Pomegranate: Health Benefits, Secrets, and Risks You Should Know

 Pomegranate: Health Benefits, Secrets You Should Know

The pomegranate is called in hieroglyphics (Arhman) and the oldest drawings of pomegranate trees are found on many walls of temples and pharaonic tombs, especially in the city of Thebes and the Tell el-Amarna area - the era of Akhenaten - and from the pharaonic name the Hebrew name  for the fruit (Rammon) was derived, then the polar name (Ramman), while the Persians called the pomegranate  (Gulnar), which means in Persian the red fruit with sweet seeds, as it is said that the  original homeland of the pomegranate was Persia, but it is historically proven that the pomegranate tree grew  in the Middle East, especially the lands of Egypt, the mountains of Lebanon, Palestine and Baghdad.

But the Pharaohs were the first to know that the active substance in pomegranate fruits is more soluble  in alcohol than in water. The Ebers Papyrus contains a medical recipe that used  pomegranate peels and roots to make an emulsion that was drunk to expel intestinal worms. Another recipe  was to kill the single worm - the stomach snake - where pomegranate peels were soaked in water until morning  and the patient would drink this beverage once in the morning on an empty stomach. The Pharaohs also used  pomegranate peels with ginger as a drink to prevent vomiting.

The Pharaohs were able to benefit from pomegranates in treating many diseases  and injuries, especially cases of scabies, ulcers and wounds. A treatment recipe was included  in the Pharaonic Zoya Papyrus, which says:  (You have pomegranate peel, break it and crush it with grape juice - wine - and smear it on the traces  of scabies on the skin, as it will remove them).

Abu Bakr al-Razi said about him:

(Pomegranate water is used in cases of fever and lung ulcers.)

Ibn Sina said:

(Pomegranate seeds with honey are used as a coating for malignant ulcers, and its pulp is used for wounds, especially burns. Pomegranate helps wounds heal quickly. If the sweet pomegranate is cooked with syrup and crushed as is, it is used as a bandage for stomach ulcers. Drinking pomegranate strengthens the chest and purifies the blood. It is a diuretic. Pomegranate seeds with honey are beneficial for earaches, and are used as a coating for the inside of the nose. Its seeds, ground and mixed with honey, are beneficial for thrush as a coating. If the sweet pomegranate is cooked with syrup and then crushed as is and used as a bandage for the ear, it is beneficial for its swelling.)

Ibn al-Baytar said:

(Pomegranate strengthens the libido and liver, and is beneficial for cough, jaundice, and hoarseness of voice. Pomegranate seeds mixed with honey as a coating are beneficial for scrofula and earaches, and drinking it is effective for gastritis and fevers. If pomegranate peel is burned, mixed with honey, and applied to the effects of smallpox and other diseases for several days, their effects will go away.)

Dawoud Al-Antaki said:

(Cooking pomegranate peel with tannins until it solidifies is beneficial for stopping chronic diarrhea. Applying it to sores and wounds speeds up the healing of ulcers and wounds. Drinking it expels worms.)

Nutritional benefits

The peel and septa of a medium-sized pomegranate are estimated to constitute about a quarter of the fruit's weight, while the juice constitutes about 66% of the fruit's weight. The seeds contain 80-85% water, 4-9% protein, 3-7% fat, 10-6% reducing sugars, a high percentage of vitamins A, B - riboflavin -, a high percentage of vitamin C, and beneficial organic acids, primarily citric, malic, citric, and glutamic acids, as well as various amounts of mineral salts such as sulfur, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, manganese, and a high percentage of iron.

Therapeutic properties

Scientists have successfully isolated some volatile liquid alkaloids from the seeds and peel of pomegranates, such as pelletierine, which consists of four chlorides. These compounds have been effectively used to kill and expel intestinal worms, as well as to combat amoebic dysentery and prepare various therapeutic compounds.

One of the most notable properties of pomegranate juice is its high content of organic acids, which, when metabolized in the body, reduce the pH of blood and urine. This helps prevent the formation of kidney stones and the onset of gout. Additionally, pomegranate juice is considered an excellent blood purifier and tonic. It is also an effective pain reliever, diuretic, thirst quencher during hot weather, beneficial for postpartum women, prevents vomiting, stimulates the heart and bile, and revitalizes the body.

Russian doctors have found great value in pomegranate peel powder as a disinfectant and astringent, helping to speed up the healing of wounds and combat bleeding, especially internal bleeding, such as in mucous membranes, hemorrhoids, and gum ulcers, among others. It has been scientifically proven that consuming pomegranate has a remarkable effect on the digestion of fatty foods, particularly animal or plant fats.

It is prescribed to treat cases of

Anemia, Respiratory Diseases, Intestinal and Tapeworm Infections, Dysentery, Skin Ulcers, Superficial Wounds, Internal Bleeding, Fevers, Indigestion, Severe Diarrhea, Rheumatic Diseases, Gout, and High Blood Acidity.

Internal Uses:

• For Rheumatism, Gout, Anemia, Indigestion, and Fevers: Consume 2-3 pomegranates or drink 2 cups of pomegranate juice daily.

• For Dysentery and Severe Diarrhea: Boil pomegranate peel in water at a ratio of 1:20, then strain. The recommended dose is one teaspoon 3-4 times a day before meals.

• To Kill and Expel Intestinal and Tapeworms: Boil pomegranate peel in 1 liter of water until the mixture reduces to half a liter. The recommended dose is 2-3 cups daily before meals until the tapeworm is expelled.

• To Stop Severe Diarrhea and Hemorrhoidal Bleeding: Soak pomegranate peel in water for at least 6 hours, then boil on low heat until concentrated. The daily dose is 2-3 cups.

• For Physical and Nervous Fatigue and Respiratory Infections: Drink pomegranate juice mixed with honey. The recommended dose is 2-4 cups daily.

• For Nasal and Eye Infections, and Spring Catarrh (Hay Fever): Use pomegranate juice mixed with a small amount of honey as drops for the nose or eyes. Apply 2 drops each, once in the morning and once in the evening, or three times a day depending on the condition.

• For Gum and Oral Infections and Ulcers: Use a decoction of pomegranate flowers and peel, or pomegranate juice as a mouth rinse 3-4 times daily. Be sure to clean the mouth thoroughly before rinsing and refrain from eating for at least 30 minutes afterward.

External uses:

For wounds, skin ulcers and a cold sore,  use a paste made of mashed pomegranate seeds, honey and a little powder of the dried peels of the fruit as a topical ointment three times a day.

- To remove bad odors under the armpits and feet,  dry pomegranate peel powder is used in the form of a powder that is sprinkled on the areas where sweating is to be reduced and bad odors removed, while disinfecting them and resisting the growth of harmful fungi.

To increase the fixation of the copper color of the hair,  add boiled pomegranate peels to henna powder to obtain a soft paste that is spread over the scalp and between the hair strands to ensure the color flourishes and increases its fixation for the longest possible period in the hair.

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