Pomegranate: medicinal properties, contraindications and how to take it

He pomegranate (punica granatum) It is cultivated in orchards, parks and gardens, and also grows wild. It’s a deciduous shrub up to 4 meters high, highly branched and thorny, with shiny, narrow, lanceolate leaves. Blooms from the month of May and the fruits ripen in September.

Originally from North Africa and the Middle East, it was well known to the Persians, Egyptians and Israelis, pomegranate remains having been found in Egyptian tombs four millennia ago. For the ancient greeks this fruit was a fertility symbol.

One of his fellow citizens, the physician Dioscorides, in the first century, already He attributed the ability to expel tapewormssince its alkaloids and tannins make it easier for the worm to be paralyzed, lose its hook with the walls of the intestine and can be eliminated with the feces.

With medicinal purposes are harvested the root bark and trunk of the pomegranate, in addition to the fruits, the skin, the leaves and flowers.

Medicinal properties of the pomegranate tree

In the pomegranate root bark tannins, mineral salts and, to a lesser extent, various alkaloids such as peletierines abound. The rind of the fruits is also rich in tannins, while the The grains that make up its interior also contain malic acid.

The pomegranate seeds are refreshing and vitamin and act as protectors of the mucosa (demulcents).

Root bark, trunk and branches stand out for their power astringent, antidiarrheal and antihemorrhagicand has traditionally been used in summer diarrhea and in external useabout superficial wounds, mouth wounds and bleeding gums.

However, the most widely used medicinal application of the pomegranate is as a natural resource to get rid of intestinal parasites: pinworms, ascaris and, above all, tapewormsto whom children and the elderly are especially sensitive to contagion.

The fruits are astringent and febrifugeconstituting a traditional remedy highly appreciated in respiratory infections diverse. Pomegranates are consumed as a refreshing dessert, and with them juices, sorbets, liqueurs and a syrup known as granadillaof pleasant flavor, useful also in case of respiratory condition.

How pomegranate is used in phytotherapy

The pomegranate is taken in maceration or decoction of bark root, trunk or fruit, in the form of syrup, juice and in decoction for washes, eye drops and rinses.

Gargle with pomegranate for an inflamed throat

In case of laryngitis, tonsillitis or pharyngitis, a mouthwash can be made based on the bark of the pomegranate fruit, horsetail and plantain.

How to prepare it: Two tablespoons of the mixture are needed for each glass of water to make it concentrated. Boil for 2 minutes and leave to infuse. The gargling will be done in the morning and mid-afternoon.

Precautions

Due to the presence of alkaloids, ingested pomegranate bark can cause irritation to the gastric mucosa, manifesting with nausea, vomiting and dizziness. For this reason it is contraindicated in case of gastritis and gastroduodenal ulcer and during pregnancy and lactation.

Advisor: J Mª Teixé, herbalist at “El Manantial de Salud”