Biology, ecology, and uses of the medicinal plant Sesamum alatum

Abstract

Introduction: Sesamum alatum is a herb, sometimes considered a weed, common in African and Asian countries. It is used as a food and medicine but receives little attention in the scientific literature. Therefore, studying it for more effective and sustainable use is essential.Objective: To describe biological, geo-ecological, cultivation, and utilization features of S. alatum.Review methods: The study reviewed material from the online catalog JSTOR Global Plants, scientific articles, and other scholarly sources. It was conducted in Atlas.ti using the codes "description," "taxonomy," "ecology and distribution," "production," "food value," and "medicinal value." Then, the resulting quotes were compiled into coherent text.Results: S. alatum is an erect, herbaceous plant with lanceolate leaves, pentameric flowers with spotted reddish colors, elongated capsular fruit, and dark-winged seeds. The plant occurs in savannas, villages, or roadsides of tropical Africa, the Near East, and Tamil Nadu. Some rural communities grow the plant, and the hybrid S. alatum × S. indicum increases sesame's resistance to phyllodes. Leaves and seed oil have culinary and medicinal values. S. alatum inhibits the growth of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas cepacia, and Staphylococcus epidermis, exhibits antidiabetic, antinephropic, antidiarrheal, and aphrodisiac properties, and helps treat infertility in women and cattle.Conclusions: A cost-benefit analysis for the use of S. alatum as a food and plant therapeutic resource suggests that it would be unwise not to harness it, considering its high level of spontaneous anthropogenic dissemination, its nutritional value, potential as an antimicrobial, antidiarrheal, and antidiabetic agent, and evidence of its benefits in sexual and reproductive health.