Tamarind

Tamarind is a plant belonging to the legume family. Its fruits are many brown seeds, wrapped in soft pods. Can be eaten raw, widely used in Latin American and Asian cuisines as a spice. The flesh is a must-have ingredient in the notorious Worcestershire sauce.

The inner part of the green fruit has a very sour sauce, so it is used in making spicy dishes.

Ripe fruits are sweet and are usually used to make drinks, desserts and appetizers.

Useful properties of tamarind

The fruit is very nutritious, its caloric content is comparable to that of fatty meat. The amount of sugars is extremely high (more than half the content). However, tamarind is suitable for weight loss because:

• it contains hydroxycitric acid, which blocks the action of enzymes responsible for the formation of fats;
• contains serotonin - a hormone that reduces anxiety, respectively, and the need to eat under stress.

Tamarind is not contraindicated in diabetes (which is also impressive), as it contains substances that contribute to the absorption of sugar without insulin.

The fruit is extremely rich in cellulose and other substances that help lower "harmful" cholesterol. According to scientists, their amount increases after culinary processing of the fruit (it is enough to heat it to 100 degrees).

Reducing cholesterol levels is a guarantee for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis, which in turn is a prerequisite for the development of heart attacks and strokes.

Tamarind is useful for both constipation and diarrhea (respectively, in the first case acts as a laxative, and in the second - has an astringent effect). In addition, the fruit normalizes appetite, eliminates bloating and intestinal colic, as it has an antispasmodic effect.

And more:

• normalizes the hormonal background in women, which is a guarantee for their reproductive health (in the countries it grows, it is considered the strongest aphrodisiac);
• an excellent source of potassium, which regulates the water-electrolyte balance in the human body, thus contributing to the removal of excess fluid from the body (suitable for consumption product for edema, hypertension, angina and tachycardia).

The leaves and bark of the plant are also used for medicinal purposes. Tea from the leaves fights wonderfully with bouts of fever in malaria. Tea and infusion of the bark are recommended to prevent asthma attacks, to improve appetite, diarrhea. Decoction of the flowers helps to reduce blood pressure in hypertension. Roasted seeds are used in dysentery, infections with nematodes and tapeworms.

Decoction of the leaves is used to wash the eyes in various infections, especially conjunctivitis. It can also be used to gargle in acute respiratory viral infections and influenza, as tamarind is characterized by strong antiseptic properties.

Medical research confirms that the fetus contains substances that help strengthen immunity.

Nutritional value per 100 grams of tamarind

Contraindications

The fruits are not suitable for consumption by people with stomach and intestinal ulcers, hyperacid gastritis, diseases of the digestive glands and especially the pancreas.

Excessive use of the product can lead to diarrhea.