Some Amazing Benefits of Tamarind
We all know tamarind as just a sweet and sour food used to make chutneys or added to curry preparations. But in terms of nutrition, it is by far a highly precious fruit for mankind.
Tamarind is a fruit that grows on the Tamarindus indica tree (a tropical fruit tree) in dry climates. The fruits are long and approximately 2 cm wide. The ripe fruit is filled with a sticky pulp.
As the fruit pods mature, they fill out a juicy brown or reddish-brown acidulous pulp. When fully ripe, the shells are brittle and can be easily broken. The pulp eventually dehydrates to a sticky paste enclosed by coarse strands of fiber.
Nutritional Value of Tamarind
Following are nutritional values present in 100 grams of tamarind.
| Calories – 239 | Protein – 2.8 gm | Carbohydrates – 62.5 gm | Fat – 0.6 gm | Phosphorus – 113 mg | Iron – 2.8 mg | Calcium – 74 mg | Vitamin C – 2 mg | Niacin – 1.2 mg | Riboflavin – 0.14 mg |
| Thiamin (vitamin B) – 0.34 mg | Vitamin A – 30 IU | Vitamin K – 2.8 mg | Vitamin E – 0.1 mg | Pyridoxine – 0.066 mg | Pantothenic Acid – 0.143 mg | Folate – 14 mg | Dietary fiber – 5.1 g | Fat – 0.6 g | Protein – 2.8 g |
| Energy – 239 kcal | Potassium – 628 mg | Sodium – 28 mg | Zinc – 0.1 mg | Selenium – 1.3 mg | Phosphorus – 113 mg | Magnesium – 92 mg | Copper – 0.86 mg | Calcium – 74 mg | Carotene – 18 mg |
Health Benefits of Tamarind:
Let us now discuss how regular usage of tamarind is beneficial as it contains various nutrients in different proportions that are desired by the body. The tamarind benefits are as follows.
Antiseptic
Tamarind is used as an antiseptic to heal wounds and to prevent infections from spreading in the body.
Bilious disorders
Tamarind is an effective cure for bilious disorders. It plays an indirect yet very important role in controlling the cholesterol levels in the body. Dietary fibres in tamarind binds to bile salts formed from cholesterol and decrease its re-absorption. This helps excrete bad cholesterol and keeps your heart healthy.
Malaria
Tamarind mixes well in herbal tea and is used for treating malaria fever.
Jaundice
A decoction of tamarind leaves is used in preparing medicinal solutions for curing jaundice and ulcers.
Inflammation
Inflammation is a very serious skin care problem and also affects a few internal organs of the body that can cause a great deal of discomfort and even pain for some. Tamarind is a good medicine for treating inflammation of the skin.
Cancer
Tamarind is a good source of antioxidants and helps in curbing the growth of cancerous products in the body by preventing free radicals from being formed which conduct unwanted reactions in the body.
Eye drops, stomach worms, sore throat
Tamarind when mixed with other solutions makes an effective treatment for eye cleansing and for relieving stomach worms. Tamarind has been used to cure sore throats since ages. Gargle of tamarind water is highly beneficial in treating a sore throat.
Laxative
Tamarind pulp is used as a mild laxative. This impacts the sluggishness of the bowels and a few spoonfuls of the pulp can improve bowel movements considerably.
Piles
Tamarind juice, extracted from its flowers is used in the treatment of piles.
Blood purification
Tamarind in general participates in the purification of blood, and hence including it in daily meals is extremely beneficial.
· Tamarind pulp is softened in water and consumed to improve the loss of appetite.
· Tamarind is rich in vitamin C and therefore its pulp proves out to be valuable in preventing and curing scurvy conditions.
· Tamarind is one of the most effective and easy ways of curing common cold. You can prepare a soup or by boiling diluted tamarind water in a tsp of ghee. Sprinkle a little pepper to it and allow the concoction to boil for few minutes.
· Tamarind milk that is prepared by boiling the pulp in the milk is also quite effective in curing dysentery problem. You can also consume finely-grained tamarind seeds with equal proportions of cumin and sugar 2-3 times a day for positive results.
· Tamarind pulp is also a great healer of fever. You can consume 15g tamarind to reduce the temperature. You can even prepare a sherbet by boiling the tamarind pulp in ½ liter milk with some dates, cloves, sugar, cardamoms and little camphor. This infusion is very effective in fighting the virus that causes fever.
Sources:
medindia.net
stylecraze.com
unp.me
Other links:
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