Kachi Ghani Mustard Oil
Brassica juncea
Also known as: Cold-Pressed Mustard Oil · Virgin Mustard Oil · Sarson Ka Tel
India's most nutritionally balanced cooking oil — extracted without heat in traditional wooden ghanis. The best omega-3 to omega-6 ratio of any Indian oil.
Omega-3:6 ratio
1:1.5–2 (best of Indian oils)
Extraction
Cold-pressed wooden ghani
Smoke point
250°C (refined) / 160°C (raw)
MUFA content
~60%
About
What is Kachi Ghani Mustard Oil?
Kachi Ghani (raw wooden press) mustard oil is extracted at ambient temperature (30–40°C) in a traditional wooden churner — preserving heat-sensitive nutrients that solvent-extracted oils destroy. Its omega-3 to omega-6 ratio of 1:1.5–2 is the closest to the ideal 1:1–1:4 range of any Indian cooking oil — dramatically better than sunflower (1:40+) or refined groundnut oil. This ratio matters because chronic omega-6 excess relative to omega-3 is a central driver of inflammatory diseases. The allyl isothiocyanates responsible for mustard oil's characteristic pungency also function as natural preservatives and antimicrobial agents — why mustard oil has been the pickling medium of choice across North India for centuries.
Key Compound
Allyl isothiocyanates (AITC)
Responsible for the pungent heat of mustard oil. Strong antifungal and antibacterial properties — the reason mustard oil preserves pickles. Also studied for anti-cancer properties (TRPA1 agonist).
Nutritional Profile
What’s inside?
Health Applications
Why it matters
Cardiovascular health
Best omega-3:omega-6 ratio of any Indian cooking oil. Reduces inflammatory prostaglandin production linked to heart disease.
Skin & hair
Traditional oil massage (Abhyanga) using mustard oil — improves circulation, warming effect on muscles and joints. Used to prevent newborn hypothermia in North India.
Antimicrobial (topical)
Allyl isothiocyanates — effective against bacteria and fungi. Traditional wound dressing in rural North India.
Ancient Wisdom
In Ayurveda
Dosha Effect
Vata-pacifying, Kapha-reducing
Guna (Quality)
Ushna (hot), Tikshna (sharp), Sara (flowing)
Best Season
Shishir and Hemant (winter) — warming oil
Classical Note
Sarshapa Taila (mustard oil) is extensively used in Ayurvedic Abhyanga for its penetrating, warming properties. Particularly recommended for Vata conditions — arthritis, stiff muscles, and cold disorders. For internal use, heating to smoking point briefly reduces the pungency of erucic acid.
Origin Story
From the field
Western Uttar Pradesh / Rajasthan · North India
The Kachi Ghani (wooden cold-press) is a vertical churner — either animal-driven or motor-powered — where a conical wooden pestle rotates in a stone or iron mortar. The mustard seeds are fed in gradually and the oil seeps out cold, collecting in a trough below. The entire setup generates minimal heat — the oil never exceeds 40°C. Across UP's Agra, Mathura, and Firozabad districts, small-batch Kachi Ghani operators are a dying trade — cheap refined oil has captured most of the mass market. Artisan operators who remain typically press batches within 2–3 days of customer order to deliver maximum freshness.
— Health Applications —
What Kachi Ghani Mustard Oil is good for.
There are 23 ingredients in the Field Guide.