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Health Benefits Of Mustard – Know Why It Is Important To Consume
There are numerous health benefits of mustard that one must know before starting to use them. If you have health-related issues that can totally be cured just by eating mustard, you should give it a read and consume them from today itself!
Let’s not wait and look into various benefits mustard has.
Different parts of the mustard plant have been immensely beneficial for a variety of issues related to health. The benefits include getting relief from muscular pain and aches. Also, the seeds of mustard have proven to be anti-diabetic. Also, the seeds are belied to be useful for hair and skin when they are mixed together with a cooling agent. Read the health benefits of mustard elaborately and understand which conditions require you to consume them.
Types Of Mustard
Before we look into the health benefits of mustard, it is important to know different varieties of mustard so that you can choose one depending upon the variety that’s beneficial for your condition and health.
Different varieties of mustard have been grown for 1000 years in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa as a herb. It was also popular among ancient Romans and greeks. Presently it has grown over more than 20 countries and consumed nearly 700 pounds annually.
Mustard has several varieties among which 3 main variants are brown mustard or Brassica Juncea, black mustard or Brassica Nigra, and white mustard or Brassica Alba. You can easily differentiate between several types of mustard plants.
- White mustard is sometimes also called yellow mustard. This variety has a milder taste and it is popular to be used in American Yellow Mustard Condiment.
- Black mustard is famous for its strong flavor and aroma it has.
- Brown mustard is used in the preparation of Dijon mustard and offers a very sharp pungent taste.
Mustard seeds are rich in minerals including phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Along with a healthy dose of fiber, it also has vitamins like vitamin K, A, C, and folate or B9.
Mustard oil that comes in the market of formed from mustard seeds. One tablespoon of this oil contains 124 calories which are pretty high. Do not let the calories confuse you because it has omega 3 fatty acids which are healthy for your heart.
Let’s dive into the health benefits of mustard in detail.
Health Benefits Of Mustard
Phenolic components present inside mustard seeds have nutrients that can provide numerous health benefits. Different parts of mustard plants like leaves, seeds, and oil produced by them offer unique flavor and benefits.
1. Helps With Psoriasis
Psoriasis is an anti-inflammatory autoimmune disease. When you start consuming mustard seeds you will notice a lot of good chances in the symptoms of psoriasis. The tiny seeds of the mustard plants are effective against all the symptoms.
Few Chinese researchers together conducted a study that had shown and proven mustard seeds to have anti-inflammatory properties. According to this study, when people having psoriasis consume mustard seeds, the activity of beneficial enzymes is stimulated inside the body which helps encouraging healing action against the cause of psoriasis.
2. Provides Relief From Contact Dermatitis
Mustard seeds are believed to offer therapeutic relief to a person having contact dermatitis. This is a condition in which your skin can develop itchy rashes when they come in direct contact with an allergen.
An animal study was published in Southern Medical University that strongly suggested using the seeds of mustard to heal the symptoms associated with dermatitis like a reduction in swelling and healing of tissues. As a matter of fact, more studies need to be conducted to prove this point with and more clarity and certain the efficacy of seed in people.
While it was found to be useful in animals, human trials might prove the point with more clarity.
3. Relieves Symptoms Of Menopause
Mustard greens are useful for a woman undergoing the phase of menopause. Mustard seeds are rich in calcium and magnesium thus helping in strengthening the bones and prevents the loss of bone which is often associated with menopause. It also helps recompensing magnesium content in your bones that turn low during this phase. You need to have a healthy diet along with mustard seeds to see the benefits. It has helped many women in reducing the risk of osteoporosis which is common in menopause.
4. Ability To Deal With Cholesterol
There are numerous health benefits of mustard seeds but you cannot deny the fact that leaves are equally beneficial and useful. High cholesterol is an issue many people deal with. Leaves of the mustard plant are tremendously beneficial when it comes to lowering cholesterol.
A study was published in nutrition research that showed that cruciferous vegetables especially mustard greens have the ability to bind the bile acids present inside the digestive tract which later helps to facilitate easy excretion of all such acids from the body. These bile acids preserving the body generally comprise cholesterol so this process will ultimately lead to the reduction of cholesterol in our body.
another important fact to note here is that when you consume a streamed version of the mustard greens your body receives more benefits as a steamed version is better for bile acid-binding as compared to the raw greens. You can always steam the greens slightly with roasted cumin, pepper, and salt to enjoy the taste. These greens are definitely a powerhouse of nutrition and have great effects in reducing the blockages in arteries thus helping in reducing the risk of any heart-related ailment.
Also, the greens have vitamin B6 inside of them that helps to prevent the platelets in the blood from clumping thus moderating the risk of thrombosis.
5. Helps Dealing With Diabetes
These health benefits of mustard are among the most crucial and useful uses it has. Mustard leaves are useful for people having diabetes. Previously a study was published in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology which demonstrated that it can be useful in reducing any damage resulted from oxidative stress that might be associated with a chronic disorder.
