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RE: Medicinal Properties
of Pomegranates
The word "promegranate"
(Punica granatum) comes
from the Latin for
"fruit of many
seeds." In folk
medicine, the fruit's
astringent properties
have been used to treat
various
ailments (cuts, sore
throats, tapeworms,
dysentery, and gum
disease). Pomegranate
juice is
marketed in the United
States as a major source
of antioxidant nutrients
that protect against
heart disease and other
ailments. Recent
research has focused on
its potential use as a
treatment for
cardiovascular disease,
diabetes, and various
forms of cancer. The
author
examines those
properties of the
pomegranate, as well as
its history and
nutritional and
chemical makeup.
Pomegranates are
believed to be native to
the areas from eastern
Iran through northern
India,
says the author. More
than a dozen cultivars
of the fruit
("Wonderful" being the
leading
commercial cultivar in
the United States) have
been grown commercially
in California's San
Joaquin Valley since its
introduction by Spanish
settlers in the late
18th century.
Pomegranates are a good
source of vitamin C,
providing between 10-20%
of the
recommended daily
allowance according to
one source1 and up to
40% according to
another.
The potent antioxidant
properties of the fruit
have been attributed to
its high content of
soluble polyphenols.
When tested in vitro on
normal and colon-cancer
cell lines, the juice
was found to have
superior antioxidant,
antiproliferative, and
proapoptotic effects
compared
with single purified
active ingredients,
probably the result of
synergistic actions
among the
fruit's multiple
compounds. Studies have
shown that the
antioxidant activity of
the
pomegranate flowers
yielded activity two to
three times the
antioxidant potency of
tea or red
wine.
The author notes
research suggesting that
pomegranate juice may be
cardioprotective,
reducing risk factors
(such as cholesterol
accumulation, foam-cell
formation in
macrophages, and
oxidized low-density
lipoprotein [LDL])
without affecting native
LDL. Cited by the
author is an Israeli
study in which 10
patients with carotid
artery stenosis
(advanced plaque
build-up in the
arteries) drank
pomegranate juice and
experienced reduced
blood pressure,
LDL oxidation, and
progression of carotid
lesions at 1-year and
3-year study intervals.
In a
randomized,
double-blinded,
placebo-controlled study
at the Preventive
Medicine Research
Institute in Sausalito,
CA, pomegranate juice
drinkers with coronary
artery disease had a
17% improvement in blood
flow compared with an
18% worsening in the
control group. The
study team concluded
that the antioxidants in
the juice may help
prevent the formation of
fatty deposits on artery
walls.
In studies of the
fruit's anticancer
effects, pomegranate
fruit extract (PFE) has
been found to
be chemopreventive in
mouse mammary organ
culture and in human
breast cancer cells in
vitro. In another study
cited by the author,
researchers at the
University of Wisconsin
in
Madison found that PFE
significantly reduced
serum prostate-specific
antigen levels and
inhibited proliferation
of aggressive human
prostate cancer cells in
athymic mice.
Pomegranate extracts
have exerted
antiproliferative,
antiestrogenic, and
proapoptotic actions
on leukemia cells as
well as breast- and
prostate-cancer cells.
Results of studies with
diabetic patients have
shown that supplementing
the diet with
pomegranate juice had
beneficial antioxidant
effects on macrophages,
implying that it could
reduce the development
of atherosclerosis.
Australian researchers
found that pomegranate
flower extract reduced
factors (hyperglycemia,
hyperlipidemia, and a
fatty heart) that can
result in increased
cardiac-impairing
fibrosis in patients
with type 2 diabetes.
Other studies have shown
the benefits of
pomegranate in promoting
neurologic health,
maintaining joint
integrity and function,
exhibiting estrogenic
properties, blocking
herpes
simplex virus
replication and
adsorption, enhancing
immune function,
treating periodontal
disease, enhancing the
activity of antibiotics
used to treat
methicillin-resistant
and
methicillin-sensitive
Staphylococcus aureus
infections, and
preventing smooth muscle
dysfunction and fibrosis
in erectile dysfunction.
The author also mentions
other uses of the fruit.
In Ayurvedic medicine,
the astringent
properties of
pomegranates are linked
with bone and cartilage
build-up; in the
cosmetic
arena, fruit-peel
extract has been shown
to stimulate a type of
procollagen synthesis
and
inhibit a dermal
degeneration process.
The antioxidant,
immune-boosting, and
anticarcinogenic
properties of the
pomegranate, says
the author, offers
multiple potential
medical applications.
―Shari Henson
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