OPEN SESAME!








Sesamum indicum (Pedaliaceae) is an annual flowering plant with fuzzy, slender, oblong leaves that reaches an average of two to four feet (0.6-1.2 meters) in height and produces small, bell-shaped pink, violet, or white flowers. It produces oblong seed pods containing many small oval-shaped seeds in three color varieties: black, white, and red/brownwhich burst open when ripe. This is said to be the basis of the magic phrase "open sesame" in the Arabian Nights.
Sesamum indicum is a robust plant which prefers to grow in well-drained soil in warm or hot climates but will also grow in poor soil, drought, and high heat conditions where most other crops will not. The leaves of the plant are edible but the sesame plant is grown primarily for its seeds. The oil pressed from the seeds is an important commercial and medicinal product. 
Sesame seeds are possibly one of the oldest seed crops known to humankind. It is believed that sesame originated in Africa, where it was called benne, and its cultivation and use spread to Egypt, India, the Middle East, and China. Today, itis cultivated mostly in India, China and Mexico. 
Sesame seeds are full of protein and fibre, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats. They are a good source of copper, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, vitamins B1, B2, B3, vitamin E and zinc. They can be eaten whole, ground into tahini paste or pressed into oil. The seeds also contain unsaturated fatty acids, oleic acid and linoleic acid, which have antioxidant properties; they help fight inflammation, normalize the heartbeat, widen blood vessels for better circulation, and lower lipids and cholesterol.
An ounce (3 tablespoons) of toasted sesame seeds contains around 28 percent the daily value of calcium based on a 2,000-calorie diet. A cup of non-fat dairy milk, in comparison, has approximately 31 percent of the daily value of calcium.






                            
 Sesame oil has a bold flavour and goes well with garlic and ginger in recipes and stir-frys but it is better not to cook with sesame oil unless it is unrefined, because it can break down under high heat. It contains monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, both of which are good for the body. 
Ssame oil is rich in an anti-inflammatory lignan known as "sesamin."  
Sesamin is well known for its health benefits:
Ø Lowering cholesterol
Ø Lowering blood pressure
Ø Anti-aging effects
Ø Regulating the immune system
Ø Lowering blood sugar
Ø Antithrombotic effects
Ø Antioxidant power

For thousands of years sesame seeds have been used by traditional peoples for food and medicine. 
The ancient Babylonian Empire (now part of modern-day Iraq) used sesame oil to manufacture perfumes and medicine, and records show that ancient Egyptians used sesame both as medicine and for purification. Traditional Ayurvedic practitioners in ancient India combined powdered sesame seeds and a warm sitz bath to treat amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea.

Chinese medicine suggests this ancient food may help relieve the current high prevalence of liver damage. 
Hepatotoxicity is liver damage caused by chemicals.  It's a significant problem related to pharmaceutical use since the liver's job is to clear chemicals from the body.  That makes the liver particularly susceptible to injury from drug use. Hundreds of drugs contribute to liver toxicity even when used in correct doses. It's the number one reason drugs are withdrawn from the market.  In the Journal of the Chinese Medical Association it was suggested that sesame seeds and their oil may be the answer to protecting the liver from such damage    (Journal of The Chinese Medical Association).

Sesamin helps to protect against oxidative liver damage from alcohol and drugs; for example, acetaminophen reduces the liver’s store of glutathione and Sesamin maintains intracellular levels of glutathione, a potent antioxidant, reduces the levels of free radicals and inhibits oxidation of fats. It actually has been suggested that 2 tablespoons (40 grams) of sesame seeds reduces pain in those suffering from knee arthritis!
There are increasing examples of the many benefits that sesame seeds and their oil deliver. How amazing is it that tiny seeds that can grow in the bleakest of conditions, can give so much! Add some sesame seeds to your diet! 
Try these:
  • Add sesame seeds to a side dish for added crunch and flavor.
  • Include sesame oil in the dishes you cook.
  • Make your own sesame milk.
  • Roast, crush and sprinkle sesame seeds and include them in your salad.
  • Make yourself some tahini from roasted sesame seeds and vegetable oil ground to make a thin paste.

You can’t have too much of sesame seeds. They may be small in size but they are big in nutrition and overall health benefits.

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