2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Barbados cherry (lat. Malpighia glabra) - a fruit crop from the Malpighian family, which is very far from ordinary cherry in its botanical classification.
Description
The Barbados cherry is an evergreen woody plant that can grow up to six meters in height. True, the height of cultivated trees very rarely exceeds one and a half meters.
The fruits of the Barbados cherry look like small, slightly flattened or rounded berries, the diameter of which reaches two and a half centimeters. All of them are painted in bright red tones, and inside them are enclosed hard bones. The berries are juicy, but at the same time quite sour.
Where grows
Barbados cherry grows mainly in the tropical zone of South America. At the same time, modern researchers also have information that its real homeland is the Antilles (and the island of Barbados as well). It is possible that both points of view are reliable.
Nowadays, this culture is actively grown all over the world, more precisely, in all countries where the climate is favorable for it. It can be found in Jamaica, Bermuda, the southern United States, Central America, the Bahamas, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. And not so long ago, the Barbados cherry began to be cultivated in Ghana and Australia.
Application
The berries of the Barbados cherry can be eaten both fresh and dried - even in dried fruits, the amount of vitamin C remains practically unchanged. But it is not recommended to subject these berries to heat treatment. But they will be an excellent addition to all kinds of fruit salads and an excellent base for making fruit jams (they have a lot of pectin).
Barbados cherries are rightfully considered one of the record holders for vitamin C content - in oranges it is a hundred times less than in these miniature berries! That is, the body's daily need for this vitamin can be completely covered by only one or two berries! In addition, they have a powerful antiscorbutic effect.
The systematic use of these juicy berries helps to strengthen the immune system and stimulate the processes of collagen production until old age, which is important for the skin. And the potassium contained in them contributes to the early elimination of edema, removes excess fluid from the body and has a beneficial effect on the activity of the entire cardiovascular system.
The Barbados cherry also helps to replenish the calcium deficiency in the body, being an excellent prophylactic agent against osteoporosis and a number of other diseases of the musculoskeletal system. And the iron in its composition helps the body to properly perform the hematopoietic function.
The peel of the berries is rich in anthocyanins, which have powerful antioxidant properties. These substances to a large extent contribute to the prevention of a number of cardiovascular ailments and diabetes, in addition, they are endowed with pronounced anti-inflammatory properties and protect nerve cells from death, helping a person maintain excellent memory and mental clarity until old age. Anthocyanins also help regulate blood sugar levels.
The Barbados cherry also boasts the ability to provide tonic, revitalizing and antioxidant effects. It is an ideal assistant when working in hazardous industries, as well as during colds and with nervous or physical exhaustion! By the way, even Bruce Lee enjoyed eating these wonderful berries!
Contraindications
For people with high acidity of gastric juice, it is still better to refuse the use of Barbados cherries. And for those suffering from a duodenal ulcer or stomach, these berries are generally categorically contraindicated, since they contain a truly incredible amount of organic acids. For the same reason, it is undesirable to feast on Barbados cherries and obese people - irritating the walls of the stomach, organic acids provoke a feeling of severe hunger. It does not hurt to limit the use of these fruits and for chronic pulmonary ailments.
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