Therearemanyfoodsourcesthathavebeendebatedovertheyearsasto

whetherornottheyrehelpfulorharmfultohumanhealthfromeggsand
dairytoalcoholandcaffeine.Youcanaddmustardoiltothatlist.

Mustardoilhashadatoughgoatitforsometime,consideredtoxictohumans
foralongtime.However,itsbecomingmorecommonsomuchsothateven
chefsinsomeofNewYorkCitysmostpopularrestaurantshaveaddeditto
theirdishes.(1)
Wheredoesthistoxicityconcerncomefrom?Whilemustardoilisextractedby
coldcompressionofmustardseeds,theessentialoilversionisextractedby
steamdistillationofmustardseedssoakedinwater.Mustardseeds(blackor
white)whichareusedtogrowmustardgreenscontainanenzymecalled
myrosinaseandaglucosinolatecalledsinigrin.Thesetworemainisolatedwhile
inthemustardseedsundernormalconditionsbutreactwhentheseedsare
subjectedtopressureorheat.
Inthepresenceofwater,thesetwocomponentsreacttoformallyl
isothiocyanate(inthecaseofblackmustard)andnormalisothiocyanate(inthe
caseofwhitemustard),whicharetoxiccompoundsnotedaspoisonouswhen
ingestedeitherbymouthorthroughtheskin.(2)
However,itsnotalldoomandgloomwhenitcomestomustardoil.Infact,
whiletherearecertainlyhealthconcerns,therearealsonumerousbenefitsto
thisincreasinglypopularoil.

MustardOilBenefits
1.BoostsCardiacHealth

Incorporatingmustardoilintoyourdietmayhelpprotectagainstheart
disease,accordingtoastudyintheApril2004issueoftheAmericanJournalof
ClinicalNutrition.Theoilisrichinmonounsaturatedfatsandpolyunsaturated
fats,bothofwhichhelplowerbadcholesterolandraisegoodHDLcholesterol.
Improvingyourcholesterolbalancealsohelpslowertriglycerides,orbloodfat
levels,whichcaninturnpreventobesity,kidneydiseaseandhyperthyroidism,
inadditiontoimprovinghearthealth.(3)
2.ContainsAntibacterialandAntifungalProperties

Mustardoilisthoughttoworkasanantibacterialagentwhentakenboth
internallyandexternallyandasanantifungalwhenusedexternally.Internally,
itcanfightbacteriainfectionsinthecolon,intestinesandotherpartsofthe
digestivetract.Externally,itmaybeabletotreatbothbacterialandfungal
infectionswhenapplieddirectlytotheskin.
ResearchersfromtheArmedForcesInstitute,reportingintheOctober2004
issueoftheJournaloftheCollegeofPhysiciansandSurgeons,statedthata1:1
mixtureofhoneyandmustardoiliseffectiveatkillingdentalbacteriaandmay
beusefulinrootcanaltreatments.Itmayevenhelpfightfungalandvaginal
yeastinfectionsbymassagingyourbodywithmustardoilduetotheallyl
isothocyanatefoundwithinit.(4,5)
3.BenefitstheSkin

Mustardoilisoftenappliedexternally,especiallyduringmassages.Theoilhas
highlevelsofvitaminE,whichhelpsimproveskinhealth.Itcanhelpprotect
theskinagainstfreeradicaldamagefromultravioletlightandpollution,and
canevenhelpreducethelookoffinelinesandwrinkles.Additionally,when
rubbedintotheskin,thevitaminEintheoilcanhelppromotecirculationand
immunity.
AstudyintheJune2007issueoftheJournalofHealth,Populationand
NutritionreportsthateventhoughmustardoilisroutinelyusedinIndiaasa
massageoilfornewborns,ithasthepotentialtobetoxictotheskin.Use
cautionwhenyouuseitforthefirsttimetoseeifyourskinreactswitharash
orswelling.(6)
4.ImprovesHairHealth

Becausemustardseedoilishighinomega3fattyacids,itmayhelpyourhair
growandbecomehealthier.Thefoodsweeathelpnourishourbodies,andthe
hairandskingettobenefittoo.
Youcanalsogetevenmorebenefitsbycreatingamustardoiltowelwrap.
Simplymassagemustardseedoilandcoconutintoyourscalp,thencoverwith
awarmtoweltohelptheoilpenetrateintoyourskinandhairfollicles;leaveit
onfor1020minutes.Becausetheoilandthemassagecanhelpstimulate
bloodflowtothescalp,itmaystimulatehairgrowth.(7)

5.TreatsGumDisease

Periodontaldisease,akagumdisease,isachronicinflammatoryprocess
accompaniedbydestructionofperiodontiumandeventhelossofteeth
affectingmanyadults.Itsamuchbiggerproblemindevelopingand
underdevelopedcountries,affectingmorethan80percentofthese
populations.Thisisdangerousbecauseinflammationinthemouthcanleadto
problemsintheimmunesystem.
Inclinicaltrialsusingamustardoilandsaltmassageonthegums,researchers
wantedtodeterminetheefficacyofmustardoilasagumdiseasenatural
treatment.Scalingandrootplaningwasdonewithultrasonicscalar,thenwas
followedbygummassagingwithsaltinmustardoilforfiveminutestwotimes
perdayoveraperiodofthreemonthsandshowedimprovements.This
methodofhealingismostcommoninIndia,whereithasnotonlybeenused
forgummassage,butalsoforoverallmaintenanceandimprovementoforal
hygiene.(8)
6.ReducesPainAssociatedwithInflammation

