POMEGRANATE ORDINARY
Tree tall within Yume dark green leathery leaves oblong-lanceolate and beautiful large bright red flowers. Edible fruit – pomegranate. The fruits are spherical with the remnants of the calyx at the top, yellow-red in color, with a thick, leathery, astringent peel. Inside the fetus there are 6-12 nests separated by membranous partitions; numerous seeds in the nests. Seeds are angular, surrounded by juicy purple pulp formed from the seed coat.
The homeland of the pomegranate is Iran and the Caucasus, where it is found wildly. Cultivated as a fruit tree in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Central Asia.
For medical purposes, the bark of the roots is used, less often the trunks and branches. In folk medicine, fresh fruits and their peel are used.
Root bark – flat or yellowish pieces of different shapes and sizes, bark of trunks and branches – in the form of tubular, grooved pieces within 10 cm long and 1-2 mm thick, the color outside is grayish-yellow or greenish-yellow. The inner surface is red-brown in color, smooth, traditionally with the remains of wood, the fracture is even. There is no smell. the taste is strongly astringent, when the inner plane of the bark is wetted with lime water, a yellow color appears, with a solution of iron-ammonium alum, the sections turn black-blue (tannins).
Pomegranate bark contains alkaloids: pelletierine, iso-pellettierine, methyl isopelletierine (in total about 0.5%) and pseudopellettierine (up to 1.8%).
Pomegranate bark and its products are used as a remedy for tapeworms. The specific antihelminthic action is caused by pelletierine, isopelletierine and methyl isopelletierine. Pseudopelletierin does not have antihelminthic properties.
The peel of the pomegranate fruit contains tannins (20-28%) and is used in the treatment of dysentery and intestinal disorders. In folk medicine, fresh fruits along with the peel are used for coughs, colitis (inflammation of the large intestine), colds, malaria, etc. However, it is better to use the bark of the plant, and this must be done with great care. A decoction of the bark must be strictly dosed: no more than half or a full teaspoon 3-4 times every day.
If the dose is exceeded, gastrointestinal bleeding may occur, alkaloids can cause complete blindness.
Application
Decoction: 5 g per 100 ml, leave for 20 minutes; take half or full teaspoon 3-4 times every day. It is better to replace water with a simple syrup and add 5 ml of alcohol or wine.
Extract (to expel the tapeworm): Soak 50 g of common pomegranate in 2 cups of water and leave for 6 hours, then boil until it evaporates to half, strain and gradually, over an hour, drink everything in the morning on an empty stomach (you can along with coffee). After 2-3 hours, take a castor or saline (Glauber’s salt) laxative (15-30 g).