How Can Tahini Make You Feel Great?

AYURVEDIC ANALYSIS

See Ayurvedic notes for sesame.

ABOUT TAHINI

Smooth, hearty tahini is the creamy butter of blended sesame seeds. This savory and sensual spread invites a Middle Eastern richness to your meals. It can be used to create soft, velvety dips like hummus and babaganoush, sauces to drizzle on top of falafels, or warming dressings to add to your salads. Tahini has a long history, with its use dating back to the 13th century. Its popularity, versatility, and availability, lead it to spread across continents through the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Ayurveda views tahini as a powerful ingredient, used to bestow both mental and physical strength on those who consume it.

Build & Strengthen

Tahini's sweet and heavy qualities mean it is anabolic and building in nature. It can be a useful addition to the diet after a period of exhaustion or depletion to rebuild tissues, provided digestion is strong. High in healthy fats from the oily sesame seed, it nourishes and strengthens nervous, muscle and fat tissue in particular. Tahini also packs an impressive calcium content, supporting the maintenance of bone strength. Its earthy quality and magnesium content help soothe and relax tension in the muscles, allowing you to unwind after a period of stress. Moderate amounts of quality oils, like those of tahini, restore strength and can keep the body looking and feeling young. The unctuous nature combats the dryness of Vata that can accelerate aging, and leaves the skin feeling soft and supple. Many dry Vata individuals seem to literally soak up the oiliness of tahini.

Heavy & Satisfying Nerve Tonic

As well as building and strengthening, the sweet, heaviness of tahini also gives it tonifying properties, encouraging regeneration of tissues. These qualities, teamed with the oiliness of tahini, make it deeply nourishing for the nervous system. It soothes Vata and mildly sedates frayed or frazzled nerves. Thick and dense, tahini brings stability to a frenetic mind, leaving you feeling grounded. Tahini will help slow you down if you are prone to rushing around, juggling too much at once, or feeling anxious. One client remarked how they could feel the heavy, oily nature of of tahini calming their nerves, "It's like an internal abhyanga [self massage with oil]... I did feel the grounding, and nourishing effects on my nervous system as well." Tahini's heavy, downward energy can help induce a sense of relaxation and encourage sound sleep after a stressful day. Another client remarked on how the tahini improved their mood, "I felt happy after I ate tahini. I got the sense I was being nourished."

Warmth that is Bone Deep

When the winds of autumn or the harsh winter chill hits, the heat of tahini will warm you up from the inside out. Its warming quality stokes the fires of metabolism and digestion. "I felt warmth moving down my GI tract... and comfort in my stomach," noted a client. Another observed, "It filled me with a feeling of warmth and contentment - kind of that hearty food feeling." Tahini moistens digestion and prevents dryness in the GI tract during these colder months. A little tahini in the tummy can be as good as a hot water bottle, warming you to your bones. This warmth will be too heating for Pitta types, particularly in the summer months. In excess it can lead to hyperacidity or feelings of anger, frustration and impatience.

How to Use Tahini

Less is more when it comes to tahini. You just need a small amount to enjoy the warm, nutty aroma and warming nature. Don't overwhelm your palate with large servings, and too much can weigh down digestion. When purchasing tahini, you will be presented with two varieties - unhulled and hulled. Unhulled has a stronger, more distinct flavor, one that is not to everyone's taste. This variety is made from the whole sesame seed and retains more vital nutrients, but can be slightly harder to digest. Hulled tahini, while milder and sweeter in taste, is less nutritious as the shell, or husk, of the seed has been removed, and this is where most of the calcium is found, but is easier to digest. Tahini can be used in a variety of sweet and savory recipesrecipes.

Effect on Digestion

Observe how tahini affects your digestion before making it a pantry staple. A small portion of people experience the dry, pasty, astringency of tahini and find it too difficult to swallow without a drink. One client noticed this difficult quality before even tasting, "When I first opened the jar, the oil had separated and was on top of the solids. It was difficult to mix, which I imagine might mean it is slow and difficult to digest and move through the body." For some clients, the dryness and difficulty to digest made tahini constipating, with one describing "lower abdominal discomfort, gas, bloating and mild constipation" after eating. However, most people experience improved bowel movements due to the heavy and oily qualities of tahini. One Vata client said, "My body tends to crave heavy, smooth, oily food so tahini helped to keep things moving right along, strong and steady."