Massagewithmustardoilmayprovidereliefforrheumatism,arthritis,sprains
andaches.Theseleniumpresentintheoilreduceseffectsofinflammation
inducedbyasthmaandjointpainbymassagingthejointsandtheentirebody
withmustardoil.(9)Doingthisinwarmenvironment,slightlyheatingtheoilor
maybeusinghotstonesbyamassageprofessional,maybemoreeffectiveat
relievingthepainanddiscomfort.
7.ItsGoodfortheEnvironment

Thecompositionofmustardoilmakesitagreatresourceforourenvironment.
Mostcropsproducesomeplantoilhowever,anumberofcropsproduce
anywherefrom15percentto50percentormoreoil,makingthemabetter
resourcethanotherstohelpreducetheuseoffossilfuels.Oilisextractedby
crushingtheseedandsqueezingtheoilout.Theoilisexchangedtomake
biodiesel.Thismethodhelpsreducetheuseoffossilfuels,makingmustardoil
asfuelasafer,cleaneralternativetobenefittheenvironment.(10,11)
8.RelaxesandRejuvenatestheBodyandStimulatesBloodFlow

Mustardoilcanbegreatforthecirculationofbloodtotheskinwhenusedfor
massage.Whilemosteffectivewhenthemustardoiliswarm,masseusesin
Indiacommonlyuseacombinationofmustardoilwithessentialsoils,while
massaging,tostimulatethebloodflow.Thisalsoworksasanaturalstress
reliever.
Theoilcanhelprelievepainandproviderelaxationtostressedand
overworkedmuscles,andanincreaseinbloodfloworcirculationcanhelp
benefitthebodybecauseincreasedbloodcirculationimprovesoxygenrich
bloodflowtotheextremitiesandvitalorgans.Theskinalsogetsnourishment
andrejuvenationasthebloodflowisstimulated.(12)

HistoryofMustardOil
Mustardoilhasbeenusedforcenturiesasafoodadditive,cureformany
ailmentsandevennotedasanaphrodisiac.Itsacommondietstapleinplaces
likeIndiaandBangladesh.Itsmadefromcrushedorpressedmustardseeds
andeasytofindatmostIndiangrocerystores.

AsreportedbytheNewYorkTimes,Koreansfrequentlyusemustardoilina
hotseasoningblend,whilesomeChinesecuisinesuseitindressings.However,
itsmostcommonlyusedinshorshebata,whichisapowerfulpasteofmustard
seedsandoilthatshowcasesthedelicacyofthepopularSouthAsianfishcalled
ilish.

QualitymustardoilhasbeendifficulttofindintheU.S.inthepast,butitsnow
easilyimportedfromIndia,BangladeshandPakistan,andusuallyfoundin
specializedstoresforabout$5aliter.

Becauseofconcernsregardingtheerucicacidfoundinmustardoil,usually
around20percentto40percent,bottlesofpuremustardoilsoldinthe
U.S.mustincludethewarning:Forexternaluseonly.TheFoodandDrug
Administration(FDA)bannedtheimportorsaleofpuremustardoilforfood
purposesinthe1990s.Somestudieshaveshownthaterucicacidmaycause
heartproblemsinlabrats.TheFDAreportsthatitdoesnotregulatetheoil,
butitdoesrequirethewarningonthelabel.

WalterWillet,chairmanofthedepartmentofnutritionattheHarvardSchool
ofPublicHealth,statesthaterucicacidlevelsinmustardoilarenotnecessarily
dangerous,buthealsonotesthatwearenotsurewhichmeansmore
studiesneedtobeconducted.

Mustardoilhasadistinctiveandratherpungenttaste,acommon
characteristicofallplantsinthemustardfamily,includingcabbage,
cauliflower,turnip,radish,horseradishorwasabi.Mustardoilhasabout60
percentmonounsaturatedfattyacids(42percenterucicacidand12percent
oleicacid),about21percentpolyunsaturatedfats(6percenttheomega3
alphalinolenicacidand15percenttheomega6linoleicacid)andabout12
percentsaturatedfats.
Mustardoilisconsideredtobeanoilthathaslowsaturatedfatcomparedto
othercookingoils.Itsfattyacidcompositionmakesitasourceforomega3,
omega6andomega9.Asalways,becarefulwhenpurchasinganyoilssince
selectivebreedingandgeneticengineeringareoftenusedtomodifytheirfatty
acidcomposition.(13,14)
Yourlocalhealthfoodstore,specialtyspiceshoporIndiangrocerywilllikely
mustardoilforpurchase,butasnotedabove,thelabelingmustreadFor
externaluseonly.ThiscomesfromconcernsfromtheFDA.TheFDApostedan
alertregardingthehealthrisksofmustardoilduetoitserucicacid.

