百子櫃THE HUNDRED DRAWERS
Black sesame
黑芝麻
潤腸養血烏髮
Small black seeds that only give up their flavour once toasted. Ground, they become 芝麻糊; stirred into honey water they make the simplest of the bowel-moistening drinks, which is the commonest use after a birth.
TCM properties
Nature · neutral Flavour · sweet Meridians · liver、kidney、large intestine
Traditional food therapy
In food therapy black sesame moistens the bowel, nourishes the blood and is said to darken the hair. Constipation being common after a birth, it is the first of these that gets mentioned.
Cautions: read first
- Sesame is a mandatory-declaration allergen in Australia.
- It is oily; use less if the stomach is unsettled.
Preparation
Toast in a dry wok until the seeds jump, then grind or steep whole.
Origin
The sesame-growing provinces of northern and central China. Whole and ground at Australian Asian grocers, and in the supermarket health aisle
Availability in Australia
Easy to find
