Apricot is a fruit rich in health and nutritional benefits
Apricot is a medium-sized perennial fruit tree, its length ranges between 2 and 3 meters, and perennials may reach 8 meters. Its leaves fall in the fall and bloom in the spring, and in the summer, with the heat, its fruits ripen to become yellow or orange with a red tinge. The apricot fruit has only one kernel. Usually the fruits ripen once and in a short time. That is why the proverb became famous - Friday of apricot - to indicate the speedy end of the apricot season or to indicate that the matter did not happen.
The origin of the apricot: The original home of the apricot is China, where it used to grow wild on the borders with what is now known as Russia. It was known in China 3 thousand years before the birth of Christ. Currently, Turkey leads the countries in the world in the production and export of dried apricots and the materials made from it, the most important of which is Qamar al-Din, in Syria The Hamwi apricot is famous, and apricots are grown in most countries of the Mediterranean basin.
Apricot composition:
- Most of it is water, fruit sugar, fiber, it also contains vitamins A, B2 and C, in addition to salts such as potassium, sodium, phosphorus, iron and calcium. As for apricot seed oil, it mainly contains allolein oil and a small amount of lanolin acid oil. It is expensive and plays an important role in the trade of cosmetics because of the oil’s soothing effect on the skin. Soap is also made from it, and ointments that soften and soothe the skin.
Medicinal uses and benefits of apricot:
- It quenches thirst and is used, especially in the holy month of Ramadan, to prepare apricot syrup with nuts to relieve thirst. The drink made from Qamar al-Din, which is originally dried apricots, is very famous among the Arabs during the Suhoor of Ramadan.
- It softens the abdomen, removes constipation, and removes the contraction of the stomach resulting from easing food and drink, especially in summer.
- Because the oil of its seeds has a soothing effect, it treats allergic diseases, especially the skin rash called "urticaria" for postmenopausal women, and it also resists lines and wrinkles that appear with age.
- Apricot seed oil treats the prolapse of external hemorrhoids and works to improve blood circulation in the veins in the anal area, and this leads to the disappearance of pain and also to the reduction of painful infections.
- It is used in diets to lose weight because it contains few calories, and with another effect it is a laxative for the stomach, so the food comes out quickly before the body absorbs large amounts of calories in the food.
- Because it contains vitamins and salts, it is considered a psychological sedative that removes tension and depression, so it works to reduce high blood pressure resulting from psychological stress and works to calm headaches - migraines - resulting from psychological causes.
- It strengthens the blood through the iron present in it in abundance, as apricots are almost equivalent in nutritional value to the animal liver in making red blood cells in the blood.
- Because of the calcium present in apricots, it strengthens the bone structure, so it is prescribed for those who suffer from osteoporosis, especially for the elderly.
- A blood purifier, therefore, it is used according to the new trend by giving different vitamins to those who work in underground warehouses or who live in cities heavily polluted with smoke, as it works to remove what is attached to the blood of electrolytes and impurities.
- Research confirms that apricots also help in revitalizing visual acuity, and increase the body's defense against diseases due to the presence of vitamin A in very high levels.
- Apricot is prescribed for people who make a mental effort - programmers and school students - because it contains two important elements for the brain, which are phosphorus and magnesium.
- New medical research revealed that apricot fruits may be the best treatments ever in preventing girls from skin diseases and pimples of youth because of the vitamins and mineral salts they contain and the act of soothing and cleansing the intestines.
comments:
- It is recommended to drink a cup of Kamar El Din syrup daily for at least two months to obtain the desired therapeutic benefits from apricots.
- To obtain the nutritional benefits found in the apricot fruit, you must be careful to eat it before food so that the stomach absorbs the largest amount of the benefits contained in it, and it is also advised not to peel it because its peel contains all minerals, vitamins and mineral salts, and it is advisable not to cut the apricot fruit with a knife, but to bite it with the teeth is better And chew it well in the mouth before swallowing it.
- The dried fruit contains twice the amount of vitamin A found in the fresh one, and ten times the amount of iron, so Qamar al-Din is of great benefit to children and adults.
- The juice made from apricots is very useful, as well as the jam-tatali- from which it is made, as apricots do not lose much of their natural properties as a result of processing.
- Apricot fruit helps resist microbes and strengthen mucous membranes. * It is recommended to wash the apricot fruit well before eating it to remove any chemicals attached to it.
Apricot in ancient medicine:
- Ibn Sina said about him, “The apricot quenches thirst, and if eaten, it should be taken with anise and mastic, because it generates fevers quickly.
- As for Ibn al-Bitar, “It is a moist fruit that is similar to peaches, but it is better than peaches. It facilitates bile and generates a thick mixture. It removes evaporation from the heat of the stomach and cools it severely, softens it and suppresses bile and blood. It should be avoided by those who are stricken with wind and those who rush to sour belching. As for those with a warm stomach and thirst, they will benefit from it
Finally, here is the apricot skin mask:
- Chop one or two apricot fruits very finely - it can also be mashed -, mix it with a spoonful of honey, apply a thick layer on the skin of the face and neck. Wait at least half an hour. Then wash it with cold water.