In Āyurveda
Taila, the word simply means “oil”, because for the tradition this was the oil. Warming, fine enough to slip into small channels (sūkṣma), it is the daily answer to vāta’s dryness: a few quiet minutes of warm-oil massage before the bath is one of the most beloved of all ayurvedic routines.
Dravya profile · Tila-taila
- Part used
- Pressed seed of the sesame plant
- Tastes
- sweet, bitter
- Properties
- heating, heavy, oily, sharp
- Doshas
- vāta + · pitta − · kapha +
Traditional indications: The classical abhyaṅga oil, daily warm self-massage before bathing; Warms and steadies vāta: dry skin, cracking joints, restless sleep; The traditional base oil of nearly all external ayurvedic preparations; Gandūṣa (oil-pulling) in the morning routine.
Use with caution: Sesame allergy, absolute; Acute fever, indigestion or immediately after eating; postpone massage; Pitta skin conditions in hot weather, switch to coconut oil seasonally.
Preparation: For abhyaṅga: warm the oil gently (a jar in hot water), then massage with long strokes on limbs and circular strokes on joints for 5–15 minutes before a warm bath. For oil-pulling: a tablespoon swished 5–10 minutes, then spat out.
Used in 7 recipes
References
- Caraka-saṃhitā , Agniveśa (redactor) (Sūtrasthāna 27, sesame oil first among oils)
- Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing , Vasant Lad & Usha Lad