Another study published in Environment and molecular mutagenesis emphasized the administration of mustard oil and had astonishing results. It was found that mustard oil and leaves can help in reducing levels of blood sugar in one’s body more effectively as compared to using medications alone. It also helps in stimulating glucose metabolism levels in the body.
6. Skin And Hair
You can always use mustard seeds and oil in DIY for your hair and skin as it serves as an amazing beauty aid. When you use mustard seeds roasted in coconut oil or sesame oil it can turn out to be a useful remedy when it comes to treating acne and related problems. It also helps clear your complexion. When it comes to the health benefits of mustard for hair and skin, isn’t it worth giving a try because all of us have tried home DIYs too often?
If you use mustard oil with sloe vera gel, it helps hydrating the skin resulting in glowing skin that many products cannot give you alone. Furthermore, mustard is enriched with essential antioxidants that help to slow down the process of aging.
The Health benefits of mustard oil are not limited to skin all alone, it can be great for your hair too. The oil that usually is extracted from mustard seeds is highly rich in omega 3 fatty acids and vitamins that are very beneficial for hair growth, and overall hair strength thus reducing hair breakage and promoted healthier hair. Having said so many things, you must know that there are not many scientific pieces of evidence that support using mustard for your hair and skin. Many studies are still required to establish these facts with proper evidence and studies.
7. Improves Cardiovascular Health
Mustard seeds are enriched with essential antioxidants like carotenoids, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin. It also has some essential compounds that help your body deal with any sort of disease or damage. These flavonoids have the ability to reduce the risk associated with coronary heart diseases.
Mustard oil when extracted from these seeds can be a really healthy option that most oils used for cooking especially when it comes to your heart. You might have come across many advertisements showcasing the health benefits of mustard as good cooking oil for the health of your heart.
A random study given inside a clinical trials journal has shown that patients with some serious heart conditions and those who have been suspected of heart attacks were given this oil exacted from mustard in moderate quantities. These studies demonstrated positive results and showed a reduction in the rate of cardiac arrhythmia, chest pain, and a decrease in the enlargement of the ventricular.
The cardioprotective properties associated with using mustard oil are most probably due to the presence of omega 3 fatty acids and other helpful vitamins. The researches are helpful to carry out future studies that could be helpful in giving more results and establish all the benefits with more pieces of evidence.
8. Provides Relief From Respiratory Disorders
Mustard seeds are always valued for the amazing therapeutic effects they have especially when it comes to sinus and cold problems. Mustard seeds not only possess all these health benefits but are also believed to be a wonderful expectorant and decongestant which means they are helpful in clearing the mucus that is present inside the air passages.
For ages, many home remedies suggested by our ancestors involved using mustard seeds or mustard oil for fighting against a range of sinus-related issues due to the heat-generating properties mustard has.
A study from 2020 gives in an Evidence-based Complementary and alternative medical journal indicates that when you add ground mustard seeds to a foot soak, it will help quickly relieving congestion in the respiratory tract. There is a book titled Herbal Simples Approved For Modern Uses Of Cure which mentions that infusion of mustard seeds when they are consumed medically helps relieve the syntoms associated with chronic bronchitis. Also, it states that you can use mustard seeds for helping soothe the sore throat, you just have to gargle using tea made of mustard seeds.
The Health benefits of mustard oil are not only limited here, you can also use mustard oil along with the minute amount of camphor if you have an asthmatic attack. These health benefits of mustard help to promote easy breathing by breaking down the phlegm accumulated.
Also, the plaster or poultice prepared from the seeds has been used since ancient times for giving relief from bronchitis and stimulate healthy blood circulation in your body.
9. Treats Pain And Aches
Plaster or poultice made out of mustard seeds is a helpful remedy to reduce spasms and pain. Mustard has a redness-producing property so when it is applied as a plaster, it can provide relief from muscular pain.
Another important point of advice to note down is that the plaster made out of mustard has warmer effects and it can cause sore blistering when you apply it directly onto the skin. You have to avoid this in order to protect yourself using a linen sheet between your skin and the plaster used.
10. Helps In Poison Repulsion
In folk medicine, it is believed that mustard seeds have some protective emetic qualities which can help resist the effects of poison in your body. A devotion prepared out of its seeds helps immensely in cleaning the body especially if the poison has come from the intake of excess alcohol or through narcotics. Such health benefits of mustard are exceptional and are not found in other members of this family.
11. Protects Against Bacterial And Fungal Infection
Many researchers show that mustard and products made out of mustard have some important antioxidants that have the ability to protect the body against infections caused by several types of fungi and bacterias. However, many more studies need to be conducted to affirm these health benefits of mustard. However, these health benefits of mustard make it worth trying and including in our diets.
Other than all these extraordinary health benefits it possesses, mustard is often used as a flavoring agent, healthy addition to many salads, cooking oil, essential oil, emulsifier, and a low-fat condiment. It also has preservative properties to slow down the process of fermentation. You can easily bring mustard seeds today itself and enjoy these useful health benefits. The mustard plant is available in many different forms including powdered form, paste form, oil, and whole dried seeds.
This was all you needed to know about the various health benefits of mustard and how you can use it effectively based on your health predicaments.
