Mustard Seeds: Health Benefits, Uses & Traditional Applications

Mustard seeds, also known as ‘Sarso‘ or ‘Rai‘ in Hindi, ‘Kadugu‘ (Tamil & Malayalam), ‘Avalu‘ in Telugu, ‘Rai‘ in Gujarati, ‘Shorshe‘ in Bengali, ‘Mohori‘ in Marathi and ‘Rai‘ in Punjabi. Mustard seeds are a very popular ingredient in the American cuisine. These seeds are used for taste generally in hot dogs, where mustard sauce is very much preferred. It also has medicinal applications dating back to the time of Hippocrates. It is available in white, brown and black varieties and is used by people all over the world. Greeks, Romans, Asians and Africans have all explored the taste of mustard seeds and have integrated them into their cuisines. Mustard seeds also find their place in the Bible and their first usage record is found in the Sanskrit scripts that date back to thousands of years.

In this article, we shall talk about the present day uses of mustard seeds!

Health Benefits Of Mustard Seeds:

Apart from the taste benefits of mustard seeds and the easy availability that made them popular, one can find a number of mustard seed benefits for our health too. Some of the mustard seeds health benefits are mentioned below.

1. Cancer Treatment:

The presence of compounds like glucosinolates and mirosinase in mustard seeds are known to use phytochemicals to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. This is definitely a major mustard seeds health benefit (1).

2. Rheumatic Arthritis:

Mustard seeds are a source of relief for people having rheumatic arthritis. The selenium and magnesium content in it helps in providing relief from this problem (2).

3. Migraine:

Migraine occurrence also reduces owing to the magnesium content present in the mustard seed. A little touch of mustard to your fish can boost the constituting omega-3 content (3).

4. Respiration Congestion:

Mustard seeds or mustard in general is known to relieve any congestion problems in respiration (4).

5. Nightshades:

Mustard seeds should find an inclusion in your list of daily spices if you want to avoid nightshades.

[Read:Mustard Oil Beneficial For Hair]

6. Disease Prevention:

There are certain nutrients in mustard seeds that prevent diseases from occurring. They are all a part of the basic structure of the Brassica family to which mustard belongs (5).

7. Dietary Fibre:

Mustard seeds are a good source of dietary fibres that improve digestion in the body. They make the bowel movements better, thus improving the overall metabolism of the body. The fibre content here is mostly very readily soluble making it effective for use (6).

8. Cancer Risk Prevention:

Selenium content in mustard seeds provides good resistance to the body against cancer cell formation. It is known to slow down the rate of development of cancer cells and also acts as an anti-oxidant (7).

9. Blood Pressure and Menopausal Relief:

A number of nutrients present in mustard seeds like copper, iron, magnesium and selenium also assist in the treatment of blood pressure and menopause relief (8).

10. Asthma:

Mustard seeds are also known to be beneficial for Asthma patients. The presence of minerals like copper, magnesium, iron and selenium in it are responsible for the prevention of Asthma Attacks (9).

Skin Benefits Of Mustard Seeds

11. Natural scrub: Mustard seeds are a natural scrub. You can add it to either lavender or rose essential oil. Use this mix to scrub your face and exfoliate dead skin.

12. Hydrates skin: Mustard seeds, used with aloe vera gel, can act as a great combination to hydrate your skin. It removes all impurities from your face and nourishes it from within (10).

13. Slows ageing: Mustard seeds make for a great source of carotene and lutein. It is also a great power house of vitamin A, C and K. Together these nutrients make for an excellent antioxidant (11).

14. Fights infections: These seeds contain a good amount of sulphur which is known for its anti-fungal properties. They help ward off skin infections (12).

Hair Benefits Of Mustard Seeds

15. Hair growth: Mustard oil, extracted from mustard seeds, is a good source of Vitamin A. Vitamin A is a great nutrient for hair growth. It is also a great stimulant which leads to faster hair growth (13).

16. Strengthens hair: Mustard seeds contain protein, calcium, vitamin A and E, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. All of these together strengthen your hair from within. Strengthened hair means lesser hair fall too.

17. Conditions: Mustard seeds contain fatty acids. These are known to condition your hair from deep within. It also gives hair a good shine and bounce.

