Evidence-Based Medical Research is Discovering Sesame Seeds’ Health Benefits

Sesame seeds are generally regarded as nutritionally inconsequential ornamental additions to bread and bagels or incorporated in culinary presentations to add visual interest and subtle flavor nuances, especially with Chinese cuisine. As is the case with most medicinal foods, consuming small quantities of sesame seeds often over time is recommended to help improve health and resist disease. Sesame seeds are high in calories, which scares some calorie counters away. But it only takes a small amount, around a quarter-cup daily of these inexpensive nutritionally dense seeds, to receive sesame seeds’ health benefits and protection against many autoimmune diseases. The medicinal aspects of sesame seeds were used by ancient cultures thousands of years ago. During the last twenty years or so, western medical research has been discovering valid clinical applications of sesame seeds and their compounds. One way to get more sesame seed into one's diet is to utilize the "nut butter" form, tahini, used in popular Asian and Middle-Eastern foods such as hummus.