Black Sesame · Note 02
From field
to jar
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Threshing
Plants are cut whole, just before the capsules would split on their own, and stood upright in stacks to finish drying. The stack is then shaken over sheets, and the seed falls out.
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Winnowing
The seed comes off the sheet mixed with husk and dust. It is poured in a thin stream in front of a fan — the light material carries, the seed drops straight down.
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Washing
Rinsed in changes of water, then spread thin to dry. Seed left damp in a heap sours within a day.
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Dry roasting
Turned constantly over low heat, no oil, no water. The point to stop is judged by sound rather than colour — black sesame does not visibly darken.
Why so little
Most materials in a Chinese herbal cabinet go through more than this — sliced, soaked, wine-treated, honey-fried. Sesame gets none of it, because the oil in the seed turns rancid with any prolonged heat or moisture. The processing is short because the material will not tolerate anything longer.
This page describes a plant and its place in Chinese herbal tradition. It is not a description of what our products do, and nothing here is medical advice.
