnitus, blurred vision and dizziness, nourishes the blood in headache and numb limbs, and moistens the bowel in constipation from blood deficiency.
Preparation and amount
Traditional dosage: 9–30 g a day, usually in a decoction. Roast the seeds, grind them and mix with honey; eating this daily is said to restore hair colour. Like olive oil, sesame oil keeps well for a long time. In the Middle East halva is made from sesame.
Caution: Not with diarrhoea.
Folklore and herbal magic
Symbolic meanings from folk use and modern herbal magic. These are handed-down associations, not effects.
Attracts money, helps find hidden treasures, increases sexual desire.
Herbal magic and rituals
Attributed effects
In herbal magic associated with wealth, hidden treasure and opening the way.
Preparation and amount
Sesame is one of the oldest oil crops in the world. In Ayurveda warm sesame oil is the classic oil for daily self-massage (abhyanga). The spell 'Open sesame' from the tale of Ali Baba refers to the seed pod that bursts open when ripe.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- DecoctionHerbal oil (oil infusion)Salve and balmCompress, poultice and pasteSyrup, honey and oxymelSteam and bathPowder and kitchen
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- Michael & Lesley Tierra, Chinese Traditional Herbal Medicine, vol. II: Materia Medica and Herbal Resource (1998)
- Owen Jackson, Chinese Herbal Medicine (2020)
- L. D. Kapoor, CRC Handbook of Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants (1990)
- Stacey Dugliss-Wesselman & Susan Gregg, Herbal Remedies Made Simple (2018)