Sesame: Seeds, oil News

Sesame oil

2004/3/15 - Author: Richard & Rachelle Strauss

Like olive oil in the West, sesame oil has been traditionally favoured in the Orient. Even though sesame oil is 46% monounsaturated, it is nearly equally (41%) polyunsaturated. This would normally mean that the large polyunsaturated fraction sesame oil could easily become rancid. Fortunately, rancidity is kept in check by siesamol, an antioxidant naturally present in the oil. This discovery concurs with dietary teachings of ancient India, which rate sesame as one of the most stable of all.

Sesame oil has a number of uses as a remedy:

Skin and Hair:
Sesame oil has been used as a healing oil for thousands of years; it is naturally antibacterial for common skin pathogens such as staphylococcus and streptococcus and is a natural anti viral and anti inflammatory agent. It lubricates dryness, working as an emollient when applied to dry and cracked skin; helping with conditions such a psoriasis and eczema. Used after exposure to the sun, sesame oil calms any burns and applied liberally before swimming, sesame oil will help to protect against the affects of chlorine - apply to the hair too!

Sesame oil destroys ringworm, scabies and most fungal skin diseases such as athletes foot if applied twice daily until the condition is relieved.

Sesame oil helps to keep the skin supple and soft and is a wonderful addition to anyone's beauty regime - give your teenage children the gift of sesame oil - most of us are told that all oils are bad for facial skin, but sesame helps to control erruptions and neutralises the toxins which develop both on the surface and in the pores. It also helps to tighten facial skin, helping you to look younger, longer!

Used on baby skin, sesame oil will protect against rashes in the nappy area caused by the acidity of body waste.

Used as a hair tonic it is a useful UV protector, nourishes and feeds the scalp - helping to control dandruff and killing dandruff-causing bacteria and is wonderful for treating lice infestations. Applying a thin coating of sesame oil before swiming will help to protect from the effects of chlorine

Digestion:
Sesame oil relieves constipation if a few drops are added to food during cooking. For faster results in more serious conditions, take one to two tablespoons on an empty stomach to induce bowel movement. (Sesame oil is contraindicated during diarrhoea.) In both the small intestine and the colon, some cells are nourished by fat instead of sugar - the presence of sesame seed oil can provide those cells with essential nourishment.

Muscles and Joints:
Sesae oil helps joints keep their flexibility and makes a wonderful massage oil for sore muscles and the pain of rheumatism/arthritis.

Cholestrol, Cancer and Chronic Disease:
Sesame oil has been used extensively in India as a healing oil, including experiments which showed it was useful in unblocking arteries. In recent experiments in Holland by Ayurvedic physicians, the oil has been used in the treatment of several chronic disease processes, including hepatitis, diabetes and migraines. Research shows that sesame seed oil is a potent antioxidant. In the tissues beneath the skin, this oil will neutralize oxygen radicals - it penetrates into the skin quickly and enters the blood stream through the capillaries. Molecules of sesame seed oil maintain good cholesterol (HDL) and lower bad cholesterol (LDL).

Sesame seed oil is a cell growth regulator and slows down cell growth and replication; in vitro, sesame seed oil has inhibited the growth of malignant melanoma and nhibited replication of human colon cancer cells. Used before and after radiation treatments, sesame seed oil helps neutralize the flood of oxygen radicals which such treatment inevitably causes.

Ear, Nose and Throat:
In an experiment at the Maharishi International College in Fairfield, Iowa, students rinsed their mouths with sesame oil, resulting in an 85% reduction in the bacteria which causes gingivitis. As nose drops, sniffed back into the sinuses, sesame seed oil has cured chronic sinusitis. As a throat gargle, it kills strep and other common cold bacteria. For children going to school, who will be in the presence of other children with colds and sniffles, sesame seed oil swabbed in the nose can protect against air borne viruses and bacteria; we do this too before going swimming to give extra protection.

And finally..... Used as a douche mixed with warm water, sesame oil controls vaginal yeast infections.

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