Preventive & therapeutic benefits of seeds are immense as they are the Powerhouse of Nutrients. We must understand the specific benefits and concerns of various seeds so that we can correlate their intake as per our health status.
Seeds beneficial in specific medical conditions
1. Anemia – Basil (add soaked seeds to lemon water for better absorption), garden cress (take lemon water half an hour after taking seeds), pumpkin, sunflower seeds
2. Improving Hair Texture and Growth – Basil, garden cress, alfalfa sprouts, watermelon seeds
3. Skin
a. Collagen & Texture – Basil (mix 1 tsp crushed seed with 100ml coconut oil, warm for 5 min, strain & apply), garden cress (apply paste of seeds mixed with honey), sesame seeds
b. Chapped lips – Basil and garden cress seeds
c. U V damage– Sesame and sunflower seeds
d. Elasticity & wrinkles – Water melon seeds
4. Cooling Effect – Basil and chia seeds
5. Enhance male fertility – Water melon seeds
6 Eye
a. Improve Vision – Basil, garden cress, chia and muskmelon seed
b. Macular degeneration & cataract – Basil, musk melon seeds
7. Respiration
a. Prevent cough, respiratory disorders – Basil, garden cress seeds
b. Prevent cold – Basil, garden cress, musk melon seeds
c. Prevent Asthma – Sesame, sunflower seeds
8. Muscular cramps – Sunflower seeds
9. Improve bone health – Basil, chia, flax, pumpkin, sesame, alfalfa sprouts
10. Stomach / Intestine
a. Diarrhoea / dysentery – Garden cress seeds (mixed with honey)
b. Constipation – Chia, flax, sesame, sunflower seeds
c. Intestinal worms – Pumpkin, muskmelon seeds
11. Hormonal Problems
a. Reduce estrogen – Basil, flax seeds
b. Reduce side effects of menopause – Flax and pumpkin seeds
c. Promote Lactation – Garden cress seeds
d. Prevent PMS pain – Sesame seeds (topical application of paste on abdomen)
12. Lifestyle Diseases
a. Diabetes – Basil, chia, flax, pumpkin, alfalfa sprouts, sunflower, musk melon, water melon seeds
b. Dyslipidemia – Chia, flax, pumpkin, sesame, alfalfa sprouts, sunflower, musk melon, water melon seeds
c. High BP – Chia, flax, pumpkin, sunflower, musk melon, water melon seeds
13. Antiaging – Chia, pumpkin, water melon seeds
14. Immunity Booster – Chia, sunflower, watermelon, musk melon seeds
15. Anti – inflammatory – Chia, flax, pumpkin, sunflower seeds
16. Cancer protection
a. Colon – Flax, sunflower seeds
b. Skin – Flax seeds
c. Breast – Flax, pumpkin, sunflower seeds
d. Prostate – sunflower seeds
e. Lung / gastric – pumpkin seeds
f. Endometrial in Post menopause – Flax seeds
17. Prevent Bladder stone – Pumpkin seeds
18 Depression & anxiety – Chia, pumpkin, sunflower seeds
19 Memory enhancement – Sunflower, watermelon seeds
20 Insomnia – Chia, pumpkin, musk melon seeds
21 Migraine – Sunflower, musk melon seeds
22 Pregnancy – Sesame, sunflower, musk melon, water melon seeds
Seeds contraindicated in specific health /medical conditions
- Pregnancy – Basil, garden cress, flax, alfalfa sprouts
- Lactation – Alfalfa sprouts
- On birth control pills – Basil (reduce intake), flax (reduce intake), alfalfa sprouts
- Hypothyroid – Garden cress seeds
- Swallowing problem – Basil, chia seeds
- On warfarin – Basil, flax, alfalfa sprouts
- Diabetes – Basil, flax, alfalfa, muskmelon seeds
- Prostate cancer – Chia, flax seeds
- High BP – Flax seeds
- Hormonal cancer, endometriosis & uterine fibroids – Alfalfa sprouts
- Allergic reaction – Sesame, sunflower, watermelon seeds
- Gall stone disease – Sunflower seeds
- Gastritis – Sunflower seeds
- Those who sing / talk constantly – Sunflower seeds
