Hindi: Imli
English: Tamarind
Telugu: Chintapandu
Kannada: Huli, Amli
Tamil: Puli Amilam
Malayalam: Kolpuli
Sanskrit: Tintrini
Tamarind is a sweet, tangy and unarguably pleasing fruit. Its botanical name is Tamarindus indicus. It is used in various preparations in Indian kitchens and also as a spice in local cuisines of Caribbean Islands and Latin America. Tamarind is rich in vitamin C, B, carotenes, potassium and magnesium. Lets look up various health benefits of tamarind in the following lines.
The seeds and pulp of tamarind pods are dried and used for preparing various food recipes and also in medicines to cure various ailments. When these pods are dried, they turn sour and thus, used in foods for flavoring and to get innumerable health benefits. Below are some of the effective home remedies using Tamarind.
The fruit works as laxative, antiseptic, carminative and helps in digestion. The leaves works as astringent, anti fungal, diuretic, anthelmintic and anti-inflammatory. The bark of its root has also got great medicinal uses as it too works as astringent and emmenagogue.
Health Benefits of Tamarind
Helps treat constipation: Tamarind pods are used to cure constipation as it acts like a laxative and helps loosen the stool. If it is given in juice form to the people suffering from constipation, it gives relief.
Helps lower cholesterol: If you take tamarind in foods regularly, it helps lower the bad cholesterol in the body and also helps keep heart healthy. By lowering the risk of development of cardiovascular diseases, it helps increase the longevity and provides a healthy body.
Helps cure bile disorders: For years, tamarind has been particularly used in treatment of live and gall disorders. It helps treat bile problems. Hence, tamarind should be taken regularly in foods to prevent development of liver and bile problems.
Helps relieve pain and inflammation: Tamarind helps relieve inflammation and pain in joints. It has been observed that if you apply paste made by crushing leaves and pulp of tamarind on inflamed joints, it gives great relief from pain and swelling.
Helps cure sore throat: If you have a sore throat, you should gargle with tamarind juice for fast relief from the discomfort caused by sore throat.
Helps cure conjunctivitis: Several eye drops contain the primary ingredient tamarind that helps cure inflammation of conjunctiva in the eye. Tamarind seeds are used to prepare eye drop treatment ointment for curing conjunctiva caused due to common dry eye syndrome or a bacterial infection.
Helps cure jaundice: As tamarind helps cure various liver and bile disorders, it also helps cure jaundice and other related dieresis problems.
Helps cure cold: Tamarind helps reduce inflammation and thus, treats colds. Drop some tamarind in boiled water and drink it to reduce cold.
Helps Fight cancer: Tamarind pods contain a large amounts of antioxidants, thus, helps in curing cancer by flushing out the free radicals from the body. It just aids in the treatment and is not a substitute for regular medicines.
Helps cure piles: Piles is a frustrating problem and you can get relief from this issue by consuming tamarind. Take some tamarind flowers and extract their juice. This juice should be taken daily to reduce the problems of piles.
Fever: A juice could be extracted from the leaves of the tree and mixed with turmeric. Prepare this in cold water. Taking this everyday could cleanse the body of micro organisms and infections.
White Discharge: The treatment with the seeds of tamarind if followed for few weeks could eliminate the problem completely. In order to make this, soak the seeds in water for 1 night. Make a paste with it and mix with a cup of milk before consuming it in the morning.
Diarrhea: The seeds of the fruit act as astringent but remember that the fruit is laxating. In order to get rid of loose motion make a drink with mixture of powered tamarind seeds, 1 tsp of cumin seeds and water. You could also mix some sugar into it and take it 2 times a day. In severe condition you might want to contact doctor.
Itching: In order to get rid of this problem, apply the juice of the leaves on the affected area 2-3 times a day. The problem would disappear in 3-4 days. In case it doesn’t you might be having other problems so get yourself checked.
