Jericho Foot Balm
Did you ever wonder why, in the Bible, people were always getting their feet rubbed with oil? It was probably sesame seed oil. The reasons were multiple: sesame seed oil is naturally antibacterial for most common skin pathogens; it is also antiviral and antifungal. You can imagine that dried animal and even human waste littered the paths and streets 2000 years ago. Using sesame seed oil rather than water not only cleansed the feet but helped heal the nicks, cuts and abrasions which must have been common on the feet of anyone wearing sandals and walking long distances at that time. Sesame seed oil is also naturally VATA balancing. In Ayurvedic terms, that means that the build-up of excess energy in the feet, from the simple process of walking, was neutralized (in Ayurveda terms, pacified) by the action of the oil penetrating the skin and circulating into the capillaries of the veins in the foot.