11 Benefits You Can Get From Tomatoes Beyond Simply Consuming It (And That You May Not Know)

When we hear about tomatoes, we probably only think of sauces, seasonings, juices or a dish with this ingredient. However, this fruit (yes, fruit), in addition to its health benefits, helping to reduce cholesterol and acting as an antioxidant, has several other properties and uses that you may not even imagine.

O incredible.club researched some alternatives for using tomatoes in different situations in their daily lives. See now how to make the most of the product.

Thanks to the high concentration of nutrients, such as vitamins A, C, E, B6 and proteins, tomatoes help to regulate skin oiliness, which accumulates in the pores of the face, and eliminate pimples. As a result of its acidity, it also has whitening, astringent and illuminating effects, giving a natural glow to the face.

To make the most of its benefits, you can mash the tomato until you get its juice and then apply it as a face mask or put slices on your face, rubbing them gently so that the pores absorb the pulp. Let it rest for ten to 15 minutes and wash your face with plenty of water.

In addition to being a delicious sauce par excellence, used in hot dogs and fries, ketchup has properties that help clean some metals, such as aluminum. For example, to clean pots and pans, just apply a layer of ketchup to the surface you want to polish, rub gently with a cloth and let it rest for about an hour. Then remove the sauce with water and wash with plenty of soap. This trick can be used to degrease kitchen utensils, clean silver, copper, remove rust and even clean car parts that are dirty with oil.

The vitamins A and C contained in tomatoes help in the healing process of small wounds and leave the skin soft. Just include it naturally in your diet, or make a kind of paste with the fruit and some of its leaves and put it on the wound to accelerate the regeneration of damaged skin cells.

A good option may be to spread a little bit of the paste on the wound area, bandage it and let it rest overnight; the next morning, your skin will be fresher and the burning will subside. Remember, it’s important to tell your doctor about any abnormalities in the injured area, such as allergies.

Unilever hair specialists point out that tomatoes are great for hair, thanks to their fiber, vitamins and minerals. Its high concentration of biotin will give greater shine and softness to the hair, leaving it free from damage and dryness. Because it is an antioxidant fruit, it reduces the risks of aging of the scalp, which can cause hair loss. You can apply it in the following ways:

Hair mask: crush a fresh tomato to create a light and homogeneous paste and cover all hair from root to tip. Gently massage and leave on for 20 minutes for the nutrients to take effect. Then rinse. If you also want to moisturize, you can add a few drops of olive oil or argan oil. Another easy way to use it is as a natural tonic. To prepare it, just blend ripe tomatoes in a blender and strain to create a sufficiently fine juice, placing it in a spray bottle. Spray the liquid from root to tip, let it act for 20 minutes and rinse.

Studies have already shown that lycopene, the pigment responsible for giving tomatoes their bright red color, has both rejuvenating properties and sun protection against ultraviolet (UV) rays. According to research published and presented at the annual meeting of the British Society of Dermatology and Research in 2008, and carried out by British researchers from the Universities of Manchester and Newcastle, eating tomatoes is beneficial for protecting the skin from sunburn. .

To carry out the research, scientists modified the diet of ten volunteers so that they had a large amount of cooked tomatoes in their food. “Thus, after three months, the skin samples from this group showed 33% greater protection against the sun’s rays, in addition to a higher collagen content, a molecule responsible for providing skin firmness and preventing aging”, said the researcher. University of Manchester dermatologist Lesley Rhodes. This tomato property resulted in a series of inventions and cosmetic products, which use fruit extracts as raw material for the manufacture of sunscreen. Tomato also works, if rubbed on the skin, as a substance that relieves the regions affected by burns.

In the rainy season, it is very common for the number of mosquitoes to increase. If you want to avoid using insecticides or any other chemical to scare them off, tomato leaves are a good option, as they end up being an excellent repellent because they are rich in alkaloids.

All you need to do is fill two cups with chopped tomato leaves and add water. Let the mixture rest for at least one night and dilute it in two glasses of water. You can distribute the repellent in small pots around the house or apply it with a spray, but remember to keep it away from your pets, as it can be toxic for them.

Slow growth and weakness of nails are usually related to a lack of biotin in the body. Tomatoes have this substance in abundance in their composition. You can make a mixture of natural tomato juice, adding two teaspoons of olive oil to form a thick paste. Soak your nails for ten minutes in this mixture and then rinse with soap and water. With this trick, you will not only strengthen your nails, but also manage to hydrate them and still have an incredible soft feeling.

In some movies, we saw this funny solution (using tomatoes) to eliminate the “skunk smell” in pets or clothes. But in real life, tomatoes really can help reduce bad odors because they contain antiseptic and antibacterial properties.

An example of its effectiveness is in the kitchen. After handling onions, fish or garlic, it is inevitable that your hands acquire an unpleasant odor that is difficult to remove. The solution is to put tomato juice on both hands and rub for at least five minutes and then wash with cold water and soap. Another alternative is to use tomatoes to remove sweat stains from clothes. You can wet the yellowed and smelly part of the garment with natural tomato juice and then rinse it with plenty of water. Then you can put it in the washing machine and continue the normal wash. It’s important to keep in mind that this trick will work with dark clothes or clothes that can be washed in very hot water, to remove the stain left by the tomato. Also, you can apply it in your dog’s bath when he smells bad. Wash it with the soap you normally use and dry it. Afterwards, spray a tonic made with tomato juice and water on the fur, let the mixture act for ten to 15 minutes and, finally, rinse and soap your pet. This may need to be done in more than one bath for the most effective results.

Just as it works to relieve sunburn and bruises, tomatoes act as a coolant, eliminating capsaicin, present in chili peppers, which makes your hands burn. Just squeeze some tomato slices in your hands and then wash them well with soap and water.

Tomatoes and, more specifically, their seeds, are shown to be natural blood circulation stimulants, due to their antiplatelet properties discovered in a study. At the same time, they can alleviate the inflammation caused by varicose veins, due to the vitamin C contained in this fruit, helping to improve the dilation of blood vessels. In addition to including them in your daily diet, you can also massage and take relaxing baths with their pulp:

Boil a kilo of ripe tomatoes in water and, when they are soft, mash them until they form a puree and reserve the cooking water. Fill your bathtub with warm water and add boiling water; then, once inside the bathtub, spread the puree all over the body, giving priority to the legs. Stay in the water for at least 45 minutes and finally rinse your body with cold water. If you don’t have a bathtub, apply the puree or tomato slices to your legs and rub gently. Then secure with a bandage without tightening. Finally, let it act for 20 minutes and then rinse with cold water to stimulate circulation.

Meat and sausages are perishable foods that need a natural preservative that does not change their color, aroma and flavor. Researchers from the Research Group on Science and Technology of Meat, Fish and Their Products at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Zaragoza, Spain, worked to develop a preservative based on tomato extract, rich in lycopene. By using this preservative as a protective layer, they managed to extend the shelf life of the meat that arrives at the table of all consumers, regardless of the incidence of ultraviolet radiation on the food.

Have you ever used tomatoes for any other purpose? Do you know any other food with as many beneficial properties as those found in this fruit? Tell us in the comments.