When someone who cared sent me a small, emailed list of the fruits that I so love, coupled with ideas about the good health that these beautiful sweet gifts promote, I kept the mail and here is my idea of passing on some of these health ideas.
Researching the chemistry and medicinal capabilities of fruit alone can be an overwhelming task. This column is just a short article, which, if you are interested in yours or your familys' health, you might pursue through the wealth of linked references posted on the pages of the article leads that I have listed below.
The first line of the text for each fruit is as quoted from the mailing that I received, but then, a sophisticated knowledge base, as so miraculously available to us all on W3 can help you to save a life, just in offering someone fresh, nourishing fruit dishes!
APPLE | APRICOT | GUAVA | KIWI | ORANGE | PAPAYA | STRAWBERRY | WATERMELON
An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.
Being an old health food afficionado, I chose to express some notes about apple cider vinegar. I had so much success drinking apple cider vinegar with honey when I was young. I drank this as a tonic every day, for my good health. In the old days we just believed in tonic properties, and I felt that it helped to brighten my hair and to keep me slim!
Read some of BellaOnlines' wonderful work by linking to the real article, after skimming through some of these abstracted notes.
"Apples are among the most health-giving fruits.... full of beneficial vitamins and minerals, such as phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and many trace elements... they are the central ingredient in apple cider vinegar.
Apple Cider vinegar is a powerful detoxifying and purifying agent.
It breaks down fatty, mucous and phlegm deposits within the body. By breaking down these substances it improves the health and function of the vital organs of the body,...by preventing excessively alkaline urine.
It also oxidizes and thins the blood, ...important in preventing high blood pressure.
This powerful potion also promotes digestion, also neutralizing any toxic substances in the body.
Cider vinegar has been found to neutralize any harmful bacteria that may be found in certain foods.
*When a mixture of cider vinegar and water is taken before a meal (particularly food served in restaurants or at picnics where the preparation or duration of food left uncovered and not refrigerated is questionable), it seems to prevent diarrhea or digestive upsets."
*note: What a great thing to take with you on vacation! Simple Apple Cider vinegar, and little restaurant pots of honey! Just ask for a cup of boiled water before eating, in questionably clean establishments.
"Cider vinegar is thought to be beneficial in the treatment of arthritis,(either) as a beverage or with compresses soaked in hot vinegar applied directly to the joints."
READ MORE!
How to make apple cider vinegar, the amazingly long account of uses for your good health
BellaOnline The Voice of Women
AUTHORS: Linda Paul, Christine Nicholas, Intern Doris Herringshaw, Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences
I added apricot to the email quiknotes, since I swear by its' marvellous nutrients in my diet! However, I was astounded to find that Apricot gets written into the longevity Hall of Fame along with Walnuts
Read below, a few notes from: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)
Reminiscent of the articles about northern Russians, who keep a diet low in meat, but high in products made of Walnut, like walnut butter, apricot has been shown to offer long life.
"It is a well known fact to gerontologists that the Hunza people, who inhabit the high mountains of North Pakistan not far from the center of the genesis of common apricot, are the longest-living and healthiest people in the world."
"100% (of the Hunzas') population had perfect vision, while cancer, coronary heart diseases, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and even appendicitis and gout were unknown conditions."
"Their diet is rich all year round in fresh or dried fruit and nuts, especially apricots and apricot kernels, and their primary source of oil is apricot seeds." (They get valuable proteins largely from nuts and seeds.)
"Apricot seeds, because of their remarkably high content of amygdalin, are a source of vitamin B17 and utilized in alternative medicine for cancer therapy."
"The fruit itself is a small natural drug-store ... The American Cancer Society states that apricots, and other foods rich in carotenes, may lower the risk of cancers of the larynx, esophagus and lungs"!
NB: Please, remember that the seeds must be baked prior to direct consumption, since apricot kernels can be poisonous if ingested raw in large quantities.
NB: Laetril , an extract of apricot kernel, was banned from natural pharmaceuticals over thirty years ago. it seems that over-use of this natural remedy ahd introduced too mcuh cyanide into the diet, so that, insttead of curing cancer, it had sometimes killed the patient.
