KESEHATAN
The health benefits of sesame are amazing. In fact, this nutrient dense food is been used for over 5000 years. Sesame seeds may be tiny, but they have huge health benefits. They were worth their weight in gold during the Middle Ages, and for many good reasons.
The health benefits of sesame oil include its ability to improve hair and skin health, stimulate strong bone growth, reduce blood pressure, increase heart health, manage anxiety and depression, protect infant health, boost your dental health, prevent cancer, improve the digestive process, and lower inflammation.
The impressive amount of vitamins, minerals, organic compounds, and other beneficial components in sesame oil make it so healthy, but let’s take a closer look at what health benefits can actually be enjoyed when you add sesame oil to your diet!
11. Best Benefits of Sesame Oil
1. Hair Health
Sesame oil has traditionally been used to improve the health of hair. It can help to darken hair color and also eliminate hair loss. Furthermore, the anti-bacterial effects of sesame oil can help to eliminate any of the pathogens or foreign bodies that can attack your scalp or hair.
Massage sesame oil into the scalp using your fingertips before going to bed and leave it all night. You should cover every part of the scalp. Wash the hair in the morning. For best result, use sesame oil daily for 30 days.
2. Natural Sunscreen
Vitamin E contained in sesame oil acts as excellent antioxidant thus it is useful as natural sunscreen lotion. Free radicals and oxidation that come with sun exposure can damage your skin. If you think applying chemical-based sunscreen is not good enough, sesame oil can be the best alternative.
Chemical-free sunscreen should not trigger skin problems, however you should consult dermatologist before applying the oil in order to prevent possible allergic reactions. You can also try applying sesame oil to a small area of your skin and check for unusual reactions to make sure that it is safe to use.
3. Slowing Down the Skin Aging
Another excellent benefit of sesame oil for skin is that it slows down skin aging. The oil has an antioxidant called sesamol which effectively prevents the appearances of wrinkles and fine lines. There are indeed plenty of anti-aging products that you can use, but sesame oil offers natural benefits without chemical ingredients. It is as well inexpensive as long as you know how to extract the oil at home.
4. Blood Pressure
Consuming sesame oil on a regular basis has recently been linked with lowering blood pressure. A study published in the September 2007 issue of “Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine,” reported that sesame oil consumption on a regular basis lowered blood pressure, decreased the oxidative degradation of fats and increased antioxidant levels in hypertensive patients.
5. Heart Health
Like most vegetable oils, sesame oil is so helpful and delicious in foods because of its fatty acid content. Sesame oil contains a wide range of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including sesamol and sesamin. This can keep the cardiovascular system balanced and keeps cholesterol levels low. It can also drop the cholesterol levels that the body already has, thereby reducing atherosclerosis. This means that you are better protected from heart attacks and strokes if you add sesame oil to your diet.
6. Diabetes Prevention
Sesame oil has been shown to decrease both blood pressure and glucose in patients with both diabetes and high blood pressure. The magnesium and other nutrients in sesame seeds were shown by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition to improve the effectiveness of the oral diabetic treating drug glibenclamide in type 2 diabetic patients.
7. Bone Growth
There are many important minerals that can be found in sesame oil, particularly copper, zinc, and calcium. These three minerals are integral to bone growth in the body, meaning that by maintaining an appropriate level of sesame oil in your diet, you can help increase the rate of bone growth and development, as well as speed up any healing or regrowth of bones as well. As you get older, sesame oil can help you avoid osteoporosis and various other age-related weaknesses of the bones.
8. Anti-depressant
Some studies suspect that serotonin level in the brain plays important role in depression cases. It is important to keep the serotonin level in steady/stable state to prevent tension or moody conditions. Sesame seeds naturally contain tyrosine which is often used for treating depression, stress, PMS, narcolepsy, and other health disorders. It is as well an effective oil to promote dental health and treat constipation.
9. Prevent Cancer
Sesame oil contains an organic compound called phytate, which has been directly linked to a reduction in the development of cancer. Furthermore, the magnesium levels in sesame oil are unusually high, and that essential mineral is directly linked to lowered chances of colorectal cancer. The calcium content is also very beneficial for preventing colon cancer.
10. Cervical Spondylosis
One popular Ayurvedic remedy to deal with cervical spondylosis is sesame seeds. They are rich in calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc, phosphorus and vitamins K and D, which are good for your bones and overall health. Sesame oil is also effective in reducing neck pain. Apply some warm sesame oil on the affected area and massage for 10 minutes. Then apply a hot compress on the area. Do this 3 or 4 times daily. You can also mix a few drops of lavender oil in warm sesame oil and use it to massage the neck area.
11. Breast Growth
Sesame oil is found to be beneficial in making the breasts stiff and smooth. Including sesame seed oil can also be helpful in the breast enhancement. Massaging the breasts using sesame seed oil can also help in increasing the breast size.
