In ancient times, the wise mentioned that eating black sesame regularly will help to increase longevity. This post will share more details on how black sesame benefits your body from the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) perspective.
First, the thermal nature of black sesame is neutral. So this means most people are able to consume them without any issues (there are some exceptions where I will mention below).
Black sesame promotes the health and function of liver, kidney and large intestine.
In terms of liver, black sesame helps to promote ‘liver blood’ (肝血) which in turn will help in hair growth and reversing white hair to black (mostly for middle-aged adults).
In terms of kidney, black sesame helps to improve the ‘kidney essence’ (肾精). What this means is that black sesame helps to improve bone health so this will help to prevent Osteoporosis (loss of calcium in bones) to some extent.
Black sesame also contains Linoleic acid (亚油酸) that helps to reduce blood cholesterol and prevent arteriosclerosis (动脉硬化).
Lastly, black sesame will help to nourish the large intestine and promotes movement. So this will help to relieve constipation.
People who can’t eat black sesame
Most people can eat black sesame but if a person is having some sort of skin inflammation (rashes in some parts of the body etc) right now, it is best to avoid eating black sesame for now until the condition improves.
How to eat black sesame for maximum benefits
In order for the tonic effects of black sesame to be fully absorbed by your body, it is highly recommended to eat black sesame in paste or powder form.
If you eat black sesame in its original form (seeds), your body will not be able to absorb the nutrients wholesomely.
Thus, there are two quick ways I recommend you can consume black sesame with its maximum effects.
1. Eat as a bread spread
The first method is to purchase those black sesame spreads (100% black sesame, with no other added ingredients).
You can spread the paste on your bread and eat it as a healthy breakfast!
2. Drink soy milk with black sesame powder mix
The second method is to purchase 100% black sesame powder and then add it to your soy milk drink. This way, you will get the benefits of both soy milk and black sesame!
The daily recommended dosage for black sesame is about 10g per person.