"Apricots are also rich in Boron, which has lately been identified as one of the main factors for the prevention of osteoporosis"
Please, read the whole article, which has been posted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. AUTHOR: Rumen Conev, PhD - Dept of Plant Agriculture/University of Guelph LINK TO: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) (Apricot Article by Rumen Conev)
GUAVA & PAPAYA: Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes.
Guava is an antihelmintic1 (a dewormer)among other useful qualities of this delicious fruit.
"..in particular it contains quercetin which is an antioxidant that blocks enzymes that are responsible for building sorbitol, the sugar that forms the cloudy white clusters that cause cataracts. Guava is also rich in folate which helps to fight bad breath that causes gum disease gingivitis."
Guava Herbal Medicine: copyright 2007
The Guava information above is from this interesting, helpful site:Infinite Advice.com
1Antihelmintic is, I think, a term which comes from the word as defined below in Medical Dictionary Online:
You can look up the helminth class, I am too chicken!
Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.
One of our favourite fruits, Kiwi, is
"packed with heart-healthy nutrients like potassium, magnesium, and vitamins C and E. Research shows eating kiwis daily may help prevent heart disease and stroke by limiting the blood’s ability to form life-threatening clots and by lowering triglycerides—fats that thicken the blood.
Kiwis also contain eye-protecting carotenoids, which lower the risk of macular degeneration (a leading cause of age-related blindness).
Link to: Hawthorn University
AUTHOR: Beth Bence Reinke
Useful Contra-indications monographs for many natural substances:
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database
Sweetest medicine. Taking 2-4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer.
Orange is so regularly reknowned as a fruit high in vitamin C, and you may research barrels of info about the Orange, or youcan just drink its juice, eat its lovely fruit, or bask in Neroli essential Oil (its' floral aromatherapy essential oil)
Link to my Seville Orange page in Herbs by Northdays
Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes.
"rich in carotene, vitamin C, and flavonoid, which can works as anti-cancer substances.
Papain enzyme works to break down waste of foods’ fiber, so make us easier to defecate.
If consumed regularly, fresh papaya fruit is very useful to treat a stomach wound and to reduce body temperature2 during a fever.
See a fresh Papaya remedy, which will help you with stomach ulcers
from: Papaya As a Natural Medicine2 The term for fever reduction used, when defining pharmacological qualities of any chemical constituent is "antipyretic".
I imagined that you are probably like me, and don't look up all of the terms listed for any substance, so I try to spend the extra time looking up these definitions:
Did that help anyone, or what? Now I have had to research "febrifuge".One of those things, I guess:
Function: noun or adjective: ANTIPYRETIC
Oddly enough, the term is best defined within a regular dictionary:
Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.
"Strawberry is rich in antioxidants and other essential nutrients that help reduce the risk of developing cancer, heart disease, inflammatory diseases and birth defects.
Strawberry is high in magnesium, which helps muscular and nervous system relaxation, and promotes undisturbed sleep.
Its high vitamin C content helps lower the risk of arthritis and gout. It is also essential for a healthy immune system and resistance to infection particularly colds and flu.
Strawberry prevents the decline in motor and cognitive skills commonly related to aging and particularly to Alzheimer's disease.
Its high fiber content improves the absorption of nutrients and stabilizes blood glucose while inhibiting cholesterol production.
Strawberry is a good choice in weight loss diets.
It helps fight stress and is protective against the severe form of a vision-destroying disease known as macular degeneration.
Strawberry is effective in treating gastritis and diarrhea and improves liver function.
Anthocyanins, the pigments responsible for the strawberry's color, are powerful antioxidants, which help protect cells from free radical damage. They act as cholesterol fighters and immune boosters and possess anti cancer and anti-inflammatory properties."
Further information about strawberries includes contra-indications (ie) allergies,eczema, etc.
Specifically, pink watermelon is a rich source of the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene, which, according to the USDA research, protects against cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer (most notably prostate with some studies showing protective properties against breast, endometrium and lung cancers as well)."
nb:Ladies and you oglers:
It is not hard to forget that watermelons and pomegranates are prosthetic, to some degree in the prevention of breast cancer.
Just don't forget the warm, pink, full, wholesome shaping of those juicy, sweet, tempting fruits when you are shopping for your health.
"A Wow for Watermelon"
posted by: Jessica Silver, MAOM, L.Ac.
Aiyana Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs
Consider yourself gifted. My dana is done for this Saturday. Bye for now!
Sue