The Materia Medica of the Hindus, compiled from Sanskrit Medical Works c5.s17.t2.28

c5.s17.t2.28

THIS plant is extensively cultivated in India for the sake of the seeds and their expressed oil, both of which articles are in great demand for various economic, religious and medicinal purposes. The word taila, the sanskrit for oil, is derived from tila; it would therefore seem, that sesamum oil, was one of the first, if not the first oil manufactured from oil-seeds by the ancient Hindus. The Bhávaprakása describes three varieties of til seeds, namely, black, white and red. Of these the black is regarded as the best, suited for medicinal use. It yields also the largest quantity of oil. White til is of intermediate quality. Til of red or other colours is said to be inferior and unfit for medicinal use.