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Sesamum indicum
| Common name: |
Sesame |
Family: |
Pedaliaceae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
50, 93, 266 |
| Synonyms: |
Sesamum orientale (L.) |
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
Not known but possibly Africa. |
| Habitat: |
Not known in a truly wild situation. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
2 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| S. inndicum[E]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Ajonjoli [E], Benne [H], Bijan [E], Ch'Ing Jang [E], Gingilly [H], Goma [E], Haholi [E], Hei Yu Ma [E], Hoholi [E], Hu Ma [E], Jijiri [E], Jojoli [E], Jungeoline [E], Kundij [E], Kunji [E], Lenga [E], Ma K'U Ping [E], Ooli [E], Pai Yu Ma [E], Sesame [P,H,B,E], Simsim [E], Susam [E], Teel [H], Til [H], Tila [E], Wijen [E], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
indicum = Indian;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Scrophulariales. Sesame family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Africa; China; Dominican Republic; Ethiopia; Germany; Haiti; Honduras; India; India(Santal); Iraq; Japan; Java; Johore; Kurdistan; Malaya; Mexico; Nc; Turkey; Venezuela
|
Physical Characteristics
Annual growing to 1m by 0.5m . It is hardy to zone 10 and is frost tender. It is in flower in July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs).
We rate it 2/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It cannot grow in the shade.
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds.
Cultivar '90 Day': Cultivated Beds.
Edible Uses
Leaves; Oil; Seed.
Seed - cooked[1, 2, 4, 34, 46]. Usually roasted or stewed, it can also
be ground into a powder and used as a flour, added to breads, vegetables etc,
used to make sweetmeats, or crushed and used as a butter or as 'tahini'[14,
21, 183, 238]. It can also be fermented into 'tempeh', ground into a powder
and mixed with a sweetener to make 'halva', or made into a paste and used as
the spread 'tahini'[183, 238]. The seeds can also be sprouted and used in
salads[183]. The seed contains about 21.5% protein, 60.8% fat, 8.9%
carbohydrate, 3.4% ash[179]. It is a rich source of unsaturated fatty acids,
calcium and vitamins A, B and E[201, 238]. The calcium is absorbed well by
the body, making sesame an excellent dietary source[238].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[2, 34, 46, 57]. It is used for
cooking or in margarines etc[14, 183]. The oil is very stable and will keep
for years without turning rancid[61, 117, 201].
Leaves - raw or cooked as a potherb or added to soups[105, 117, 183].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Astringent; Diuretic; Emollient; Galactogogue; Lenitive; Nutritive; Skin; Tonic.
The leaves and seed are astringent[174, 201, 257].
The leaves are rich in a gummy matter and when mixed with water they form a
rich bland mucilage that is used in the treatment of infant cholera,
diarrhoea, dysentery, catarrh and bladder troubles[4, 238].
The seed is diuretic, emollient, galactogogue, lenitive and tonic[218], and
acts as a tonic for the liver and kidneys[238]. It is taken internally in the
treatment of premature hair loss and greying, convalescence, chronic dry
constipation, dental caries, osteoporosis, stiff joints, dry cough etc[238].
It has a marked ability to increase milk production in nursing mothers[254].
Externally it is used to treat haemorrhoids and ulcers[238, 240]. The seed is
very high in calories and so should be used with caution by people who are
overweight[238].
The oil is laxative and also promotes menstruation[4]. It is used to treat
dry constipation in the elderly[238]. Mixed with lime water, the oil is used
externally to treat burns, boils and ulcers[238].
A decoction of the root is used in various traditions to treat asthma and
coughs[254]. We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.
Other Uses
Oil; Weather protection.
The seed contains up to 55% of a semi-drying oil[132]. Apart from being
edible, it is also used in soap making, lighting, as a lubricant and a source
of pharmaceutical drugs etc[21, 46, 61, 238]. When added to the insecticide
pyrethrum it acts as a synergist, a 10% content of oil doubling the potency
of the pyrethrum[57, 174]. The oil can also be used in barrier creams to
protect the skin from harmful UV light radiation[201].
Cultivation details
Requires a well-drained porous soil and a warm sunny sheltered
position[1, 238].
Sesame has been cultivated for its edible seed for over 5,000 years and is
still widely grown in tropical and warm temperate zones[238]. There are many
named varieties[183]. The British climate is probably too cool in the summer
to successfully grow this crop, though some people have reported
success[206]. An early sowing in the greenhouse and some protection when
first planting it out will help.
Sesame grows well with sweet corn but it grows badly with sorghum[201].
Propagation
Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings into
individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out after
the last expected frosts. Give them the protection of a cloche until they are
growing away well[K]. In warm temperate zones, where frosts are very rare and
light, or non-existent, the seed can be sown in situ in the spring or the
autumn[238].
Cultivars
- '90 Day'
- A fast-maturing cultivar, it will probably have a better chance of maturing a crop in Britain than the species[K]. It has been developed at the University of California[183].
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Sesamum inndicum (a possible synonym).
References for Sesamum orientale (a possible synonym).
References for the family Pedaliaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[34] Harrison. S. Wallis. M. Masefield. G. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press 1975
Good drawings of some of the more common food plants from around the world. Not much information though.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.
[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[93] Davis. P. H. Flora of Turkey. Edinburgh University Press 1965
Not for the casual reader, this is an immense work in many volumes. Some details of plant uses and habitats.
[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
[117] Rosengarten. jnr. F. The Book of Edible Nuts. Walker & Co. 1984 ISBN 0802707699
A very readable and comprehensive guide. Well illustrated.
[132] Bianchini. F., Corbetta. F. and Pistoia. M. Fruits of the Earth.
Lovely pictures, a very readable book.
[174] Kariyone. T. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
A good Japanese herbal.
[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.
[206] Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4
Well written and very informative.
[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.
Readers Comments
Main Search Page
Bibliography
Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Sesamum+indicum
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