Is Tamarind Good for Health? | History, Uses, and Disease-Fighting Properties

Today, we are going to talk about uses, History and disease of Tamarind fruit, which is used in any eatables to enhance the taste of food. It is sour in taste and people use it in different forms like raw, dried, powdered and sometimes as a paste. In fact, it is one of the main ingredients of sauces and curries in Asian countries.

Why Tamarind is good for health?

Tamarind is good for health because it is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It supports digestion, helps regulate blood sugar, promotes heart health, and has anti-inflammatory properties. Its high antioxidant content also helps fight oxidative stress, which can protect against various diseases.

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Tamarind contains many other minerals which are highly crucial for human body. These minerals include like iron, magnesium and many more.

History of Tamarind:

Tamarind tree which is also known as Tamarindus Indica comes originally from Africa. It was long back introduced in India. But Indian use it as their by product. The term tamarind has been derived from a Persian word tamar-I-hind. This actually means Indian date. It is called by somewhat similar names in other countries where it is used. So, if you go to other country, it could be a possibility that you hear completely a different name there.

How is the tamarind fruit grown?

Tamarind good for health
Tamarind health benefits

Actually, the tree of tamarind grows steadily and not rapidly and the fruit of this tree are like pods. Initially, these pods have acidic flesh. Inside these pods only, there are some underdeveloped seeds which are encased. These pods become juicy with time and the flesh becomes brown. Its outer skin looks like a shell that contains hard seeds inside.

Various forms of Tamarind:

Now, you will be surprised that the forms of tamarind are different too. There is one very common type of tamarind, which is sour in taste. While there is one that is quite sweet. The sweet tamarind is not found globally, it is grown in Thailand. You know it very well that you consume it either ripe or unripe. Both ways it is very tasty and healthy.

You can nowadays even get the juices of tamarind, which are equally healthy as they are rich in the same nutrients and properties which are good in many health problems. So, this is also used as a healthy beverage.

Tamarind leaves are equally beneficial for our health
Tamarind leaves are equally beneficial for our health

Moreover, the bark of tamarind tree is also very helpful along with leaves as they can both be used as wound healers.

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What makes Tamarind a medicine?

It is found that tamarind fruit has some fighting properties against any bacteria that develops around us because it has laxative effect as it has some ingredients which are prevalent on any kind of fungi. Tamarind is also popular for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agents found in it which can treat almost any health condition.

Effectiveness of Tamarind:

Tamarind is very effective in many problems like constipation, which is quite a common issue. In general, over 65% people suffer from it. Constipation makes you very uneasy. You cannot concentrate in anything because you never feel comfortable when suffering from constipation. But you can relieve from the problem of constipation if consume tamarind.

Likewise, people also get benefitted by tamarind in many other problems like stomach, gallbladder and liver. These are also very common issues in the masses. All in all, we could say that tamarind is a medicine to all your stomach related issues as it maintains the health of your gut.

Similarly, it is equally beneficial in cold. It is very usual to suffer from cold and fever at the same time. Sometimes fever is a consequence of allergy. Cold is also an allergy kind of infection. Other than cold and fever, tamarind is also good for nausea in pregnant ladies. During pregnancy, every woman has to undergo mild to severe nausea. But sometimes it could even be very uneasy for them to deal with this condition. So, here comes the tamarind, which can sooth such condition. In fact, tamarind has some magical uses as it can also be used in treating worms in the intestine of the children.

What’s more, tamarind can also be used to heal the bone injuries. For this purpose, we can use the seeds of tamarind and we can make the paste out of them. Tamarind seeds are also very helpful in eye related problems. So, there are many medicines in which the extract of tamarind is used to help people with dry eyes.

Not only this, but tamarind is also very good in relieving from dysentery, inflammation, stomach ache and diarrhea. Simultaneously, it can even cure the sore throat, swelling on joints, asthma, conjunctivitis and many other health conditions.

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So, isn’t it a therapeutic fruit?

Uses of Tamarind:

There are many uses of tamarind in our life. Like we can use it in cooking. But it is also used as home remedy in many illnesses.

For Cooking:

It is used in cooking for many centuries especially in Southeast, Middle East and Asian countries. These nationalities also use the seeds as well as leaves of Tamarind.

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These regions use mostly in the preparation of chutney sauces, beverages and sweets.

Use as a Medicine:

We already talked about many medicinal properties of tamarind, which are very effective in treating the disease such as constipation, diarrhea and wounds. Not only this, but it is also successful in healing peptic ulcers. It is used as a traditional medicine. It is of course very rich in the polyphenols which are one of the requirements of our body in preventing any kind of bacteria build up. That’s the main reason that tamarind can to some extent also cure the diseases like cancer and heart stroke.

One can very easily keep the blood sugar level in control by consuming the seeds of this tree. Even in many cases, the pulp of the fruit can help in maintaining the right BMI by reducing a lot of weight. Sometimes extra fat near abdomen can also be the reason of fatty liver problem, but regular consumption of tamarind can every help you reverse that.

Other uses:

Well, tamarind has many other uses too, like you can use the pulp of tamarind in polishing different kind of metals such as copper and bronze.

Method of using Tamarind:

Tamarind is used in different ways in our cooking. So, it is completely up to you that how you would like to use it. The best way of using it is by extracting the pulp from tamarind and soaking it in warm water. Then you can leave the pulp in the water for about 10 minutes. Once the pulp becomes soft then you can squeeze the pieces of tamarind using your fingers. After this, you can use the juice of tamarind and throw the pulp after squeezing it. Strain the juice carefully.

To be continued…….

Read about Health Benefits of Tamarind in detail