Effects of Topical Sesame Oil Extracted from Tahini (Ardeh) on Pain Severity in Trauma Patients: A Randomized Double-Blinded Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of sesame oil extracted from tahini (Ardeh) on pain severity in patients with upper or lower limbs trauma. METHODS: This double-blinded randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 120 patients with upper or lower trauma in Shahid Rajaee Hospital, Shiraz, Iran, from May the 1(st) through November 30(th), 2016. The patients were randomly assigned to two groups using block randomization. The intervention group received topical sesame oil extracted from tahini (Ardeh) and the placebo group received cooking oil. Pain severity, pain sensitivity and heaviness of painful site were assessed. RESULTS: Overall, we included 90 patients with traumatic limb injuries in this study who were randomized to two study groups. The mean age of the patients was 28.3 ± 6.8 (ranging from 25 to 35) years and there were 63 (70%) men and 27 (30%) women among the patients. In the sesame oil group, the mean changes in the pain severity (-1.53 ± 0.57, P<0.001), pain sensitivity (-1.45 ± 0.64, P<0.001) and heaviness of painful site (-1.56 ± 0.68, P<0.001) were significantly lower when compared to the placebo group in the second day of the intervention. None of the patients experience adverse drug effects. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the topical use of sesame oil extracted from Tahini has a pain reliever effect on the skin after bruising and it helps prevent skin discoloration in patients with traumatic injuries of limbs.