6 Health Benefits Of Til Ka Tel You Must Know

Sesame oil, or Til Ka Tel in Hindi is said to be one of the earliest seed oils to be extracted by humans. In excavations of Harappa in the Indus Valley Civilisation, a mass of charred sesame seeds was recovered which proved its usage in about 2000 BC. This proves that sesame oil benefits were know to the people in those times.

Rig Veda and Atharva Veda also mention sesame. Rig Veda mentions its use in sweet offering. Later, in ancient times, the Arthashastra of Kautilya mentions the guild of oil pressers.

From India, the cultivation of sesame seeds and its oil extraction are believed to have spread to China, Africa and Mesopotamia.

Sesame crop does well even in dry areas and even where soils are poor. Its seeds can be crushed relatively easily as compared to other seed oils and there is not much clogging up or wear and tear of the machines.

Of all oils, it is also the most stable which means that it does not turn rancid as fast as many other oils do. This is because of the presence of two naturally occurring preservatives- sesamol and sesamin. This property makes it ideal for storing pickles for a long duration.

Sesame oil is used in all parts of India with no regional predominance in usage. It is used in cooking as well as in religious ceremonies, rituals and even during funeral rites.

# Relief from Swelling and Pain

Sesame oil is anti-inflammatory in nature. Sesame oil is rich in sesamol, which is an antioxidant and reduces the damage to cells caused by free radicals. The problem of inflammation and pain arises when too many free radicals get accumulated in the body.

In the famous case of Mr Mark Katsnelson who had Crohn’s disease (in which the lining of the digestive tract gets inflamed), he was successfully treated with consumption of sesame oil by Dr Sampath Parthasarathy.

# Sesame oil is healthy for the heart

Sesame oil contains 82% unsaturated fatty acids and within that, omega 6 takes up a major share. This omega 6 is said to be effective in prevention of heart diseases. This also has a bearing on cholesterol levels wherein the bad cholesterol level is reduced.

# May controls blood sugar level

The rich combination of related proteins and magnesium in Sesame ’Til’ is known to be useful in controlling sugar levels in the body over a long time period. A study conducted on adults having Type 2 diabetes by giving sesame oil for 90 days showed reduction in blood sugar levels.

# Controls blood pressure

In a study conducted on 195 men and 133 women who had high blood pressure and were taking medicine for it, were made to switch to sesame oil as the only cooking oil for two months. Interestingly, the blood pressure dropped to normal levels by the end of this period. Experts attributed this lowering of BP to the presence of PUFAs, Vitamin E and sesamin in oil.

# Wound and burn healing property

The oils also heals the body of the wounds when applied topically. In studies conducted on rats, topical treatment with sesame oil and ozonated sesame oil both showed good progress in healing wounds. This might be attributable to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Sesame oil, when used with honey and olive oil, is used for treating burns. This helps in preventing infection in wounds and repair in damaged tissues.

# Protection from harmful Sun UV rays

Ultra violet rays are harmful for skin. You can protect yourself from the harmful effects of UV rays by using sesame oil because it has antioxidants. It accords about 30% protection from UV rays as against 20% by some other oils.