Sesame oil is very rich in health benefits and properties, due to its richness in essential nutrients and its qualities. We discover the most important ones, how to take it and its contraindications.
About sesame seeds (either white or black), we have spoken to you on other occasions, which stand out precisely from a nutritional point of view for their incredible richness in healthy fatty acids – especially omega 6-polyunsaturated fatty acids, thus becoming an excellent natural option when it comes to taking care of our cardiovascular health and reducing high levels of both cholesterol and fat in the blood.
In addition, they are also very rich in calcium, phosphorus, copper, magnesium and manganese, as well as vitamin E and group B, proteins and lecithin. Precisely from the first cold pressing of sesame seeds, the so-called sesame oil is obtained, which is tremendously resistant to oxidation (that is, it does not oxidize easily), and is used both for cooking and to give body massages, in addition to providing many properties for hair, skin or for our health in general.
Of course, in order to benefit from all its virtues, it is essential to acquire unrefined sesame oil, since otherwise it will have lost most of its properties, especially if we want to enjoy its most important and outstanding qualities internally.
The virtues of sesame oil
To enjoy a healthy and healthy brain
Sesame oil is very rich in phospholipids and lecithin, which are essential for maintaining good brain health, helping to improve both memory and thinking.
In fact, many scholars affirm that the brain of a healthy person has between 20 to 25% phospholipids, while that of a person with a mental illness is only around 10%.
Strengthens and cares for our nervous system
Sesame oil is extremely rich in magnesium. For this reason, traditionally sesame oil has been considered as a strengthener of the nervous system, helping not only to strengthen it but also to take care of it in a totally natural way.
In this sense, some authors coincide in pointing out that it would help to recover humor and spirits in depressed people, or in those who are mentally and emotionally very exhausted or tired.
In addition, it not only tends to strengthen our nervous system but also acts as a good tranquilizer, hence it is commonly used in performing body massages.
Ideal for a healthy cardiovascular system
A regular consumption of sesame oil helps us to take care of our cardiovascular system, an excellent natural option not only within any diet or healthy and varied diet, but especially when we have high cholesterol and triglycerides and we must lower their high blood levels.
This quality is found in this natural product thanks especially to the presence of lecithin and polyunsaturated fatty acids omega 3 and omega 6. And while lecithin helps fats not adhere and accumulate on the walls of the arteries, the fatty acids help to eliminate the fats present in them.
Benefits for skin and hair
The truth is that sesame oil is a natural product well known for its different qualities for both skin and hair:
- Its properties for the skin: it is useful to revitalize the skin, hence its common use in treatments against sagging and orange peel skin. It is suitable for making skin masks after sunbathing, as it favors a natural tan. On the other hand, it is an excellent skin moisturizer.
- Its properties for the hair: it is especially suitable in case of crusts on the scalp, or in the presence of dry and dull hair. A suitable option is to use it as a hair mask.
Anti-inflammatory properties
The presence of fatty acids (especially linoleic and oleic, as we have mentioned in the previous lines), give this oil a very interesting anti-inflammatory action, hence it is used in the practice of massages in order to relieve joint pain and muscular.
If you want to learn how to make a different delicious recipe, in addition to being nutritious, we will discover how to make a wonderful sesame milk, ideal as an alternative to cow’s milk.
How to take sesame oil to enjoy its benefits:
First of all, before using sesame oil (especially on the skin) it is appropriate to carry out an allergy test, in this way you will ensure that you are not allergic to the oil.
Once this is done, if you want to enjoy its benefits internally, it is advisable to take a tablespoon with breakfast and lunch (a maximum of 2 a day), the first of them on an empty stomach.
When its consumption is not advisable:
The consumption of sesame oil is not recommended in the following conditions:
- Pregnancy: since sesame oil provides lignans, a type of phytoestrogens that could affect the correct development of pregnancy.
- Diarrhea and vomiting: sesame oil has a laxative effect, being contraindicated in case of diarrhea or vomiting.
- Diseases of the liver and kidneys: in these cases it is advisable not to consume it without the advice and monitoring of a doctor, since the safety of this food in these conditions is not known.
