Sesame
SESAMO: Sesamum Indicum
The origin of the sesame plant goes back to the III millennium B.C. and it comes from the East Indies. It was also cultivated in Egypt and in the tropical and sub-tropical areas of the Far East, where it was largely used in several fields, from cuisine to the cosmetics and pharmaceutical use.
It is a plant growing to 100 cm tall, its flowers have a flower-cup with a five-lobed mouth, cylindrical corolla and 5 white or black punctuated pink petals. Its fruits are made of little capsules, which contain oval and flat seeds from which an excellent quality oil is obtained.
Both the oil and the sesame seeds are largely known and appreciated in the Ayurvedic medicine and they are used in different forms for several treatments, in so far as they have the peculiar feature to easily absorb herbs properties with which they are mixed, and to transmit these properties at best in order to strengthen their action.
Family: Pedaliaceae (Labiate)
Principal ingredients:
Trans fats (oily part 69%) Omega-6 fatty acids (linoleic acid - LA), Omega-3 fatty acids (linolenic acid)
Proteins rich in essential amino acids (methionine)
Vitamins A, B, B1, B2, B6, D, E, PP and T
Minerals (calcium, iron, phosphor, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc
Natural antioxidants (sesamin, sesamolin and sesaminol glucosides)
In Sanskrit it is known as Tila "little particle", meanwhile the name Sesame comes from the Arabian term sesam, which means "herb".
Historical evidences
They think that Sesame plant was one of the first plant to be cultivated and maybe to be used as food or condiment. Indians think that its origin takes from ancient times defining it as a gift given by divinities. In fact, according to the Indian literature, sesame seeds would be born from Vishnu's beads of sweat, a male divinity who protects the world and his devotees.
In the 1875, in the Nile valley some papyrus of the III millennium B.C. describing sesame and how its seeds were used in the pharmaceutical preparation have been discovered.
News concerning the use of the sesame seeds can be found also in the most ancient and important Indian texts like Rgveda, Atharvaveda and Yajurveda. They tell also that during Buddah's exequies, the monks put his body in an ark full of sesame oil, which was implied to purify the remains and the funerale pyre.
According to the famous medical treatises Characa Samhita of the II century B.C. and Susruta of thee VI century B.C., the sesame oil is an optimal remedy against burns, for preparing medicaments against convulsions, headache, earache and tetanus.
Moreover, according to the traditional medicine, sesame seeds and its preparations are really efficacious thanks to the magic properties of this divine plant which put demons who cause illnesses to flight.
#BBD0E0 »Scientific Evidences
Sesame oil has always been largely used in the Ayurveda, and at present it is one of the most used oil by the Ayurvedic doctors for massages, in so far as it is used as base for the preparation of medical oils.
Provided with a peculiar property called "vyavayin" thanks to which it goes through a metabolic transformation in contact with the skin, it has the extraordinary capacity to penetrate into the smallest parts of the body and into its thinner ducts.
The properties and benefits of sesame are numerous and it is just for this reason that its use is extended from the pharmaceutical and herboristic field to the cosmetic one.
According to the Ayurveda, sesame oil promotes skin's and mind's force and health.
The external use of the sesame oil is useful for the treatment of irritations but also against skin dryness, fragility and tone losing thanks to its lenitive properties.
Moreover, thanks to its 8 essential amino acids important for brain, it is traditionally used for head massage but also as oily base for some products for hair and scalp care. It is rich in linoleic acid, phosphor, potassium and magnesium, which have a beneficial on endocrine glands and especially on nerve and cerebral cells.
Amongst the qualities of the sesame, we can find the abundance of calcium, a mineral salt which is very important for the strengthening of the skeleton and for the osteoporosis prevention as well..
Also the zinc is present enough to supply benefits to our organism protecting it against infections; instead the selenium has effective proprieties in crossing free radicals.
The sesame strengthens the immune system over all in case of fatigue and convalescence, for this reason it represents an optimal blood platelets and hemoglobin restorative. In fact, the vitamin T containing in it has the property to improve blood platelets.
