Botanical Name                      Sesamum indicum

Common name                       Sesame, Til (Sanskrit), Ellu (Tamil)

Religious significance             It is associated with Lord Saturn who is often the depicted as riding on a chariot pulled by eight horses. He is shown with four hands and three of his hands are holding a bow, arrow and javelin and the fourth one is held in varada mudra. This god is associated with sesame seeds, blue colour, blue sapphire and saturday and his vehicle is the crow.

Uses                                        Sesame seeds are very good source of manganese and copper, but they are also a good source of calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorous, vitamin B1, zinc and dietary fibre. In addition to these important nutrients, sesame seeds contain two unique substances: sesamin and sesamolin. Both of these substances belong to a group of special beneficial fibres called lignans, and have been shown to have a cholesterol-lowering effect in humans, and to prevent high blood pressure and increase vitamin E supplies in animals.