Bael which is also known as wood apple or stone apple or wood apple is an indigenous sacred tree in India and neighboring countries. Its fruits are used in traditional medicine and as a food throughout its range. The bael fruit has a smooth, woody shell with a green, gray, or yellow peel. The shell is so hard it must be cracked with a hammer or machete. The fibrous yellow pulp is very aromatic. It has been described as tasting of marmalade and smelling of roses. Numerous hairy seeds are encapsulated in slimy mucilage. The fruit is eaten fresh or dried. If fresh, the juice is strained and sweetened to make a drink similar to lemonade. It can be made into Bael pana, a refreshing drink made of the pulp with water, sugar, and lime juice, mixed, left to stand a few hours, strained, and put on ice. If the fruit is to be dried, it is usually sliced and sun-dried. The hard leathery slices are then simmered in water. The leaves and small shoots are eaten as salad greens. Bael is used to treat many ailments due its therapeutic nature. Some of the benefits are: • Bael fruit is rich in protein, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorous and potassium. • Consumption of unripe or half-ripe bael fruits is excellent for curing chronic stages of dysentery and cholera, where there is no fever. The use of dried bael, in normal or powdered form, is also good for this purpose. The fruit is also beneficial for the chronic dysentery that is characterized by alternate constipation and diarrhea. • Bael is a high source of tannin and its rind contains about 20% of the compound, with around 9% in the pulp of the fruit. Hence, the fruit is considered to be the treatment of choice for curing cholera. • The fruit is considered highly beneficial for the digestive system and can also be used as a mild laxative. • The juice of bael leaves, consumed after mixing it with honey, is often used for relieving fever and catarrh. • An infusion made from the bael leaves is regarded to be an effective cure for peptic ulcer. The concoction is prepared by soaking the leaves in water overnight and then drinking the water in the morning, after straining it. • The tannins present in the leaves help alleviate the pain and discomfort associated with peptic ulcer and also aid healing, by reducing the inflammation. • A very ancient practice involves the use of the bael leaves, barks and roots for treating snakebites. • A decoction made from the bark of the plant is often used in the cure of malaria. The pulp of the fruit, on the other hand, is used in the treatment of Vitiligo. • The fruits, leaves and roots of the plant have antibiotic properties and can be used to treat a wide range of ailments and infections. • Respiratory ailments, like wheezing, spasm and even common cold, can be treated by using medicated oil made from the leaves of bael plant. This oil is prepared by heating together equal quantities of bael juice and sesame oil. To this hot oil, half a teaspoon of black cumin and a few black pepper seeds are added. A thorough massage of this oil on the scalp, prior to a head bath, is considered to build resistance against such respiratory conditions. This article has been written and posted by a health advisor working at bookmydoctor.com, who also provides free of cost consultancy to patients and advise to search and find, Benefits of Bael, By visiting the site, patients can look for Bael and Bael Juice Benefit to get their proper treatment.
Related Articles -
Benefits of Bael, Bael, Bael Juice Benefit,
|