Fabulous Health Benefits of Wood Apple

Wood apple is a whitish spherical fruit, with a hard woody pericrap and aromatic pulp. The tree is spiny with heather like leaves and radish flowers. The surface of the fruit and branches is very rough and covered with a white bloom.

Wood apple is indigenous to south India. It is also cultivated in tropical Asia.
Wood apple consist of moisture 64.2 per cent, protein 7.1 per cent, fat 3.7 per cent, mineral 1.9 per cent, fiber 5.0 per cent and carbohydrates 18.1 per cent per 100 grams. Its mineral and vitamins contents are calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin. Its calorific value is 134.
Wood apple is rich in oxalic, malic citric acid, and a concentrated tannic acid. The leaves yield an essential oil.

Healing Power and Curative Properties
The pulp of the raw fruit is useful arresting secretion or bleeding. The ripe fruit is refreshing aromatic, digestive tonic. It is useful in preventing and curing scurvy and in relieving flatulence. Its leaves are not only aromatic but also possess some astringent and carminative properties. The gum that the stem exudes has a soothing effect on the skin and mucus membranes.

Digestive Disorders
Mashed seedless pulp of the raw fruit is beneficial in the treatment of dysentery, diarrhea and piles. Mixture of ripe pulp of fruit cardamom, honey and cumin seeds are effective for indigestion, diarrhea and piles. The gum is also useful in diarrhea and dysentery. The transparent gummy substance oozing from the stem when cut or broken can be beneficially used in bowel affections. It also relieves tenesmus that is powerful straining to relive the bowels.

Women’s Problems
A mixture of ripe pulp of fruit cardamom, honey and cumin seeds taken regularly in the morning tones up sagging breasts. It is useful in the preventing cancer of the breasts and uterus and helps cure sterility due to deficiency of hormone progesterone. About 90 grams of the sap of the fresh bark, 2 corns of pepper a few drops of pure cow’s ghee and a desserts spoon of honey, prevents any post partum complications. It is taken twice daily immediately after child berth.

Children’s diseases
Juice of tender leaves given milk and sugar is very useful in bowel complaints of children. A powder of the leaves can also be taken in 2 to 4 grams doses for the same complaints. The pulp of the ripe fruit can be used beneficially in the treatment of stomach disorders of the children. It should be given in 30 to 60 grams of doses.

Urticaria
About 30 ml of fresh leaf juice mixed with cumin is useful in treatment of urtrcaria an allergic disease marked by painful red round weals on the skin. It should be taken twice daily.

Biliousness
The bark of the tree is good for biliousness. It can be taken either in the powder or decoction form the juice of the leaves can also be applied to the skin eruptions caused by biliousness.

Other Uses
Hiccups: Wood apple in the form of chutney or sherbet is useful in treating hiccups. It is made with salt and tamarind.

Aphrodisiac: Powder of the leaves dried in shade with an equal quantity of sugar candy is useful in Spermatorrheoa or involuntarily ejaculation, premature ejaculation and functional impotency. One teaspoon of this powder is taken with cold water thrice daily in these disorders. About 20 grams of the gum, dissolved in cow’s milk with sugar is also effective in Spermatorrheoa and premature ejaculation. It can be taken thrice daily.