Parts Used: Fruit.
Pharmacy name: Tamarind pulp – Tamarindorum pulpa (formerly: Pulpa Tamarindorum).
Botanical description. This evergreen tree is apparently native to the tropics of Africa, but it is also cultivated in many other tropical areas. Tamarind reaches a height of 25 m, not often the girth of the trunk is within 8 m. The crown is very branched, with abundant foliage, the leaves are paired, the number of individual leaves is very large. Whitish flowers are collected in terminal racemes. Elongated coffee-brown fruits, slightly pointed at the end, most often somewhat curved, up to 20 cm in length. The skin of the fruit is fragile. The seeds lie in white pulp – this is the tamarind pulp.
Collection and preparation. Mature fruits are harvested and freed from the outer layer and seeds. The remaining white pulp is softened in hot water, passed through a sieve and then evaporated until a thick juice is concentrated. Then sugar is added to it in a ratio of 1:5 and tamarind mousse is used as a medicine.
active substances. The pulp components are organic acids and invert sugar. When obtaining a mousse used as a medicine, sugar is added. Healing action o application. Tamarind mousse is a mild laxative that retains fluid in the intestines and thus has a laxative effect. Previously, it was given to children very often, and then consigned to oblivion. Mixed with other laxatives, such as finely powdered Alexandrine leaf, buckthorn bark or medicinal rhubarb, enhance its effect. Side effects are unknown, except that an overdose leads to diarrhea.