BUYING & PREPARATION

Sesame comes in several forms:

• Sesame Seeds
• Sesame Oil
• Sesame Tahini

Stir up the tahini to blend it with the oil.

WHY SHOULD YOU EAT AYURVEDICALLY?

Eating Ayurvedically makes you feel nourished and energized. An Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body type and the specific imbalances you are working with at any given time. Foods that supplement your specific body type’s needs and digest easily create your menu. Watch as you eat less but feel more satisfied because what you are eating truly nourishes you. Since Ayurveda believes all disease begins in the digestive tract, food is your first medicine. By eating a healthy diet that’s ideal for your body, you experience optimal health.

LEARN MORE

Is Tahini Good for Me?

Find out by taking this free, easy quiz. You'll learn your body type, and whether Tahini is a good fit for you. Time to complete: approximately 1 minute.

MEDICINAL QUALITIES

INCREASES Increases These Qualities (Gunas) Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main states (gunas). Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which states are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick. Every state has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite state. Learn More	HEAVY ABOUT HEAVY GUNA Heavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight. LEARN MORE ABOUT HEAVY OILY ABOUT OILY GUNA Oily refers to anything fatty, or that increases fat. LEARN MORE ABOUT OILY HOT ABOUT HOT GUNA Hot is identified by increased body temperature, metabolism, or inflammation. LEARN MORE ABOUT HOT DIFFICULT ABOUT DIFFICULT GUNA Difficult refers to anything that is difficult to digest, or takes a long time to digest. LEARN MORE ABOUT DIFFICULT
TASTES The 6 Tastes Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food. Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body. Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food. Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods. Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion. Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste. One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below? Learn More	SWEET ABOUT SWEET GUNA Sweet refers to anything builds tissue, including macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. LEARN MORE ABOUT SWEET
DOSHAS The Three Doshas / Body Types People tend to get sick, over and over again, due to similar causes and habitual imbalances that are unique to the person. Your body type summarizes this tendency, showing you the 'type' of conditions and imbalances that frequently challenge your health & wellness. Using body type, you can also identify remedies likely to improve your strength and resiliency. Your body type identifies physical and mental characteristics as well as your personal strengths and weaknesses. The calculation of your body type is based on your medical history. The 3 functional body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha). Catabolic individuals tend to break down body mass into energy. Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy. Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass. Catabolic people tend to be easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry. Metabolic people tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed. Anabolic people are heavy, stable and grounded, but if they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion. Learn More	PACIFIES AGGRAVATES
HAS THE FOLLOWING	EFFECT Ojas OJAS Ojas is the essence of healthy tissue, immunity, stable energy and happiness. Substances that improve ojas are recommended after long-term illness, debility, emotional and physical trauma, and even sadness. LEARN MORE ABOUT OJAS , Rajasic RAJASIC Rajasic foods stimulate desire or nervous energy. Red meat, high protein food, garlic and onions stimulate desire. Rajasic foods include chili peppers, coffee, and anything that stimulates movement. LEARN MORE ABOUT RAJASIC , Tamasic TAMASIC Tamasic foods promote rest, sleepiness and stillness. Examples include wheat, mushrooms. LEARN MORE ABOUT TAMASIC TYPE Nuts Seeds ELEMENT Earth EARTH Resembles earth (prithvi) in quality - heavy, dense, solid, stable, hard. LEARN MORE ABOUT EARTH , Water WATER Resembles water (ap) in quality - fluid, sticky, soft, heavy, stable, cool. LEARN MORE ABOUT WATER NUTRIENT Calcium, Fats, Iron, Magnesium, Protein COLOR White NOURISHES Fat FAT Fat tissue (Meda Dhatu) includes adipose tissue and sebum (skin oil). LEARN MORE ABOUT FAT , Muscle MUSCLE Muscle tissue (Mamsa Dhatu) includes muscles and ligaments. LEARN MORE ABOUT MUSCLE , Plasma PLASMA Plasma (Rasa Dhatu) includes plasma, white blood cells, and lymph. LEARN MORE ABOUT PLASMA MOVES ENERGY Downward DOWNWARD Downward-moving (Adho Gati Marga) substances move food downward in the GI tract, settle the nervous system, and relax muscles. LEARN MORE ABOUT DOWNWARD

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

Experiences are Personal

Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.

