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Pomegranate
The pomegranate is the subject of many myths and epics; think Homer and Shakespeare. And in the way of art it has been recognized by Raphael, Cezanne and others. It surely has the look of a complex fruit but there is an easy approach to getting at the heart of this delicacy. Score the peel with a knife as you would an orange and break it open. Your goal is to separate the seeds from the peel and pith. To do this; scoop the fruit; pith and all; from the peel and immerse in water. The pith will float to the top while the fruit or seeds if you will; sink to the bottom. Until I knew this it was a battle to enjoy eating them. Many food and dietary supplement makers have found the advantages of using the fruit's extracts (which have no sugar, calories, or additives), instead of the juice, as healthy ingredients in their products. Vitamins, Minerals and Phytochemical Components Providing 16% of an adult's daily vitamin C requirement per 100 ml serving, the juice is also a good source of the vitamins A, B, and E; pantothenic acid; potassium; antioxidant polyphenols and flavonoids; hydrolysable tannis; and ellagic acid. To make a comparison in regards to the antioxidant properties touted by pomegranate; try three times that of red wine and green tea. Medicinal Uses Based on Scientific Studies In ancient times the fruit was used to treat numerous maladies. India addressed their heart concerns with it, Greeks and Egyptians used it to enhance fertility, and Hippocrates thought it aided digestion. There’s an endorsement. The fruit's antioxidants may help prevent hardening of the arteries, heart disease (6), (7), (8), osteoarthritis and certain types of cancer, including prostate, colon, lung and breast1,(2),(3). In addition, the juice may also affect prostatic hyperplasia, diabetes (10), dental plaque (12), dyspepsia, leprosy, erectile dysfunction (9) and lymphoma. Because of their tannin content, extracts of the bark, leaves, immature fruit and fruit rind have been given as astringents to halt diarrhea, dysentery and hemorrhages. Dried, pulverized flower buds are employed as a remedy for bronchitis. In Mexico, a decoction of the flowers is gargled to relieve oral and throat inflammation. The bark of the stem and root contains several alkaloids, including isopelletierine which is active against tapeworms. Topical application of the fruit has been shown to promote skin health by helping to shield against damage induced by ultraviolet light 913), reverse visible signs of aging by promoting a moderate thickening of the skin’s outer layer and providing nutritional support for fibroblast cells in the skin’s dermis. Phenolic compounds extracted from the fruit effectively promote wound healing (11). Indian researchers noted that a topical cream from the fruit produced an average 35% reduction in the number of days required for complete recovery from an excision wound (4), (5). References 1. Adams, L. S., Seeram, N. P., Aggarwal, B. B., Takada, Y., Sand, D., & Heber, D. (2006). Pomegranate juice, total pomegranate ellagitannins, and punicalagin suppress inflammatory cell signaling in colon cancer cells. Journal of Agricultural Food and Chemistry, 54(3), 980-985. 2. Afaq, F., Saleem, M., Krueger, C. G., Reed, J. D., & Mukhtar, H. (2005). Anthocyanin and hydrolyzable tannin-rich pomegranate fruit extract modulates MAPK and NF-kappaB pathways and inhibits skin tumorigenesis in CD-1 mice. International Journal of Cancer, 113(3), 423-433. 3. Albrecht, M., Jiang, W., Kumi-Diaka, J., Lansky, E. P.,Gommersall, L. M., Patel, A., et al. (2004). Pomegranate extracts potently suppress proliferation, xenograft growth, and invasion of human prostate cancer cells. Journal of Medicinal Food, 7(3), 274-283. 4. Ashoori, F., Suzuki, S., Zhou, J. H., Isshiki, N., & Miyachi, Y. (1994). Involvement of lipid peroxidation in necrosis of skin flaps and its suppression by ellagic acid. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 94(7), 1027-1037. 5. Aslam, M. N., Lansky, E. P., & Varani, J. (2006). Pomegranate as a cosmeceutical source: pomegranate fractions promote proliferation and procollagen synthesis and inhibit matrix metalloproteinase-1 production in human skin cells. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 103(3), 311-318. 6. Aviram, M. & Dornfeld, L. (2001). Pomegranate juice consumption inhibits serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity and reduces systolic blood pressure. Atherosclerosis, 158(1), 195-19 8. 7. Aviram, M., Dornfeld, L., Kaplan, M., Coleman, R., Gaitini, D., Nitecki, S., et al. (2002). Pomegranate juice flavonoids inhibit low-density lipoprotein oxidation and cardiovascular diseases: studies in atherosclerotic mice and in humans. Drugs Under Experimental and Clinical Research, 28(2-3), 49-62. 8. Aviram, M., Dornfeld, L., Rosenblat, M., Volkova, N., Kaplan, M., Coleman, R., et al. (2000). Pomegranate juice consumption reduces oxidative stress, atherogenic modifications to LDL, and platelet aggregation: studies in humans and in atherosclerotic apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 71(5), 1062-1076. 9. Azadzoi, K. M., Schulman, R. N., Aviram, M., & Siroky, M. B. (2005). Oxidative stress in arteriogenic Erectile Dysfunction: Prophylactic role of antioxidants. Journal of Urology, 174(1), 386-393. 10. Esmaillzadeh, A., Tahbaz, F., Gaieni, I., Alavi-Majd, H., & Azadbakht, L. Concentrated pomegranate juice improves lipid profiles in diabetic patients with hyperlipidemia. Journal of Medicinal Food, 7(3), 305-308. 11. Murthy, K. N., Reddy, V. K., Veigas, J. M., & Murthy, U. D. (2004). Study on wound healing activity of punica granatum peel. Journal of Medicinal Food, 7(2), 256-259. 12. Sastravaha, G., Yotnuengnit, P., Booncong, P., & Sangtherapitikul, P. (2003). Adjunctive periodontal treatment with Centella asiatica and Punica granatum extracts: A preliminary study. Journal of the International Academy of Periodontology, 5(4), 106-115. 13. Syed, D. N., Malik, A., Hadi, N., Sarfaraz, S., Afaq, F., & Mukhtar, H. (2006). Photochemopreventive effect of pomegranate fruit extract on UVA-mediated activation of cellular pathways in normal human epidermal keratinocytes. Photochemistry and Photobiology, 82(2), 398-405.
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