Pomegranate – My favorite fruit and its health benefits

written by Divna Shipovikj, founder of Arjun Ayurveda,LLC

My name is Divna. I founded Arjun Ayurveda based in Boston area to help people dealing with different health issues with Ayurvedic herbal products and home remedies.

This is my first blog to be followed by many. I want to share with you something new and something old from my experience and love of herbs, plants, flowers, fruits and Ayurveda. 

November is Pomegranate month. But for me, Pomegranate is all year round my favorite. In the spring, its buds pop up on its branches like little decorative beads. They quickly open up into beautiful flowers with bright orange color, making the shrub look spectacular. In the summer the little pomegranates start getting their unique shape and color. In the fall they are all ripe and ready to be picked up. Throughout the fall and winter, we can enjoy their unique taste as fresh fruit, as juice, in cakes, syrups and many more foods and drinks.

Recently I learned that my favorite fruit actually has been a vital provider of food and medicine across different cultures and civilizations for thousands of years. Ancient cultures understood the health benefits of pomegranates and used them in remedies for digestive disorders, skin disorders, and intestinal parasites, to name a few. The fruit, flowers, bark, roots and leaves of pomegranates contain chemicals, such as polyphenols, that can be used to treat a number of diseases and conditions.

Ayurveda recognizes its properties, like analgesic, neuro-protective, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancerous, to mention some of them. It is also an antioxidant. It has an important role in Ayurvedic treatments. It is in Ayurvedic products, it is important part of healthy diet and home remedy for many different health issues.

Modern medicine also recognizes pomegranate amazing health benefits. “Pomegranate juice contains more than 100 phytochemicals.” https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318385  “Potential benefits of pomegranate includes: Antioxidants; Vitamin C; Cancer prevention; Alzheimer’s disease protection; Digestion; Anti-inflammatory; Arthritis; Heart Disease; Blood pressure; Antiviral; Vitamin-rich; Memory; Sexual performance and fertility; Endurance and sport performance; Diabetes.”

There are many different brands of pomegranate juice in supermarkets. But there are also pomegranates sold in supermarkets specially in fall and winter months. Chose the whole fruit and home-made pomegranate juice over pomegranate juice bought in supermarkets. It is easy to make and it is fresh and there are no additive or preservers in it. 

This is how I make my daily dose of about 50-70ml of pomegranate juice which I get from one pomegranate.

Step 1 – Cut it in half and squeeze it in an old-fashion juicer that we use for lemons or oranges.

Step 2 Squeeze both halves of the pomegranate. The seeds are separated from the juice and stay on the top of juicer.

Step 3. If there some seeds that slip into the juice take them out with a spoon.

Step 4. Enjoy your first-class natural home-made fresh pomegranate juice with its numerous benefits to your health.