Bone & Joint	Bone Tonic BONE-TONIC An herb that strengthens the bones and joints. LEARN MORE ABOUT BONE-TONIC
Digestion	Warms abdomen WARMS-ABDOMEN Warms the muscles and organs of the abdomen, stimulating digestion and metabolism. LEARN MORE ABOUT WARMS-ABDOMEN
Energy Vitality Strength	Builds stamina BUILDS-STAMINA Promotes strength, endurance and resistance in the body. Rebuilds weak tissues after a time of depletion. LEARN MORE ABOUT BUILDS-STAMINA , Satisfies stomach SATISFIES-STOMACH Provides a sense of gratification and fullness in the stomach. LEARN MORE ABOUT SATISFIES-STOMACH , Stimulates energy STIMULATES-ENERGY This category groups thyroid and adrenal stimulating herbs LEARN MORE ABOUT STIMULATES-ENERGY , Nutritive NUTRITIVE An herb that is strengthening and nourishing. LEARN MORE ABOUT NUTRITIVE , Tonic TONIC A tonic herb strengthens tissue, often restoring healthy function. Tonics usually target a specific organ, tissue, or system ie: brain, muscle or respiratory tonic. LEARN MORE ABOUT TONIC
Heart & Circulation	Blood Tonic BLOOD-TONIC An herb that produces more blood cells in the body or otherwise strengthens blood. Helpful for anemia and other types of deficiency. LEARN MORE ABOUT BLOOD-TONIC
Immune System	Antimicrobial ANTIMICROBIAL An agent that kills microorganisms or inhibits their growth. Antimicrobial is an umbrella term that can be broken down into specific categories of target microorganism, such as anti-bacterials, fungals, and virals. LEARN MORE ABOUT ANTIMICROBIAL
Liver & Gall Bladder	Livotonic LIVOTONIC An herb that strengthens the liver. It is helpful for people with a history of substance abuse, chronic liver issues from hepatitis and hemolytic anemias. LEARN MORE ABOUT LIVOTONIC
Mind, Stress & Sleep	Grounding GROUNDING Encourages feelings of stability and heaviness. Makes you feel settled, mentally relaxed. Mildly sedates the nervous system to ease stress. Can bring a spacey or anxious person back to earth. LEARN MORE ABOUT GROUNDING
Reproductive Health	Builds Semen BUILDS-SEMEN Herbs that increase the production of semen, often by rebuilding fluids in general. LEARN MORE ABOUT BUILDS-SEMEN , Galactagogue GALACTAGOGUE Increases production of breast milk. LEARN MORE ABOUT GALACTAGOGUE , Promotes Fertility PROMOTES-FERTILITY An herb that promotes fertility. Generally used by women who wish to become pregnant. These herbs may also help with menstrual problems of deficiency, such as amenorrhea (lack of a period). LEARN MORE ABOUT PROMOTES-FERTILITY , Promotes Virility PROMOTES-VIRILITY Encourages virility and potency. LEARN MORE ABOUT PROMOTES-VIRILITY
Skin Care & Beauty	Skin Tonic SKIN-TONIC An herb that strengthens and nourishes skin, improving tone, color, moisture and complexion. LEARN MORE ABOUT SKIN-TONIC
Bowel-Poop-Elimination	General Laxative GENERAL-LAXATIVE Promotes a bowel movement. General laxative is an umbrella term that refers to several different types of laxatives... LEARN MORE ABOUT GENERAL-LAXATIVE
Strengthening-Tonics	Muscle Tonic MUSCLE-TONIC Herbs that strengthen and tone muscle tissue. Helpful for people recovering from long term illness and debility, or after a sprain. LEARN MORE ABOUT MUSCLE-TONIC