2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Jambolan (Latin Syzygium cumini) - a fruit plant that is a member of the Myrtle family. It is worth noting that the water apple is sometimes called the same, however, despite some similarities, these plants are still completely different biological species.
Description
Jambolan is an evergreen fast-growing tree up to thirty meters high, and the diameter of its trunks can reach ninety centimeters.
The ripe fruits of Jambolan look like dark purple, almost black bones, the diameter of which varies from one to five centimeters. Unripe drupes first have a green color, then, gradually ripening, they turn red, and only then turn black. At the same time, the color of the pulp of the Jambolan fruits can be as varied as you like - from white to spectacular bright purple. The amazingly juicy pulp smells extremely pleasant - it has a rather sweet smell. As for the taste of the pulp, it is usually astringent and slightly bitter. Each drupe contains either one or several green or brown seeds.
All the berries hang from the trees in rather large bunches, while they begin to crumble even with an insignificant breath of wind.
Where grows
Jambolan is a fruit crop native to the Andaman Islands, as well as from Myanmar, Sri Lanka and India. It is also mainly cultivated there. In addition, very decent Jambolan plantations can be seen in Australia, the Philippines, East Africa and Indonesia, as well as in the tropical zone in America.
Application
Jambolan fruits are often eaten fresh. They are also used to make sherbets, jellies, puddings, cakes, sauces, ice cream, syrups and even vinegar. In order for the berries to cease to be strongly astringent, they are soaked for a while in slightly salted water.
These interesting berries are very rich in resins, tannins and pectin substances, valuable for many culinary experts, useful microelements, as well as organic acids and vitamins. Jambolan is endowed with anchoring properties and perfectly helps to lower blood sugar (and this is despite the rather high sugar content in the fruits themselves).
For medical purposes, not only fruits are used, but also bark, leaves and seeds of jambolan. Berries boast a pronounced diuretic, carminative, astringent, as well as gastric and antiscorbutic (they have a lot of ascorbic acid) action. As a rule, juice is squeezed out of the fruit or they are boiled - this allows you to get a very peculiar drink, very useful for enlarging the spleen, as well as for urinary retention and extremely unpleasant chronic diarrhea. And rinse the throat with diluted juice with sore throat.
Dried ground Jambolan seeds will be excellent helpers for diabetes, and squeezed juice from its leaves, combined with mango juice, will help cure dysentery. As for the decoction of the bark, it will help with periodontal disease, stomatitis, dyspeptic disorders, bronchitis and asthma.
It is noteworthy that the leaves of this plant are also eaten by cattle with pleasure - the whole point is that they are highly nutritious food.
Jambolan wood has been used since time immemorial in shipbuilding, as well as in the production of all kinds of decorative items, furniture and a number of musical instruments. And from the bark they get excellent dyes, including food ones. In addition, it is very rich in tannins, which allows it to be used for tanning leather, as well as for impregnating fishing tackle - the latter in this case acquire a characteristic camouflage color and stop rotting.
Contraindications
In case of exacerbation of various ailments of the gastrointestinal tract, it is categorically not recommended to use Jambolan berries. Individual intolerance is not excluded.
Growing and caring
Despite the fact that dzhambolan is very thermophilic, it can be found at an altitude of up to two thousand meters above sea level, however, it no longer grows above the thirtieth degree of the southern and northern latitudes. This culture is extremely partial to abundant watering, and propagated by seeds.
