Tamarind health benefits includes supporting a healthy heart, managing diabetes, boosting immune system, helps prevent heat stroke, support weight loss, aids development of muscle and nerves, support digestion and helps prevent ulcer. Other benefits includes preventing cancer, slow down aging process, and help fight cold and flu.
Tamarind is a delicious sweet and sour fruit that has its own distinct flavor. It grows on trees in pods and dries down from a green fruit. It is often considered a legume due to its pod-like growth. The tartness of this fruit is extremely delicious and its pulp can be eaten on its own with some added sugar and salt. It is available and is an ingredient in various sauces used in difference Asian delicacies. It has a very strong flavor on its own. It also has a history in Egypt and is said to have been planted there around 400 BC. It is native to tropical Africa and Southern Asia, but has been cultivated in India for so long that it is often assumed that it was native to the subcontinent. Tamarind is also said to have medicinal properties and was used by the Arabian physicians.
Tamarind is packed full of nutrition and has a surprisingly high calcium content as compared to other fruits. Its scientific name is Tamarindus indica. The list of nutrients present in it is quite lengthy. It is both delicious and beneficial for the body, which is a rare combination. It contains vitamins such as E, C, B and multiple minerals. The complete nutritional value can be determined for per 100 grams of pulp as:
Calcium 35-170 mg, potassium 375 mg ,Vitamin A15 I.U, Thiamine 0.16mg, Tartaric acid 8-23.8mg, Phosphorous 54-110mg, protein 3.10g, magnesium 92 mg, Riboflavin 0.07mg.Its young leaves also contain multiple nutritional benefits. The leaves when young contain 63mg of sulfur and 101 mg of calcium.
In light of this, here are 11 other health benefits of Tamarinds:
The consumption of tamarind helps reduce heart-related issues. It has been observed that tamarind rids the arteries of LDL cholesterol. It has high fiber content, which might be responsible for this. The potassium in tamarinds also acts as a vasodilator that controls your blood pressure by reducing the stress on the arteries and other vessels. Tamarinds, being full of vitamin C, helps fight free radicals that might end up developing symptoms associated with chronic heart diseases.
Alpha-amylase is a compound found in tamarind. It is observed that it helps prevent the absorption of carbohydrates that in turn turns to sugars. An elevated amount of sugar in the blood also leads to diabetic issues. The pancreas is unable to control the levels of insulin in the body, which leads to various other diseases other than diabetes.
Just evaluating the nutritional benefits of tamarind highlights its health advantages. It is high in vitamin C and other vitamins that are known for their antioxidant properties that help fight free radicals. Tamarinds also have antimicrobial and antiseptic properties that lead to a strong immune system that is not affected by viral infections. Parasites cannot endure an environment that is high in antioxidants.
You are prone to suffer a heat stroke if you live in region that is particularly hot, and if you aren’t hydrated well. Tamarind juice made with a little cumin can prevent heat-related issues and cool your system.
Weight loss is an issue that most people deal with. Tamarind with all its benefits is also helpful in losing those extra pounds. There is an enzyme in the body that stores fat and the hydroxycitric acid or HCA present in tamarind stops it from doing so. It also helps suppress appetite as it increases the serotonin neurotransmitter.
The B complex present in tamarind in the form of thiamine is known to improve nerve function and helps develop stronger muscles. This leads to a healthy and strong body and function.
Tamarind contains tartaric acid, malic acid, and potassium, which are all components that help promote a health digestive system. It has multiple benefits for the stomach as it helps in treating diarrhea and constipation. These are benefits found in the leaves and the pulp separately.
Only a healthy digestive system will help absorb nutrients to their full potential. Ulcers can be prevented by the regular use of tamarinds. Tamarind seed extract contains compounds that inhibit the occurrence of ulcers.
Cancer is caused due to the growth of cells that thrive on free radicals. As a powerhouse of antioxidants tamarinds will promote antioxidants in the body, causing cancerous cells to be eliminated.
Even though there aren’t any definitive studies on the key to anti-aging, tamarind as a part of skin care, helps reverse sun damage and can also be ground to be used as an exfoliator. The fruit contains Alpha hydroxyl, which is what helps prevent spots and acne.
Tamarind also helps fight colds and flu. These are usually caused by allergies or viral infections. However, tamarind has antihistaminic properties that help prevent asthma attacks and other types of colds and flu.
Also:
Fluoride (F) is an environmental contaminant and industrial pollutant. Molecular mechanisms remain unclear in F induced pulmonary toxicity even after numerous studies. Tamarind fruits act as defluoridating agents.
There is another study that uses tamarind seeds to remove or defluoridate water used as a bioabsorbent. This one seems to prove at the very least that tamarind seeds, not tamarind itself that is a more powerful fluoride remover. I do eat tamarind seeds - they don't taste so good, and leave a dry tongue feeling, and some after taste, but this is at least one possibility that tamarind seeds remove fluoride. Hence, tamarind without the seed may have a slight properties of fluoride removal, but it's difficult to deny the fact that researchers never try to prove whether fluoride came from tamarind or from the accumulation.
Because of these technical questions surrounding tamarind issue is why I used borax instead. In any event, a crushed and cleaned tamarind seeds can be added to defluoridate water and I may take them internally from time to time, but is difficult to eat tamarind seeds.
It is implied at least in one research that tamarind seems to be protective in an experimental group (eating the tamarind seeds) against those of the control groups (that did not eat tamarind seeds) on spontaneous disease and aging. The spontaneous aging issue is a very interesting one since they mentioned, "spontaneous diseases with aging, such as myocardial change, nephropathy, mammary tumor (in female), pituitary tumor etc., were seen. These diseases played important role as the cause of death of the dead rats."
At least for me eating just one seed seed is pretty difficult to eat anyway, as it doesn't taste all that great. As to the issue of brain fog and vivid dreams, this is one of the immediate effect of chelation. When fluoride gets remove from the tissues and pineal gland and goes into the blood stream, the first effect is a brain fog. Then thereafter, an improvement in sleep and memory functions are indicated with a vivid dream. Thereafter on the second day, better sleep patterns should be noted. This is one way I see it as removing fluoride, although tamarind fluoride is present, it might also acquire more fluoride removal as it is eaten, although no research have done so directly. And hence the argument of tamarind removal fluoride has some room for doubt, but not for tamarind seeds.
Natural health writer Paul Fassa suggested using lecithin (as an adjunct to iodine) for excreting fluorides, as well as tamarind, boron, dry saunas and liver cleanses. He also suggested that people take steps to relieve fluoride toxicity and neuropathy symptoms by boosting their immune and nervous systems. This can done by increasing omega-3 intake (e.g. using flax, hemp or chia seeds), increasing ALA (alpha lipoic acid) intake to counter neuropathy, increasing Vitamin B complex intake (including B12, but only the methylcobalamin type) and increasing CoQ10, especially as ubiquinol. Additionally, magnesium chloride and magnesium citrate are beneficial in assisting almost any treatment. Lastly, since neuropathy is an inflammation of nerve tissue, properly consuming and cooking with turmeric or curcumin can also be quite beneficial.