Sesame Oil
Sesame oil has natural antibacterial, antiviral and antioxidant properties, and many studies prove its therapeutic and health-promoting benefits
Diabetes
A 2006 study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food found that sesame oil used as the sole oil in your diet helps with lowering both blood pressure and plasma glucose in hypertensive diabetics.
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
In mice studies, sesame oil helped protect mice from developing autoimmune encephalomyelitis, leading researchers to believe that it may react similarly in human patients with MS. Other research indicates that it also might be effective in managing Huntington's disease, a fatal disorder that kills brain cells.
Atherosclerosis
The sesamol in sesame oil was found to have an impact on the atherosclerotic process, in that its fatty acid and non-ester lipid components appeared to inhibit atherosclerosis lesions when mice were put on a sesame seed diet.
Cancer
High concentrations of sesomol and sesamin in sesame oil have been found to induce mitochondrial apoptosis in colon cancer, as well as in prostate, breast, lung, leukemia, multiple myeloma and pancreatic cancers.
Skin moisturizer. Apply it to your skin to keep it soft and smooth and help prevent wrinkles from forming. You can also add it to your bath water to help treat cracked heels and dry knees and elbows. Sesame oil also assists in soothing burns and helps prevent skin-related disorders.
Helps remove toxins from your mouth. It is traditionally recommended for oil pulling. (However, I prefer using coconut oil for this because it tastes better.)
Natural sunscreen. Apply the oil all over your face and body. You may need to reapply it, though, as the oil is easily removed, especially after heavily perspiring or jumping into water
Skin detoxifier. Oil-soluble toxins are said to be attracted to sesame seed oil molecules. Apply sesame oil on your skin, leave it for 15 minutes and then wash it off with warm water
Boosts your scalp and hair health. Massage the oil into your scalp and hair to keep your locks strong and shiny. It also effectively helps relieve dry scalp, dandruff and hair loss.
Bhaskaran, S., Santanam, N., Penumetcha, M., & Parthasarathy, S. (2006). Inhibition of Atherosclerosis in Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Negative Mice by Sesame Oil. Journal of Medicinal Food, 9(4), 487–490. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2006.9.487
Ghazavi, A., & Mosayebi, G. (2011). The Mechanism of Sesame Oil in Ameliorating Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in C57BL/6 Mice. Phytotherapy Research, 26(1), 34–38. doi: 10.1002/ptr.3515
Harikumar, K. B., Sung, B., Tharakan, S. T., Pandey, M. K., Joy, B., Guha, S., … Aggarwal, B. B. (2010). Sesamin Manifests Chemopreventive Effects through the Suppression of NF-κB–Regulated Cell Survival, Proliferation, Invasion, and Angiogenic Gene Products. Molecular Cancer Research, 8(5), 751–761. doi: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-09-0565
Khamphio, M., Barusrux, S., & Weerapreeyakul, N. (2016). Sesamol Induces Mitochondrial Apoptosis Pathway in HCT116 Human Colon Cancer Cells via Pro-Oxidant Effect. Life Sciences, 158, 46–56. doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2016.06.017
Kumar, P., Kalonia, H., & Kumar, A. (2009). Sesamol attenuate 3-nitropropionic acid-induced Huntington-like behavioral, biochemical, and cellular alterations in rats. Journal of Asian Natural Products Research, 11(5), 439–450. doi: 10.1080/10286020902862194
Sankar, D., Rao, M. R., Sambandam, G., & Pugalendi, K. V. (2006). A Pilot Study of Open Label Sesame Oil in Hypertensive Diabetics. Journal of Medicinal Food, 9(3), 408–412. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2006.9.408
Siao, A.-C., Hou, C.-W., Kao, Y.-H., & Jeng, K.-C. (2015). Effect of Sesamin on Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest in Human Breast Cancer MCF-7 Cells. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 16(9), 3779–3783. doi: 10.7314/apjcp.2015.16.9.3779
Xu, P., Cai, F., Liu, X., & Guo, L. (2015). Sesamin inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced proliferation and invasion through the p38-MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways in prostate cancer cells. Oncology Reports, 33(6), 3117–3123. doi: 10.3892/or.2015.3888
Yun, T.-K. (1999). Update from Asia: Asian Studies on Cancer Chemoprevention. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 889, 157–192. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1999.tb08734.x
