These tiny sesame seeds may be tiny, but they have huge health benefits. During the Middle Ages, they were worth their weight in gold for many good reasons.
The more I learn about this precious seed, the more I want to share it with other people. I’m an enthusiastic eater of all sorts of seeds, but sesame seeds in the form of tahini and oil are favourites of mine.
20 Health Benefits of Sesame Seeds
1. Full of Great Protein
Sesame seeds are full of high-quality protein making up 20 percent of the seed with 4.7 grams of protein per ounce.
2. Prevents Cancer
Sesame seeds contain anti-cancer compounds including phytic acid, magnesium and phytosterols. Sesame seeds have the highest phytosterol content of all seeds and nuts.
3. Helps Lessen Anxiety
Sesame seeds contain stress-relieving minerals magnesium and calcium. Sesame also contains the calming vitamins thiamin and tryptophan that help produce serotonin, which reduces pain, assists moods and helps you sleep deeply.
4. Good for Respiratory Health
The magnesium in sesame seeds helps prevent respiratory disorders by preventing airway spasm and asthma.
5. Good for Digestion
The high fiber content of sesame seeds helps the intestines with elimination.
6.Prevents Wrinkles
Sesame seed oil prevents harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun from damaging your skin, thus preventing the appearance of wrinkles and pigmentation.
7. For Healthy Skin
The high zinc content helps produce collagen, giving skin more elasticity and helping repair damaged body tissues. Regular use of sesame oil can reduce skin cancer. Learn more about Sesame Benefits For Your Skin below.
Benefits of Sesame Oil For Your Skin
Did you know that sesame seed oil is the main ingredient in many skincare products? Because sesame seed oil is rich in antioxidants, it pulls toxins from your skin. I hear that sesame seed oil can even clear the skin of pimples, and fade dark spots.
Time to Add Sesame Seed Oil to Your Beauty Routine
How do Sesame Seeds Create Beautiful Skin: They are full of zinc, which is an essential mineral to produce collagen. Zinc is great for healing damaged tissues anywhere in the body. Also, sesame oil is known to prevent skin-related disorders.
Cleans up the Skin:
The sesame seed oil contains antioxidants that help in detoxifying your skin. The oil attracts oil-soluble toxins when applied to the skin. A good mixture is to mix half a cup sesame seed oil with half a cup apple cider vinegar and a quarter cup water which can be washed away with hot water and soap. Apply every night after splashing your face with water.
For Glowing Skin:
Sesame seed oil helps to create glowing skin:
- Keeps skin flexibility by keeping it soft and supple.
- Heals mild cuts and scrapes.
- It helps tighten the facial skin.
- Pulls out toxins so fewer pimples.
Try a facial for glowing skin. Apply sesame oil all over your face and massage it in thoroughly. Next, scrub your face with rice powder. Then wash it off with warm water. Afterward, rinse your face with cold water to close the pores.
Healing Properties:
The sesame seed oil has excellent healing properties because it is a natural anti-inflammatory agent with antibacterial properties. This helps to get rid of the skin fungi such as athlete’s foot. To control vaginal yeast infections apply sesame seed oil mixed with warm water.
Helps you to Avoid and Heal Sunburns:
Apply sesame oil to your skin daily which will help prevent the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun from damaging your skin. Also, helps prevent wrinkles and reduces the risk of skin cancer. After exposure to the sun, sesame seed oil can treat sunburns. It also is a natural barrier protecting your skin from smoke and pollutants in the air.
Good for Babies Skin
Rashes on the baby’s skin especially where the diaper (from elimination toxins) can be protected with sesame seed oil by rubbing it in and it also decreases dryness of the skin. Apply it to the nose and ears for protection against common skin problems.
Treats Cracked Heels: Rub sesame seed oil into your heels every night before going to bed, then put on cotton socks that you do not mind getting stained. Within a couple of days, you should notice softer feet.
Note: Only buy organic cold-pressed sesame seed oil.
Here is a very good one to use: ORGANIC SESAME OIL, 100% Pure / Undiluted / Cold Pressed. 2oz -60 ml. For Face, Hair, and Body.
A Little Goes a Long Way, Absorbs Quickly, Not Greasy, Unscented, Chemical Free, Not tested on animals and it does not contain any preservatives.
8. Boosts Heart Health
Sesame seed oil can help heart health by preventing atherosclerotic lesions with the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds known as sesamol.
9. Helps Prevent Diabetes
Sesame seeds contain magnesium and other nutrients. Sesame oil has been shown to prevent diabetes, and it can also improve plasma glucose in hypersensitive diabetics.
10. Reduces Blood Pressure
The same study above reveals how sesame oil lowers blood pressure in diabetics. Sesame seeds are full of magnesium which is a key nutrient known to help lower blood pressure.
11. Help Your Baby’s Health
A sesame oil massage improves growth and improves sleep.
12. Protects from Radiation Damage to DNA
Sesamol in sesame seeds and sesame oil has been shown to protect against DNA damage caused by radiation.
13. Relieves Arthritis
The high copper content in sesame seeds prevents and relieves arthritis, and strengthens bones, joints, and blood vessels.
14. Protects Your Liver from Alcohol
Sesame helps protect you from alcohol’s impact on your liver, helping you maintain healthy liver function.
15. Encourages Bone Health and Prevents Osteoporosis
A handful of sesame seeds contains more calcium than a glass of milk. Also, the high zinc content of sesame boosts bone mineral density.
16. Good for Oral Health
Oil pulling has been used for oral health for thousands of years in Ayurveda to reduce dental plaque, whiten your teeth and boost overall health.
Learn How To Do Oil Pulling
First: Why to Do Oil-Pulling
When you do oil pulling it pulls all mucous, bacteria and toxins from your body through your saliva. The way Ayurvedic medicine sees mucous is that it is a poison that must be removed.
