I realized several years ago I had no idea how sesame grew or what the seeds looked like on their plant. I ended up growing some in my garden but it unfortunately they never bore seeds.

See below for some pictures of sesame plants in a field and the seeds in the pods. When the seeds are ready the pods split open and reveal the seeds inside. Legend has it that this phenomenon is where the phrase “open sesame” comes from.  Interesting right?

There are some very interesting properties of sesame that can benefit us when eaten as a part of a diet very high in greens and raw vegetables and fruit.  (The more I learn about our food ingredients the more I appreciate that each item is only as good as the context of the diet in which it is consumed.)

Sesame has been shown to have some anti-inflammatory properties.  In a study conducted by Tabriz Medical University in Iran sesame seeds were found to be superior to Tylenol in reduction in pain.  This study was conducted with participants suffering from osteoarthritis affecting their knees.  They used a dose of 1/4 cup of sesame seeds per day over two months.  This is possible of through crafting dips, dressings, desserts and sprinkling seeds on salads however this is quite a large amount of these seeds.  Sesame seeds may not be right or easy for everyone to consume at this quantity.  Also not knowing the context in which they were consumed it may be possible that a different amount would have benefits depending on what they are partnered with.

One important thing to note about sesame seeds is their fatty acid content.  While sesame seeds have been shown to reduce pain and even reduce certain white blood cell reactions in some people they will also contribute omega 6 fats to the diet which can enable inflammation in the body.  Sesame seeds have negligible amounts of omega 3 fats.  This means for example in the 1/4 cup of sesame seeds there could be 10 grams of omega 6 fats. Adding two to four tablespoons (extra) of chia seeds can balance this out.  So at least a 1:1 ratio.

Please see the recipe for balsamic fig spread to start experimenting with sesame in your dips and let me know what you come up with in the comments on the plant powered probiotics app or site.