Sesamum indicum Seeds | Black Sesame
LATIN NAME: Sesamum indicum
COMMON NAME: Black Sesame
Plant Profile
Sesamum indicum, commonly known as Black Sesame, is a species with a long record in gardens. The flowering period doubles as a feeding season for bees and other pollinators. Not many plants ask so little and repay so much.
Science & Biotechnology
Sesame is the oldest oilseed still in cultivation — four thousand years of continuous farming — and its pharmacology is that of its lignans: sesamin and sesamolin, which convert to sesamol on roasting and give sesame oil its exceptional resistance to rancidity. Sesamin influences fatty-acid oxidation and vitamin E retention in human studies, and lignan-rich sesame shows modest blood-pressure and lipid effects in small trials. Black sesame (hei zhi ma) is the tonic form of Chinese medicine. In the garden it is an elegant annual whose pods pop audibly at harvest.
Within the Sesamum group, Sesamum indicum is of continuing interest to researchers working on plant diversity, seed biology and the selection of improved garden forms. Sesame more broadly is also one of oldest cultivated oilseed crops known, with archaeological evidence of its use stretching back several millennia, making it a subject of ongoing interest in crop domestication history research. With present-day seed handling, raising this species well within the reach of any careful grower.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Black Sesame earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Its versatility across so many different culinary traditions makes it a genuinely useful pantry staple to grow at home. After the first season it asks for very little beyond a place that suits it.
Sesame is the oldest oilseed, its lignans sesamin and sesamol studied antioxidants, its black seeds, Hei Zhi Ma, a classical Chinese tonic for hair, liver and regularity, and its calcium content exceptional among seeds.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Black Sesame under ordinary good conditions. Sow seed into a loose, well-drained mix and keep it warm and consistently moist, since sesame does best with steady warmth. Full sun suits this crop well, and it typically matures over a single warm growing season, with pods ready for harvest just as they begin to dry and split open. Sow evenly over the surface and cover lightly into a loose, well-drained seed compost, water in gently, and keep the sowing in full sun with steady moisture. Prick the seedlings out once they are large enough to handle, grow them on in bright light, and plant out when conditions allow.
Our Take
Black Sesame is the kind of plant that rewards a permanent spot. Even moisture while the seed is chitting is the main thing; afterwards it largely looks after itself.
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