Oil pulling is most helpful for the gums, as it stops the growth of strep bacteria says Dermatologist Dr. Debra Jaliman.
• It whitens teeth and improves gum health and eliminates bad breath
• It clears up acne. Oil pulling has a detoxifying effect on the body thus can reduce the appearance of rashes and blemishes.
The best time to do it is ‘First thing in the morning’.
Important: This is to be done on an empty stomach and before drinking anything and that includes water. For the full directions on how to do this go to How to Do Oil Pulling.
17. Good for Eye Health: In traditional Chinese medicine there is a relationship between the liver and eyes. The liver sends blood to the eyes to support functioning. Black sesame seeds are the best for this.
18. Lowers Cholesterol
Sesame helps lower cholesterol levels because it contains phytosterols that block cholesterol production. Black sesame seeds are especially high in phytosterols.
19. Alleviates Anemia
Black sesame seeds are particularly rich in iron, so they’re highly recommended for those with anemia and weakness.
20. Hair Benefits
Sesame seed oil is full of nutrients that are needed for a healthy scalp and hair. Now learn how to use sesame oil in the hair.
Sesame Oil Benefits for Your Hair
- Deep Conditioning of hair preventing split ends
- Prevents Scalp Problems
- Encourages Hair Growth
- Hair Darkening Qualities for premature greying of hair
- Natural Sunscreen to protect your hair
First, eat sesame seeds because they are packed with many nutrients that nourish the scalp and hair. Best to eat black sesame seeds that are a tonic for the liver and kidneys, and they help improve blood circulation so the nutrients are carried to all of the body which includes the skin and hair. Black sesame seeds are a good source of vitamin E, lecithin and protein which are to grow hair.
As good as this sounds, it will not happen overnight; it can take many weeks to many months to notice a difference in your hair. Patience is needed as is with any changes when improving nutrition in the diet.
- Deep Conditioning of hair preventing split ends: Sesame seed oil is a wonderful way to condition dry, damaged hair that is full of split ends or chemically treated. It will moisture and strengthen the hair; it will shine and be soft again.
- Prevents Scalp Problems: Sesame seeds are rich in replenishing vitamins, minerals, and nutrients which are vital for a healthy scalp. Massage your scalp with sesame seed oil; it will help moisten a dry, flaky scalp. Sesame seeds have antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that help clear scalp infections, dandruff, and clogged pores that cause hair thinning and hair loss.
- Encourages Hair Growth: Essential fatty acids encourage hair growth and sesame seeds are full of them. When you massage warm sesame oil into your scalp it penetrates the scalp and nourishes it and thus increases blood circulation. The sesame oil feeds your hair roots and shafts encouraging the hair to grow.
- Hair Darkening Qualities for Premature Greying of Hair: Sesame seed oil has hair darkening qualities for brunette or black hair. It can be used with carrier oils like olive or almond oil to reap the maximum benefits.
- Natural Sunscreen: Protect your hair from the damaging effects of the sun’s ultraviolet rays by rubbing in sesame oil.
I like to use Raw Organic Sesame Seeds and buy lots at the same time at a good price.
Sesame seeds deserve to be highly honored as affordable food that deeply nourishes the body on many levels. With sesame’s many health benefits I consider it a very good superfood along with green tea, lemons, garlic, honey, and turmeric.
You will have learned all the wonderful health benefits of sesame seeds and now it is time to make a recipe with sesame seeds for your meals.
Some Great Sesame Recipes For You to Try
Creamy Tahini Dressing: Easy, delicious and creamy. I love this tahini salad dressing recipe for its simplicity but mostly because it gives me a creamy dressing that is vegan. Most creamy dressings contain milk products which for many individuals is hard to digest and contributes to weight gain. The other great thing about this dressing is that it full of very good protein.
Gomashio Seasoning: A tasty addition to a meal. This gomashio seasoning is a Traditional Japanese Macrobiotic Seasoning that I learned to make in my macrobiotic days a long time ago. It is so tasty and a wonderful addition to a meal.
Creamy Chick Pea and Rice Pie: A hearty nourishing meal. This chickpea pie is a very tasty meal which does take a little extra time to prepare but it is worth it. The great news is that it is dairy-free meaning it is vegan and gluten-free too!
Yummy Molasses/Tahini Cookies Are Good for You -These molasses/tahini cookies are Middle Eastern-inspired, delicious, and easy to make! Also, they are vegan, and gluten-free too! And they are so very yummy. They are a very healthy cookie full of nutrients from the molasses, tahini, stevia and coconut oil. Thick, dark, syrupy, sweet blackstrap molasses is more than something to make candy or cookies with; it has many benefits, from helping prevent cancer to getting rid of grey hair. It is a superfood full of health benefits.
Delicious Turkish Tahini and Molasses Dessert – This tahini and molasses dessert is from Turkey which they call ‘Tahin Pekmez’. It is so easy and fast to make as it requires no cooking or no baking. All you do is mix it up and that only takes a few minutes and voila it is done! It can be eaten with a spoon, but it is a very very sweet dessert. Traditionally it is eaten with fresh crunchy bread dipped in or mixed in it.
You can also learn how to plan and prepare super healthy meals with my 2-5-30 Healthy Diet Online Courses.
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from my own experience I can confirm that the health benefits described here are true and those who are conscious of good health, should essentially try sesame as an integral part of regular food. Massage of the body with sesame oil is specifically useful.
I am taking a spoon of white til n jeera past 2 months as a general purpose
How long cn we take? I am 67 yrs.i do not take meficine fr diabetis or BP.
Very good & healthy practice. Continue it for lifetime.