2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Bignay (Latin Antidesma bunius) Is a fruit crop belonging to the Euphorbia family and is often called the salamander tree.
Description
Bignai is a fairly tall tree - its height ranges from fifteen to thirty meters. The crowns of trees are always very dense, and glossy and oblong dark green bignaya leaves are attached to the shoots with the help of short petioles. They usually grow in length from ten to twenty two and a half centimeters, and in width - from five to seven and a half centimeters.
Bignai blooms with miniature reddish flowers, the diameter of which is about 2 mm. All flowers are collected in spectacular racemose inflorescences, which can be located both in the leaf axils and at the tips of branches.
Bignaya fruits are round drupes collected in a brush, the diameter of which does not exceed 8 mm. These brushes are somewhat reminiscent of grape bunches. And the incredibly spectacular appearance of these brushes is due to the multicolored berries collected in them - the fact is that the berries of this culture are characterized by uneven ripening, and on one brush you can often see both just set or almost ripe berries, as well as ripe, and even overripe fruits … That is, on one brush, yellowish-greenish, light red and rich red, as well as dark blue berries often coexist!
All fruits are very juicy and covered with a rather thin, but at the same time very tough skin. And the bright red juice secreted by this skin is not possible to wash from clothes even with ultra-modern detergents. However, washing it off your hands is also very difficult. As for the pulp, it is always white with colorless juice. Inside each berry, you can find one large bone.
Where grows
Bignai is home to Asia and Australia. Both in culture and in the wild, this plant can be found in Malaysia, Northern Australia, India, the Philippines, North America and Indonesia, as well as in a number of Indochina states. At the same time, in North America (in particular, in Florida), bignaya fruiting occurs in autumn, in Vietnam - in summer, and near the equator in Southeast Asia - in February-March.
Application
Ripe bignae fruits are often eaten fresh, and unripe specimens have a very sour taste. These peculiar berries produce not only very good jams and jellies, but also excellent wine exported to expensive restaurants around the world. And the local people are very fond of eating rice with bignai.
Bignai is very rich in a wide variety of fruit acids - succinic, as well as malic and citric. It contains a lot of vitamins, anthocyanins and useful pectin substances.
One of the main medicinal properties of these fruits, which is very much appreciated by the natives of Australia and Southeast Asia, is their ability to reduce blood pressure. That is, most often these berries play the role of an antihypertensive agent.
The high content of iron and calcium makes it possible to recommend Bignai for heavy menstruation, anemia, or as a general tonic. And the potassium and phosphorus contained in it have a beneficial effect on the kidneys and on the activity of the cardiovascular system, help to quickly restore strength after active physical exertion and perfectly strengthen the musculoskeletal system.
For medicinal purposes, in particular, to lower pressure, the big bark is also used. But if you want to use it, it is important not to forget that it is poisonous, that is, in this case it is necessary not only to know the exact dosage, but also to strictly adhere to it.
Contraindications
With caution, bignai should be eaten by hypotonic patients - these berries are endowed with the ability to lower blood pressure. And the high content of organic acids makes them an unsuitable treat for people suffering from duodenal ulcers or stomach ulcers. Allergic reactions cannot be completely ruled out.
