tamarind
It is a plant species of the tamarind genus of the legume family.
Tamarind is the pulp of the horny fruits of a fast-growing evergreen arboreal plant, its height reaches about three meters, and its leaves are clustered, clustered, yellow in color, and the wood is solid, reddish in color. The fruits are pods, and the brown pulp is used for a fleshy acidic taste that envelops the seeds. The solid is then kneaded, so brown blocks are formed, and it may be mixed with sugar to help preserve it and prevent it from spoiling. Tamarind is known by several names, including al-Humr, al-Humr, and al-Ardeeb.
home country
It is said that it is native to tropical Africa and has been known since ancient times in Sudan, Egypt and India, and has spread to the Caribbean islands and to most parts of the world through ancient medicine.
It is said that its homeland is the island of Madagascar and East Africa, and from there it spread to tropical regions such as Florida and arid and semi-arid regions such as Senegal, Niger, Ivory Coast and Sudan.
Active substances
Tamarind contains between 16-18% acids, including citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, tannins, astringent substances, potassium citrate, and mineral salts such as phosphorus, magnesium, iron, manganese, calcium, sodium, chlorine, etc. Pectins, fats, and sugars. Recent studies have also shown that tamarind contains antibiotics that can kill many different bacterial strains, in addition to its benefits as a laxative and an anti-acid.
in ancient medicine
It was said that the pharaohs had the first credit for introducing tamarind cultivation during the Middle Ages to the Mediterranean regions, and archaeologists have found some parts of tamarind in the tombs of the pharaohs. Europe knew tamarind for the first time through the Arabs during the Middle Ages. Tamarind came in a Pharaonic recipe in the Ebers Papyrus as part of a treatment recipe to expel and kill worms in the abdomen. The old Persian doctors described the tamarind soak as a drink to treat some stomach diseases and fevers arising from them. Then Europe knew these therapeutic benefits through the Arabs who carried tamarind with them during the Islamic conquests.
Abu Bakr al-Razi said about tamarind: “The juice of tamarind cuts thirst because it is cool and tender.”
Ibn Sina said, “Tamarind is useful for vomiting and thirst in fevers, and it helps the stomach that is relaxed from excessive vomiting. It facilitates bile and a drink from its broth, close to half a pound, which is useful for diets.
Ibn Al-Bitar said, “The tamarind is the best, the soft, withering, and it breaks the irritation of the blood.
Dawood of Antioch said the Indian date: it is the cactus, the red and the homer, and it is a tree like a pomegranate and its leaf is like a pine leaf, not like a Levantine carob leaf. From the fiber, and it is cold in the second or third, withered in the first second. It calms the flames, bile gallbladder, blood agitation, vomiting, nausea, and hot crack, and we have no acid that facilitates other than it. It is fixed, and poppy or gingerbread is suitable, and it is salted with about pears and jujubes, and its syrup is ten, and it is replaced by zarshak other than diarrhea, and it contains pomegranate syrup.
in modern medicine
Scientific studies have proven that tamarind contains antibiotics capable of eliminating many different bacterial strains harmful to humans. This is in addition to its benefits as a laxative, antacid, soothing and antipyretic. Therefore, some pharmaceutical companies add the aqueous extract of tamarind fruits to children's medicines. It is said about tamarind that it is a healthy, cleansing fruit that improves digestion, expels flatulence, soothes sore throats, works as a mild laxative, and is given in medicine to open the appetite and strengthen the stomach. It is also used to relieve constipation and given for dysentery, especially if cumin and sugar are mixed with it. In India, citizens use tamarind sauce against colds and other ailments that produce excessive catarrh. In Chinese medicine, it is considered a cooling herb suitable for treating summer heat. Dates are given for loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, and constipation. It is used against increased acidity of the blood, as tamarind soaked is used to rid the blood of its excess acidity and to expel the toxins it contains.
- Tamarind juice is used as a gentle laxative and refreshing coolant, and is useful for cases of constipation, intestinal disorders and laziness. - Due to the presence of acids and minerals in the tamarind drink, it is useful in ridding the blood of its excess acidity and expelling the toxins it contains. - Since the tamarind drink contains a number of antibiotics, it kills a number of bacterial strains, and therefore it cleanses the body of germs. Tamarind is added by pharmaceutical companies to children's medicines as an antipyretic. - Tamarind drink is used in cases of high blood pressure, vomiting, nausea and headache.
Tamarind is used in India to remove stomach gases, moisturize the throat, and be a gentle laxative. In China, tamarind is used to treat dysentery, colds, and lack of appetite. There are no warnings for tamarind, even for pregnant women and children
Tamarind drink
Tamarind is prepared by soaking it in cold water for several hours or in boiling water for a short period, adding a few hibiscus leaves and fennel seeds, then leaving it until it settles, then filtering and adding a little sugar to it. Drink tamarind in Ramadan at any time of the night and it is considered one of the favorite drinks For many people, tamarind is also included in some foods, as it is added to stuffing, as well as to fenugreek, which is used in Ramadan