Expressedmustardoilisreportedlyusedbysomeculturesasacookingoil,in
particularAsiancultures,andthereisaproductcalledmustardoilthatis
generallyrecognizedassafe,whichactuallydoeshaveanapprovedfooduse.
Thisoilistypicallyreferredtoasanessentialoilofmustardorvolatilemustard
oilandisaflavoringproducedbysteamdistillationofblackmustardflouror
mustardcake.Itsnotedashavingasmalltriglyceridecomponentand,
therefore,probablyverylittleviscosityorriskofdeformation.Regardless,its
importantthatyoureawareofthedifferences.
Mustardoilismostcommonlyusedforcookingandexternalcareinplaceslike
India,NepalandBangladesh.Itslikenedtosomeofthequalitiesofwasabi,a
popularcondimentfromaplantharvestedJapan,inparticularbecauseofthat
fierynasaleffect.Infact,inIndia,itsoftencookedtoasmokingpointtohelp
diluteitseyewateringresult.MustardoilisalsoknowninAyurvedic
medicineasapoulticeforchestcongestionandmassage.
Mustardoilcomesfromseedsofthebrassicafamily,thesamefamilyas
rapeseedwhichisthepartialsourceofcanolaoil.Brassicanigra(black
mustard),alba(white)andjuncae(brown)areallsourcesofmustardseedoil.
(15)
MustardoilisoneofthemainingredientsusedincuisineofEasternIndiaand
Bangladeshhowever,inthelatterpartofthe20thcentury,itspopularity
declinedinNorthernIndiaandPakistansincetheavailabilityofmassproduced
vegetableoilsbecamemucheasier.ButyouwillstillseemanyusesinSouth
Asia.

Forexample,youmayseeitusedasawelcomingtraditionbybeingpouredon
bothsidesofthethresholdwhensomeoneimportantcomeshomeforthefirst
timelikenewlywedsorevenasonordaughterwhoisreturninghomeaftera
longabsenceofsomesort.Inceremonies,youmayseemustardoilusedas
traditionaljaggoearthenpotfuelwhereadecoratedcopperorbrassvessel
calledkhadaaisfilledmustardoilandlit.
OthertraditionalusesmayincludehomemadecosmeticsduringMayian,used
ininstrumentstoaddweightenablingthattypicalIndiandrumsoundtobe
madebyrubbingtheheelofthehandoverit.Youmayhearthiscalled(Tel
masala)DholakMasalaoroilsyahi.

MustardOilRisks
Thoughtheuseofmustardoilfornewbornmassagehasbeennotedas
commonpracticeinsomecountries,therearesomestudiesthatshowpossible
negativeeffectsofmustardoiluseoninfants.
TheFDApublishedrisksassociatedwithmustardseedin2011.Expressed
mustardoilisnotpermittedforuseasavegetableoil.Itmaycontain20to40%
erucicacid,whichhasbeenshowntocausenutritionaldeficienciesandcardiac
lesionsintestanimals.Expressedmustardoilisreportedlyusedbysome
culturesasacookingoil.(16)

MustardOilTakeaways
Inthepresenceofwater,twocompoundsinmustardseedsreacttoform
allylisothiocyanateornormalisothiocyanate,whicharetoxiccompounds
notedaspoisonouswheningestedeitherbymouthorthroughtheskin.
Becauseofconcernsregardingtheerucicacidfoundinmustardoil,usually
around20percentto40percent,bottlesofpuremustardoilsoldintheU.S.
mustincludethewarning:Forexternaluseonly.
WalterWillet,chairmanofthedepartmentofnutritionattheHarvard
SchoolofPublicHealth,statesthaterucicacidlevelsinmustardoilarenot
necessarilydangerous,buthealsonotesthatwearenotsurewhich
meansmorestudiesneedtobeconducted.
However,mustardoilisntusuallydangerouslytoxicwhenutilizedproperly,
anditprovidesthefollowingbenefits:boostscardiachealth,contains
antibacterialandantifungalproperties,benefitstheskin,improveshair
health,helpstreatgumdisease,reducespainassociatedwithinflammation,
isgoodfortheenvironment,relaxesandrejuvenatesthebody,and
 stimulatesbloodflow.StimulatesDigestion:Thisoilisknownasastimulantandhelpsthe
intestinetoproducedigestivejuices,whichincreasetheperistalticmovementofthefood,andhencethe
digestionprocess.Alsothesameprocesshelpsinincreasingappetitebyincreasingproductionofgastric
juicesinoursystem.Antibacterial,AntifungalandAntiinflammatoryAction:Mustardoilhasgotan
antibacterial,antifungalandantiinflammatoryactionaswell.Theantibacterialandantifungalproperties
workwellagainstrashesandskininfections.Itsantiinflammatorypropertieshelpineasingthecondition
ofIrritablebowelsyndromebyreducingtheinflammationinliningofthestomach.