Watermelon Health Benefits: Hydration, Skin Care, and Immunity Boost
It is called in ancient Pharaonic Arabic (Badoka) and its cultivation was widespread in Upper Egypt, Nubia and the oases for thousands of years. It is worth noting that the popular custom of Qazqazat Al-Lab, which is known today, was inherited from the Pharaohs, who used to extract watermelon seeds, dry them in the sun and then eat them during their free time for entertainment, and sometimes for treatment as well.
(Bionas) said in his book (The Old Testament) that watermelon cultivation moved from the land of Pharaonic Egypt to the Levant - Palestine - and from there to the Arabian Peninsula and Turkey and then the rest of the Mediterranean countries. Watermelon is known to the people of the Arabian Gulf under the name (Habhab), while in Iraq (Bash or Ruqy). The ancient Arabs described eating watermelon to remove solid tumors, treat chronic constipation, and against cases of thirst and others.
Abu Bakr al-Razi said:
(Watermelon seeds are among the medicines used to treat heartburn and dysuria.)
Ibn Sina said about him:
(Watermelon purifies the blood, increases urination, is beneficial for kidney and bladder stones, purifies the skin, is beneficial for melasma and vitiligo, and its peel is applied to the forehead to prevent eye infections and migraines.)
King Al-Muzaffar Yusuf bin Omar (died in 694 AH) said:
(It is beneficial for hot diseases and burning fevers, quenches thirst, increases urination, and cleanses the bladder).
Nutritional benefits
Watermelon fruits are either round or oblong, and contain about 92% of their weight water, 0.5% protein, 3% fat, 8.5% sugars, vitamin A (0.02 mg), vitamin B2 (0.02 mg), vitamin A (590 IU), vitamin B complex (10.2 mg), vitamin PP (niacin 0.2 mg), and a high percentage of vitamin C, reaching about 100 mg, and very suitable amounts of nicotinic acid, which is an anti-pellagra disease, and various amounts of mineral salts, the most important of which are calcium (14 mg) and iron (2.0 mg) with sulfur and phosphorus (12 mg), sodium, and potassium. In general, the fruits are considered watery pulp with abundant juice that is cooling, soothing, and nutritious.
Watermelon seeds are very rich in nutritional value, contrary to what many of us believe, as the percentage of protein in them is about 27%, and sugars are about 15.7%, while the percentage of fats rises to about 43%. In general, watermelon is considered a refreshing summer fruit that renews the body’s cells, and the pulp has many other benefits.
Therapeutic properties
Since watermelon pulp is alkaline, it is beneficial for people with heartburn, a mild laxative, its juice is cooling, soothing, thirst-quenching, and diuretic. It is said that eating watermelon on an empty stomach helps pass small stones from the kidneys and ureters. Because watermelon contains a high amount of vitamin C and nicotinic acid, it is considered a suitable food for preventing pellagra. Many nutritionists currently believe that watermelon juice is good for rheumatism. Some medical studies have shown that watermelon seed oil is beneficial for people with high blood pressure. Watermelon seeds are used in India as a laxative and general tonic.
It is prescribed for cases of
Stomach acidity, dysuria, high blood pressure, typhoid, rheumatism, urinary tract stones, dropsy and jaundice.
Internal uses
For all the previous medical conditions, it is preferable to eat watermelon fruits and its juice fresh, especially during the summer, which is the natural season for harvesting its fruits, as it can be eaten frozen or otherwise.
External uses
- For cases of Nile fever, inflammations and skin spots... Watermelon juice is used to massage the skin. A paste can also be made from watermelon juice with a little wheat flour powder to be used as an ointment or poultice for areas affected by spots, blemishes and skin infections to reduce their severity and obtain clear, pure skin.
- For migraines, swelling and eyelid inflammation... Watermelon rind is used as a topical compress over the affected areas.
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