Other uses

1. Removes Odour: If your jars start to smell like the spices or ingredients you store in them, using mustard seeds can help. Warm a little water and add it to the jar. Also add a little mustard seed paste to the jar and shake it well. Pour it out. You would be surprised how the smell goes away.
2. Relieves Muscle Pains: Stiff muscles or sore and aching muscles can be treated with mustard seeds too. Just soak yourself in a tub of warm water. Now add some mustard seeds powder to the same to relieve pain.
3. Treats Cold: Mustard is often used to relieve congestion caused by bad cough or cold.
4. Treats Back Pain: The extract of mustard seeds is useful in relieving spasms and back pain.
5. Treats Fever: Mustard seeds induce heavy sweating, which is used to lower fever. It helps release the toxins from the body and has been useful in flu and cold too.

How to select mustards seeds

1. Always try and buy organically-grown mustard seeds.
2. Check for manufacturing dates.
3. Check the expiry date.

How to store

1. Always store mustard seeds in a cool place.
2. Store it in an air-tight container so that it is sealed properly.
3. The container must be completely dry.
4. The shelf where you place the container should not be moist.
5. Whole mustard seeds can last up to one year (at least) and powdered or ground ones last as long as six months.

How to use

1. Mustard seeds are largely used for tempering dishes.
2. It is also used in non-vegetarian dishes to enhance the taste of meats and fishes.
3. It can also be used for pickling and in chutneys.
4. Another great way of putting mustard seeds to use is in salad dressings.
5. Brown mustard seeds are used for garnishing, once sautéed in oil a little.
6. Make sure you don’t overcook mustard seeds or their taste may turn bitter.

Interesting facts about mustard seeds

1. Mustard seeds belong to the mustard plant. Mustard plant is a part of cruciferous plant family. This same family of plant includes cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and even cauliflower.
2. Mustard seed is the second most popular spice that is traded around the world.
3. Mustard has been mentioned around 5 times in the Bible. It has once been mentioned as the greatest herb ever.

Recipes using mustard seeds

1. Mustard seeds rice:

• Boil some rice.
• Right before serving, temper a little ghee in a pan, add yellow, white and brown mustard seeds.
• Add some cumin seeds.
• Once they start to splutter, add rice and serve immediately.
• Mustard seeds will add a new flavour to the rice.
• Serve it hot with other vegetables, curry or dal.

2. Mustard seeds dip sauce:

• Add mustard seeds, honey and few other seasonings of your choice together.
• This would make for a pungent yet sweet tasting dip.

3. Cabbage with mustard seeds:

• Chop some cabbage and onions.
• Heat some oil. Sprinkle mustard seeds all over and cover the lid immediately.
• Wait till the seeds settle down and stop spluttering or popping.
• Now add cabbage and onions.
• Heat it on a medium flame.
• Now cook it till the cabbage turns a little tender and add salt to taste.
• Serve it as a crunchy side dish.
• It can also be used as a filling in quesadillas.
• Many people add this to pasta by tossing it along and make it a main dish.
• The next time you use mustard seeds, remember you’re having a plateful of benefits. Hope you can put the information shared through this article to use. Please leave us your comments below. Thank you!

Mustard Seeds USDA Nutrition Chart:

Principle

Nutrient Value

Percentage of RDA

Energy508 Kcal25%Carbohydrates28.09 g21%Protein26.08 g46%Total Fat36.24 g121%Cholesterol0 mg0%Dietary Fiber12.2 g32%

Vitamins

Folates162 µg40%Niacin4.733 mg30%Pantothenic acid0.810 mg16%Pyridoxine0.397 mg31%Riboflavin0.261 mg20%Thiamin0.805 mg67%Vitamin A31 IU1%Vitamin C7.1 mg12%Vitamin E-γ19.82 mg132%Vitamin K5.4 µg4%

Electrolytes

Sodium13 mg1%Potassium738 mg16%

Minerals

Calcium266 mg27%Copper0.645 mg71%Iron9.21 mg115%Magnesium370 mg92%Manganese2.448 mg106%Selenium208.1 µg378%Zinc6.08 mg55%

Phyto-nutrients

Carotene-ß18 µg—Crypto-xanthin-ß0 µg—Lutein-zeaxanthin508 µg—

 

Mustard seeds of weight 11 grams in one serving contain the following nutrients.

• It has 52 calories, 3 grams fat, 1mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol, 2 grams of carbohydras and 3 grams of proteins.

• Apart from this, the dietary value of Calcium, iron, vitamin C, Vitamin A are 65, 6%, 1% and 0% respectively in this quantity.