Pomegranate,pomegranate juice

With a history long steeped in mythology and folklore, pomegranate is one of the most symbolic and widely used plants in all of botany. Art from the earliest days of Islam, Judaism and Christianity depict pomegranates to symbolize both unity and eternal life. And biblical scholars have long theorized that this "apple with many seeds" is the apple of the biblical Garden of Eden.

Known botanically as Punica granatum, pomegranate is now cultivated in subtropical regions around the world but it's believed to be native to an area ranging from northern Iran through the Himalayas. Pomegranate is a large thorny shrub or a small spiny tree with short-stemmed leathery leaves. In warmer climates, the leaves are evergreen; in climates with cold winters the leaves fall during the colder months.

Nearly all parts of the pomegranate are used in herbal medicine but it's the thick-skinned fruit that gets the most attention. In fact, the name, "pomegranate" comes from the Latin malum granatum meaning "apple with many seeds" and it's these "many seeds" that make up around half of the fruit's mass.

What Makes Pomegranate Juice So Powerful?

Pomegranate juice contains a very high concentration of antioxidants. In fact, the pomegranate packs more of an antioxidant punch than any other natural substance in the world – an estimated 3X more than red wine, orange juice, blueberry juice, cranberry juice,green tea, or Noni juice.

The Benefits Of Pomegranate

Pomegranates have long been used in traditional folk remedies to treat sore throats, inflammation, and rheumatism. And recent scientific research has suggested they are also potentially effective in both preventing and treating prostate cancer.

The juice (whether fresh or extracted) of the pomegranate contains vitamin C, folic acid, and polyphenols (antioxidants), which are the basis of the health claims for the fruit.

Polyphenols work by removing free radicals from cells, which helps to maintain the human cell function, and they also aid in wound repair, in strengthening the immune system, and by having an anti-inflammatory effect. Perhaps the most famous benefit is that these polyphenols can help to slow skin wrinkling, and so pomegranates are a popular ingredient in anti-aging remedies, both traditional and modern.

Recent research has also shown that pomegranates can also help with osteoarthritis, by slowing the deterioration of cartilage. Another study has presented evidence that pomegranate juice was effective in increasing blood flow to the heart, and so was helpful for patients with ischemic heart disease. This was a study in which test subjects drank 8 ounces of juice every day for three months. It was also shown to reduce arterial plaque, in a patient test group.

Pomegranate may even help with osteoporosis and depression. On the lighter side, pomegranate is a very popular trend in home décor.

In view of these results, many commercial supplements and extracts are becoming available in concentrated or capsule form. The benefits of using pomegranate extracts as a health supplement are that the less useful ingredients of the juice are removed, including the sugar and calories.

The Latest Research on Pomegranate

The most exciting research on pomegranate involves prostate cancer. A 2005 study presented to the American Urological Association in San Antonio found that just 8 ounces of pomegranate juice a day prevented metastasis in men previously treated for prostate cancer. And a study presented in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that pomegranate not only stops the growth of cancer cells; it actually forces those cells to undergo apoptosis, or pre-programmed cell death. Exactly how pomegranate forces these cancerous cells to self-destruct is unknown at this time but researchers are very excited by these findings.