Well, that was an embarrassing oops yesterday. I had planned to schedule all the Saturday and Sunday posts for November on October 31. I knew I had two children and their families coming to visit, but figured I could handle the disruption to my routine. But when QOTPE and Doc arrived unannounced, I forgot everything. Forgive me, and I so loved having most of my children and all of my grandchildren here. But I still managed to get a post in for November 1, albeit late and not in time for those in the Eastern and Central Time Zones.
Punica granatum
Cardiovascular – Communicable disease – Gastrointestinal – Neurological – Skin – Urogenital – Other
I was born and raised in Southern California, and while our subdivision was previously an orange orchard, all kinds of fruit trees could be found. One of the most popular was the pomegranate. We were fortunate to have a neighbor with a tree. The neighbor was not so lucky, however, since most of the fruit hung on our side of the fence. My mother often made pomegranate jelly, but what we children really loved was eating the pomegranate seeds.Nutritionists have been touting the health benefits of pomegranates and their juice for several years now. East Indian medicine, Ayurveda, has used pomegranate to treat numerous conditions for thousands of years; unfortunately, precious little research has been done in the West.
Nutritional value. A 1-cup serving of pomegranate arils contains 30% of the recommended daily value of copper, 24% of vitamin K, 20% of vitamin C, and 17% of folate.[i] [ii]
HARVEST
Pomegranates grow only in greenhouses or mild climates and are harvested in the fall.
EFFECTIVE AGAINST
· Bacteria
o Gram-positive
§ Bacillus subtilis[iii]
§ Clostridium
· Extract[iv]
§ Streptococcus spp.[v]
o Gram-negative
§ Escherichia coli[vi]
· Rind or bark[vii]
§ Helicobacter pylori[viii]
§ Klebsiella pneumoniae
· Peel[ix]
§ Pseudomonas aeruginosa
· Peel, flower extract[x]
§ Salmonella enterica
· Peel[xi]
§ Salmonella typhi
· Peel[xii]
§ Salmonella typhimurium[xiii] [xiv]
· Peel[xv]
§ Shigella[xvi]
· Peel[xvii]
§ Shigella sonnei
· Peel[xviii]
· Peel[xxi]
§ Yersinia enterocolitica
· Peel[xxii]
· Parasites
o Giardia[xxiii]
· Viruses
o Dengue[xxiv]
o Enterovirus 71[xxv]
o Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2[xxvi]
o Rotavirus[xxvii]
Pomegranate extracts were more effective against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative bacteria.
PREPARATIONS
Capsules: 2-3 g per day.[xxviii]
Infusion: In all cases, add 1 teaspoon pomegranate peel and rind powder to 1 cup of boiling water, cover, and steep for 10-15 minutes.
Juice: Pomegranate juice may be freely consumed, but for treating disease, a minimum of 8 ounces should be consumed.[xxix]
Powder: For all conditions, the pomegranate peel and skin, basically every part of the pomegranate fruit except the arils (the seeds that we eat and extract juice from) is dried and powdered in the blender.
Salve: Use tincture to prepare a salve.
Tincture: Small pieces of rind are dried and powdered, and then soaked in 95% alcohol for 1 week.[xxx]
USAGE
· Cardiovascular
o Atherosclerosis
§ Juice[xxxi]
o Bleeding
§ Rind[xxxii]
o Hypertension[xxxiii]
§ Juice[xxxiv]
· Communicable disease
o Cholera
§ Fruit peel or bark
· Tea or tincture[xxxv]
§ Peel extract and tea[xxxvi]
o Dengue fever
§ Juice, throughout the day[xxxvii]
o Dysentery[xxxviii]
o Typhoid fever
§ Peel extract[xxxix]
· Gastrointestinal (peel and rind infusion)
o Amebic dysentery[xl]
o Cholera[xli]
o Diarrhea[xlii]
§ Rind[xliii]
o Dysentery[xliv]
§ Rind[xlv]
o E. coli O157:H7
o Helicobacter pylori
§ Alcohol extract[xlviii]
o Influenza[xlix]
§ Rind[lii]
o Rotavirus
§ Leaf tincture and juice[liii]
o Shigella
§ Rind tincture was shown more effective than chloramphenicol, but not as effective as trimethoprim[liv]
· Neurological
o Enterovirus 71
§ Juice[lv]
· Skin
o Herpes simplex virus 1[lvi]
§ Juice, drink freely[lvii]
o Wound closure
§ Alcohol extract in ointment hastened healing[lviii]
§ Juice, drink freely[lix]
· Urogenital
o Herpes simplex virus 2[lx]
§ Juice, drink freely[lxi]
o Kidney stones
§ Juice, drink freely [lxii]
· Other
o May prevent or slow the procession of some cancers, including prostate cancer
§ Juice[lxiii]
§ Peel[lxiv]
SYNERGISMS
Pomegranate juice is a powerful synergist with substantial antimicrobial activity. Also, pomegranate rind and peel powder is synergistic with the following antibiotics:
· Ampicillin[lxv]
· Chloramphenicol[lxvi]
· Ciprofloxacin[lxvii]
· Gentamicin[lxviii]
· Oxacillin[lxix]
· Tetracycline[lxx]
If you are taking any of these antibiotics, pomegranate powder will help them work better for you.[lxxi]
[i] Rebecca L. Johnson, et al., National Geographic Guide to Medicinal Herbs, 2010, 249.
