Yeah, you’ve got it right about cold-pressed mustard oil! It’s extracted without heat, which means it holds onto more nutrients, like omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, and antioxidants. That said, these benefits can help with heart health, reducing inflammation, and even benefit skin.
Cold-pressed mustard oil does have an edge over regular mustard oil (that involves heat during extraction), cause heat can degrade the nutritional value. In Ayurveda, cold-pressed oils are preferred as they are considered closest to their natural form, more sattvic (pure) and, hence, are believed to maintain balance in the body.
The flavor is indeed stronger, more robust. So yeah, it might change how it works in some recipes. If you’re into cooking, cold-pressed mustard oil brings a more pungent aroma but can overpower delicate dishes. It shines with traditional recipes where that strong flavor is an asset. Be careful with deep frying; its smoke point is a bit lower than regular mustard oil. But it’s okay for medium-heat cooking like sautéing.
Outside of cooking, it’s pretty awesome for massages indeed. It’s warming, which fits with its Ayurvedic profile for improving circulation and promoting hair and skin health. For hair, it’s known to nourish the scalp, potentially supporting growth and reducing dandruff. For skin, it could boost elasticity and moisturization, due to those lovely antioxidants and vitamins.
If you wanna dive into this, maybe start small—bit on your salad dressings or for hair massages. Mix it with coconut oil if the aroma’s too much. Remember though, moderation is key in Ayurveda. Overuse of anything can go against the principles of balance.
Hope that helps! Anyone else with personal stories, jumping in might be helpful 😃
