Sesame oil, the queen of plant oils in Ayurveda, is an excellent multifunctional oil to have in your kit. Nasya means "treatment through the nose," and in Ayurveda, the nose represents "the path to our inner pharmacy."
Pale to dark yellow in color, its texture is fluid and penetrating. Rich in essential fatty acids, sesame oil regenerates, softens, soothes, smooths, and protects the skin.
So during the cold season, the nose is often subjected to conditions, such as excessive heating, dry air, lack of humidity, wind, cold; this is when sesame oil can help by acting as a barrier to preserve humidity while softening the walls to regain a comfortable sensation. Simply spray the oil into the nostrils to moisturize the nasal passages.
A study was conducted on 79 subjects with nasal dryness to find out if there was a difference in effectiveness between pure sesame oil and sodium chloride solution (ISCS). Two groups were formed: one receiving sesame oil for the first week and ISCS solution for the second week; and the other group receiving ISCS solution for the first week and sesame oil for the second week. Result: Nasal dryness and nasal congestion improved significantly when pure sesame oil was used compared to ISCS. They concluded that when nasal dryness due to dry winter climate was treated, pure sesame oil was found to be statistically significantly more effective than ISCS. (1)
(1)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11701073/ Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2001 Nov;127(11):1353-6. doi: 10.1001/archotol.127.11.1353. Pure sesame oil vs isotonic sodium chloride solution as treatment for dry nasal mucosa , J Johnsen, BM Bratt, O Michel-Barron, C Glennow, B Petruson
