Sesame (Sesamum indicum).Plant Part Used: Seed, seed oil.Dominican Medicinal Uses: The seed oil is traditionally taken orally for asthma, bronchitis, common cold, flu and pneumonia, and the seed emulsion is taken orally for asthma, administered to both children and adults.Safety: The seed and seed oil are generally regarded as safe for human consumption, and no adverse reactions have been reported in clinical studies.Contraindications: None identified in the available literature.Drug Interactions: None identified in the available literature.Clinical Data: The following effects of the seed oil or seeds have been investigated in human clinical trials: antidiabetic, dry nasal mucosa treatment, enterolactone precursor, hypocholesterolemic, hypotensive, infant growth stimulus, postmenopausal support, sex hormone binding globulin increase, sleep improvement, thiobarbituric acid reacting substance decrease and Vitamin E status improvement.Laboratory & Preclinical Data: The following biological activities have been investigated in laboratory and preclinical studies (in vitro or animal models): antitumor, antineoplasm, antihypertensive, antioxidant, hypocholesterolemic and improved Vitamin E bioavailability.* See entry for Ajonjolí in “Part 3: Dominican Medicinal Plant Profiles” of this book for more information, including references.
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