THE POMEGRANATE
Pomegranates are native of Iran and they are also found in India,
Afghanistan and Syria. The pomegranate is a highly delicious juicy
fruit. It has been used as a medicine since ancient times. Good
quality pomegranates were grown in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
and were also known in ancient Egypt. During the time of Prophet
Musa (Moses), alaihis salaam, quality pomegranates were in cultivation
throughout Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. The city of Rimmon was
well known for its quality pomegranates. (The Arabic name for pomegranate
is Rumman.) Pomegranates were introduced into Spain after the Islamic
influence reached there. They eventually made their way to England
in the thirteenth century. Later, the Spanish took this important
fruit plant to the new world, Mexico and Florida. Its cultivation
gradually spread to other countries too and now it is grown in almost
every tropical and sub-tropical climate. Presently good quality
pomegranate comes from Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Morocco
and Spain. In India, Sholapur is famous for juicy pomegranate fruit
known as Anar. In Turkey pomegranates are served during important
feasts.
An average size pomegranate has 65 calories. Its juice is easily
digestible and contains about 15% invert sugar. It is a rich source
of sodium and a good source of riboflavin, thiamin, niacin, vitamin
C, calcium and phosphorous. Pomegranates have been mentioned in
the Quran and the Hadith as follows:
It is HE Who sends down rain from the skies; with it WE produce
vegetation of all kinds: from some WE produce green (crops), out
of which WE produce grain, heaped up (at harvest); out of the date
palm and its sheaths (or spathes) (come) clusters of dates hanging
low and near: and (then there are) gardens of grapes, and olives,
and pomegranates, each similar (in kind) yet different (in variety):
when they begin to bear fruit, feast your eyes with the fruit and
the ripeness thereof. Behold! in these things there are Signs for
people who believe. (Al-An’aam - 99)
It is HE Who produceth gardens, with trellises and without, and
dates, and tilth with produce of all kinds, and olives and pomegranates,
similar (in kind) and different (in variety): eat of their fruit
in their season, but render the dues that are proper on the day
that the harvest is gathered. But waste not by excess: for ALLAH
loveth not the wasters. (Al-An’aam - 141)
In them will be Fruits, and dates, and pomegranates: Then which
of the favors of your Lord will you deny? (Ar-Rahman - 68-69)
Anas bin Malik, radiya ALLAHu anhu, narrated that the Prophet,
salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam, said: "There is not a pomegranate
which does not have a pip from one of the pomegranates of the Garden
(of Jannah) in it."
Ali bin Abi Talib, radiya ALLAHu anhu, narrated that the Prophet,
salla ALLAHu alaihi wa sallam, said: "Pomegranate and its rind
strengthen digestion (stomach)."
Pomegranate is a good food and a medicine of great value. It is
a tonic for heart patients, highly efficacious in the inflammation
of the stomach and effective to check heart pain. The juice of the
fruit is an excellent cooling beverage and allays thirst. It acts
as a good medicine for both diarrhea and dysentery. For many ailments
such as colitis, anemia, jaundice, high blood pressure, piles and
arthritis, its juice is an effective medicine. When given with honey,
it reduces biliousness. Pomegranate fruit is also prescribed in
many disorders under the Homeopathic medicine system.
The decoction of the root bark of pomegranate, which contains an
alkaloid pellatrierine and tannic acid, is a highly useful medicine
for the expulsion of worms, including tapeworms. This decoction
is also reported to be effective for tuberculosis.
The rind of the pomegranate fruit is greatly responsible for its
good keeping quality. The fruit can be kept for up to six months.
The rind also contains a high percentage of tannic acid and is sometimes
used for tanning leather. Pomegranate rinds
were once used to tan the well-known Moroccan and Spanish leather.
According to Unani medicine, the ideal time to eat pomegranate
is after lunch. Take out the seeds, sprinkle with a little salt
and black pepper and swallow the juice after chewing the seeds.
This way of eating is beneficial in chronic constipation and indigestion.
It also soothes the nerves and stimulates the liver. Authorities
of Unani medicine also maintain that persons doing tedious mental
work should eat the fruit in the late afternoon. Another way of
using the fruit advantageously is to press out the juice, add a
little sugar and drink it. This produces blood, promotes good health
and refreshes the brain.
Pomegranate is useful for the following ailments and conditions:
Anal Itching
Itching in the anal region is often the result of parasites in the
intestines that go to the anal area to lay their eggs causing local
itching. Roast the skin of the pomegranate until it is dark brown
and brittle. Crush the powder to a fine texture; mix with a little
edible oil and apply over the anus.
Bad Vision or Weakening Eyesight Fill fresh sweet
pomegranate juice in a small bottle; leave in the sun. The juice
will thicken in a few days. This is excellent for the eyes. Apply
in the eyes. The more mature the juice becomes the more effective
it is.
Bleeding Piles Pound about ten grams of the skin
of the sour variety of the fruit. Boil in about 250 ml water. Sweeten
with sugar and drink in the morning and evening.
Diarrhea The skin of the fruit is valuable in the
treatment of diarrhea. About 20 grams of the skin and 3 grams of
cloves or cinnamon should be boiled well in about 250 ml of water.
When cool, the patient should drink 30 to 40 ml of the liquid three
times a day for a few days.
Digestive and Kidney Disorders, Poor Appetite, and
Diminished Sexual Power Pour about one and half liters of the juice
in a bowl until the sediments settle. Separate the juice from the
sediments and sieve through a clean cloth. Pour in a bottle so that
it fills it to two thirds. Add 250 grams of candy sugar and ten
grams of ground fennel. Leave in the sun for a week but shake it
a number of times daily. Take 30 - 100 grams once a day.
Earache Mix a little honey with a teaspoon of the
juice of the fruit. Warm the mixture and administer two to three
drops into the affected ear. The ache should disappear.
Hoarseness or Loss of Voice Boil about 20 grams of
the skin and two to three grams of alum in 250 ml water. Use the
liquid for gargling.
Intestinal Worms The root-bark of the pomegranate
tree is highly toxic to intestinal worms. Boil the bark of a two-inch
long root in a cup of water. Half a cup of the decoction should
be given three times a day at intervals of two hours to an adult.
Two hours after the last dose he should be given castor oil to purge
the system. The dose for children is 1/3 of the adult.
Poor Appetite and Digestive Disorders Make regular
use of the pure juice of the fruit in the case of poor appetite.
The juice is also good in simple colitis in which the colon is inflamed,
characterised by diarrhea; and mucous colitis in which the mucous
membrane of the colon is inflamed, characterised by colicky pain,
and constipation or diarrhea. The juice is an excellent remedy in
dysentery, inflammation and ulceration of the lower part of the
colon, characterised by pain and diarrhea with bloody stools and
mucus. For nausea and morning sickness characterised by excessive
secretion of bile, a tablespoon of the fresh juice mixed with an
equal quantity of honey, is an effective remedy.
Stomach-ache Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on
the fresh seeds and eat.
Teeth and Gum Disorders Regular use of the toothpowder
of the rind helps in preventing and curing tooth decay and gum disease.
It cleans the teeth, leaving them sparkling white. To make the powder,
dry the rind in the sun until it is brittle. Powder, mix with a
little fine black pepper and store in a jar. Use everyday with a
toothbrush, or apply and rub with a finger.
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