Autumn’s most useful product and the joy of the scientists - pomegranate
The use of pomegranate is well known and undeniable, and yet, scientists again and again undertake to investigate this fruit, trying to find out how it manages to give health to people. Literally every year they discover amazing properties of the pomegranate, describing the whole mechanism of their impact on the body.
In a recent study, Swiss specialists from the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne discovered a substance, urolithine, which, as it turned out, has an amazing property, helping to rejuvenate the mitochondria, or, as they are called, our cellular "power stations".
Urolithine opens prospects for new therapeutic drugs against age-related diseases.
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Scientists have first studied the effect of this substance on worms, which are often used in anti-aging research, because after only 8 to 10 days they are considered "elderly". Their short lifespan allows scientists to observe and measure the effects of aging in the span of just over a week. So, urolithine A allowed increasing the lifespan of these worms by more than 45%. After that, studies were done on mice and it was discovered that urolithine A improves muscle function and removes damaged mitochondria (abovementioned "power stations") before they accumulate and cause cellular dysfunction throughout the body.
Based on their initial findings, the authors of the study are determined to conduct clinical trials on people.
Earlier, Turkish scientists proved that the use of pomegranate to a high degree positively affects male reproductive efficiency. According to representatives of Firat University, the effect of the presence of this berry in the diet of the stronger gender is manifested in a fairly short time.
The beneficial effect of pomegranate on the male body, and especially on the ability of a man to become a father, was confirmed experimentally, writes medikforum.ru. Doctors explain the properties of pomegranate and its juice by a high content of antioxidants, especially Punicalagine, which has preventative properties against arthritis and cardiovascular diseases.
The same component, according to scientists from the University of Huddersfield, will help in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Punicalagine helps to prevent inflammatory processes that lead to the destruction of brain cells. In addition, the researchers claim that pomegranate juice can be used for patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis or Parkinson's disease. In their case, it is very important to reduce the painful inflammations inherent in the course of these diseases. Researchers were convinced that the use of pomegranate juice helps slow the progression of this disease. Pomegranate fruits contain polyphenols, vitamin C, potassium, and other useful ingredients.
In addition to the positive effect that pomegranate has on Alzheimer's patients, it is recommended for the prevention of cancer, colds, influenza virus, and to reduce the level of harmful cholesterol in the body. In addition, pomegranate juice is an excellent aid for improving cerebral and cardiac activity. Doctors recommend using pomegranate juice regularly between meals.
The authors of the study from Germany and the United Kingdom reported that the components of the pomegranate protect the brain cells, called microglia, from destruction. Data on the properties of the pomegranate were obtained as a result of an experiment involving rodents. A study of rat brain cells showed that 100% pomegranate juice had a positive effect on the cells. If the product is completely made of pomegranate, it contains about 3.4% of Punicalagine.
Experts continue to study the useful properties of pomegranate in order to start cooperation with pharmaceutical companies in the future and create tablets based on Punicalagine. At the moment there is no effective cure for Alzheimer's disease. Nevertheless, the number of patients with this disease is steadily increasing.
Many things could be told about the benefits of using pomegranate, the season of which comes in the middle of autumn. However, the scientists went further and examined the skin of this fruit.
It turned out that a long list of useful properties of pomegranate can be supplemented by another important advantage. Scientists from the University of Kingston in the United Kingdom found that even the skin of this fruit can be useful.
During the research, British experts found that in the skin of the pomegranate contain certain substances that can fight infections. Moreover, these substances proved to be even more effective than antibiotics.
Scientists have said that the effectiveness of pomegranate extracts increases even more in combination with vitamin C and metal salts. In the course of laboratory tests this "explosive mixture" successfully demonstrated its ability to fight even with staphylococcus. British researchers now have great hopes for this discovery and plan to continue their research.
It is worth mentioning that the pomegranate peels were used before by the people for cooking decoctions against angina and pharyngitis. And the masks made from the crushed peel of this fruit successfully fight with eels and rashes.
The properties of pomegranate juice have been known since ancient times: Hippocrates recommended it for the treatment of skin diseases and burns, and Avicenna mentioned its healing properties more than a hundred times, especially focusing on the fact that all types of pomegranate have bactericidal and astringent properties.
Researchers believe that the birthplace of the pomegranate is Central Asia, where it was cultivated more than 5000 years ago. And one of the first images of a pomegranate refers to the reign of the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep IV (appr. 1400 BC).
A lot of interesting information about the useful properties of the pomegranate can be found in the encyclopedia of President Berdymukhamedov - a medic by basic education - "Medicinal Plants of Turkmenistan."
Let us also glance into the third volume of this book, where in the chapter devoted to the pomegranate, quotations are cited from the works of the great Turkmen scientists of the past. In addition to Avicenna's “Canons of Medical Science” (Abu Ali ibn Sina), Abu Rayhan Beruni's treatise “Pharmacognosy in Medicine”, the famous work of Seyit Ismail Gurgenli “The Treasury of Khorezmshah”, refers to the use of pomegranate in treatment of various diseases.
For example, physician and scientist Muhammet Gaimaz Turkmen in the “Witchcraft of the Prophet” attributed sedative properties on the heartbeat to all kinds of pomegranate, pomegranate juice is an antitussive and gastric remedy. According to him, the consumption of several grains of pomegranate for three days may be used for the prevention of eye diseases throughout the year.
All parts of the pomegranate were used in Turkmen folk medicine: bark, branches, petioles, flowers, fruits, their crust, pericarp and seeds. Already in those days it was known that pomegranate juice has a diuretic, choleretic, analgesic and restorative effect, increases appetite and favorably influences hemopoiesis.
The main culinary disadvantages of pomegranate seeds are the complexity of cleaning the fruit from the skin and a large number of kernels. But you can simplify the process in several ways. For example, lightly cool the fruit it in the freezer, and then cut into several pieces. The grains will be easily separated from the peel.
Also, you can cut the skin and soak the fruit in a deep bowl for about five minutes, and then, holding a pomegranate under water, break it into pieces - the peel will float up and the grains will sink to the bottom.
