Sesame
Sesamum indicum

Family: Pedaliaceae

What it is like

S. orientale L. (1753) and S. indicum L. have equal priority. DC. (Pl. Rar. Jard. Geneve 16-19. 1825) accepted S. orientale and cited S. indicum as a synonym. The conservation of S. indicum, however, has precedence over S. orientale.

Sesamum indicum is a ANNUAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10 and is frost tender. It is in flower in July. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 1

Where it is found

Not known in a truly wild situation.

Not known but possibly northeast Africa or India.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, Armenia, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burma, Cambodia, Central Africa, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Cyprus, East Africa, East Timor, Egypt, Europe, Ethiopia, Fiji, Ghana, Greece, Guiana, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mexico, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Korea, South Africa, South America, Southern Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Uganda, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Seed - cooked. 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'. 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'. The seeds can also be sprouted and used in salads. The seed contains about 21.5% protein, 60.8% fat, 8.9% carbohydrate, 3.4% ash. It is a rich source of unsaturated fatty acids, calcium and vitamins A, B and E. The calcium is absorbed well by the body, making sesame an excellent dietary source. An edible oil is obtained from the seed. It is used for cooking or in margarines etc. The oil is very stable and will keep for years without turning rancid. Leaves - raw or cooked as a potherb or added to soups.

Oil: Oil

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.

Medicine

Rating: 3

The leaves and seed are astringent. 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. The seed is diuretic, emollient, galactogogue, lenitive and tonic, and acts as a tonic for the liver and kidneys. 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. It has a marked ability to increase milk production in nursing mothers. Externally it is used to treat haemorrhoids and ulcers. The seed is very high in calories and so should be used with caution by people who are overweight. The oil is laxative and also promotes menstruation. It is used to treat dry constipation in the elderly. Mixed with lime water, the oil is used externally to treat burns, boils and ulcers. A decoction of the root is used in various traditions to treat asthma and coughs.

Antiasthmatic: Treats asthma.

Antidiarrhoeal: Provides symptomatic relief for diarrhoea. Also see Astringent.

Antihaemorrhoidal: Treats haemorrhoids (piles). This would probably be best added to another heading.

Antitussive: Prevents or relieves coughing.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Cholera: Used in the treatment of cholera - an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with Vibrio cholerae bacteria.

Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.

Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.

Emollient: Softens the skin, causing warmth and moisture.

Galactogogue: Promotes the flow of milk in a nursing mother.

Kidney: Used in the treatment of kidney diseases

Laxative: Stimulates bowel movements in a fairly gentle manner.

Lenitive: Soothing, palliative.

Nutritive: A food for convalescents to help restore strength.

Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Other

Rating: 4

The seed contains up to 55% of a semi-drying oil. Apart from being edible, it is also used in soap making, lighting, as a lubricant and a source of pharmaceutical drugs etc. When added to the insecticide pyrethrum it acts as a synergist, a 10% content of oil doubling the potency of the pyrethrum. The oil can also be used in barrier creams to protect the skin from harmful UV light radiation.

Hair: Plants used as hair shampoos, tonics, to treat balding etc.

Insecticide: Kills insects.

Lighting: Plants that can be used as torches etc. See also Oil and Wax.

Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.

Soap making: Plants used as an ingredient in making soaps. Does not include the essential oils, dyes and oils that are also used in making soap.

Weather protection: Plants that can be used to give the body protection from severe weather.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Sesame can be grown from the warm temperate zone to the tropics, so long as there is a growing season of at least 5 months. In the tropics, it can be grown at elevations up to 1,500 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range of 20 - 30°c, but can tolerate 10 - 40°c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 500 - 1,000mm, but tolerates 300 - 1,500mm. High relative humidity or heavy rains may increase the incidence of fungal diseases. Requires a well-drained porous soil and a warm sunny sheltered position. Succeeds in most well-drained soils of moderate fertility. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7.5, tolerating 4.5 - 8. A sheltered position is preferred, sesame is susceptible to wind damage after the main stem has elongated. Depending upon variety, a crop of sesame can be produced within 40 - 180 days from sowing the seed. The average yield of sesame seed in the world is about 350 kilos per hectare, but yields can be up to 3 tonnes. There are many named varieties. Sesame grows well with sweet corn but it grows badly with sorghum. The British climate is probably too cool in the summer to successfully grow this crop, though some people have reported success. 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.

Propagating it: 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. 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.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Annual

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Beniseed, Benne, Bijan, Bukenyimu, Bununya, Busosyi, Bwengo, Chamkkae, Chih mah, Chitowe, Ellu, Geching, Gingelly, Gingli, Ginjili, Goma, Hnan si, Hu ma, Ingo, Karuthellu, Kattu yellu, Keh, Khasa, Lamti, Lenga, Lidonya, Linga, Matongwe, Mchesi, Me, Mkwiyu, Muki goma, Namuhangwa, Nga dee la, Ngaa, Nuvvulu, Rasi, Sesam, Sesamo, Sesamum, Sibing, Sim-sim, Sivar, Susam, Tal, Thala, Til, Tila, Tili, Usambia, Wijen, Zhi ma, accheellu, ajonjolí, ajonjolí, aceite, ajonjolí, aceite refinado, bahumaniri, ballanuvvulu, baniseed, bariktel, beme, bene, benein, beni, beniseed, benne, benneseed, benniseed, benue oil seed, bhadutil, bhutaghn, black sesame, black sesame seeds, carbonized fineleaf schizonepeta spike, chamkkae, chikhanu, chiteluu, chitrallum, ellu, fineleaf schizonepeta spike, gergelim, gimgelim, gingelly, gingelly sesame, gingelly-oil seeds, gingli, goma, grangasa, hamo, hei zhi ma, heizhima, holi basil, homadhanya, hu ma, ikanyum, jatila, jingjiesui, jingjiesuitan, kalatil, kali til, karellu, kattil, khasa, khaslatil, krishanatil, krishnatel, kuncî, kunjad, kunjad siyah, manchi tulasi, mayou, mfuta, min, mithatel, til, mithytel, molekelele, nalla tulasi, navvullu, nimso, nuvvu, nuvvulu, nyim, oleum sesami, oriental sesame, papaghana, poeuloel, rasi, refined sesame oil, ridi, sacred basil, salalmac, schizonepetae spica, semen sesami nigrum, sesam, sesame, sesame oil, sesame oil, refined, sesame seeds|thala, sesami oleum, sesami oleum raffinatum, sesami semen, sesami semen nigrum, sesamier, sesamo, sesamum, sim-sim, simmasim, simsim, simsim-ui-aswad, sisino, spica schizonepetae, spica schizonepetae carbonisata, spri-nag, sri tulasi, surasa, sésame, sésamo, tal tel til, tall, teel, thiruthazhai, thulasi, ti-la-dkar, til, tila, tila (seed), tilagachh, tili, tsinuni, tulasi, tulsi, ufuha, ufunha, ufuta, uvuta, wangila, yanmoti, yelluchedi, zar-ma, zhi ma, zilechatil, óleo de gergelim.

Synonyms

S. orientale.