[ii] Health Benefits of Pomegranate, HealthBenefitsTimes.com, 28 November 2018, https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/health-benefits-of-pomegranate/ (accessed 8 January 2024).
[iii] S. Naz, et al., Antibacterial activity directed isolation of compounds from Punica granatum, Journal of Food Science, November 2007, Vol 72 No 9, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18034726/ (accessed 22 March 2023).
[iv] Amy B. Howell, et al., The pomegranate: effects on bacteria and viruses that influence human health, Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3671682/ (accessed 22 March 2023).
[v] Naz, et al.
[vi] Naz, et al.
[vii] Stephen Harrod Buhner, Herbal Antibiotics, 2012, 57, 213.
[viii] Howell, et al.
[ix] Howell, et al.
[x] Howell, et al.
[xi] Howell, et al.
[xii] Howell, et al.
[xiii] Naz, et al.
[xiv] Howell, et al.
[xv] Howell, et al.
[xvi] Naz, et al.
[xvii] Howell, et al.
[xviii] Howell, et al.
[xix] Naz, et al.
[xx] Buhner, 73.
[xxi] Howell, et al.
[xxii] Howell, et al.
[xxiii] M. Ponce-Macotela, et al., In vitro effect against Giardia of 14 plant extracts, Revista de Investigacion Clinica, September-October 1994, Vol 46 No 5, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7839013/ (accessed 22 March 2023).
[xxiv] Stephen Harrod Buhner, Herbal Antivirals, 2013, 106.
[xxv] Buhner, 110.
[xxvi] Buhner, 114.
[xxvii] Buhner, 119.
[xxviii] Johnson, et al.
[xxix] Johnson, et al.
[xxx] SP Voravuthikunchai, et al., Medicinal plant extracts as anti-Escherichia coli O157:H7 agents and their effects on bacterial cell aggregation, Journal of Food Protection, October 2006, Vol 69 No 10, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17066910/ (accessed 3 June 2023).
[xxxi] Johnson, et al.
[xxxii] Johnson, et al.
[xxxiii] Buhner, Herbal Antibiotics, 216.
[xxxiv] Johnson, et al.
[xxxv] Buhner, Herbal Antibiotics, 73.
[xxxvi] Howell, et al.
[xxxvii] Buhner, Herbal Antivirals, 106.
[xxxviii] Howell, et al.
[xxxix] Howell, et al.
[xl] Deni Bown, Encyclopedia of Herbs & Their Uses, 1995, 338.
[xli] Buhner, Herbal Antibiotics, 73.
[xlii] Bown.
[xliii] Johnson, et al.
[xliv] Howell, et al.
[xlv] Johnson, et al.
[xlvi] Buhner, Herbal Antibiotics, 57.
[xlvii] Howell, et al.
[xlviii] Howell, et al.
[xlix] Buhner, Herbal Antivirals, 43.
[l] Buhner, Herbal Antibiotics, 216.
[li] Bown.
[lii] Johnson, et al.
[liii] Buhner, Herbal Antivirals, 119.
[liv] Howell, et al.
[lv] Buhner, Herbal Antivirals, 110.
[lvi] Buhner, Herbal Antivirals, 114.
[lvii] Joseph Alton, Survival Medicine Handbook, 2013, 400.
[lviii] Howell, et al.
[lix] Alton, 400.
[lx] Buhner, Herbal Antivirals, 114.
[lxi] Alton.
[lxii] Alton.
[lxiii] Johnson, et al.
[lxiv] Johnson, et al.
[lxv] Stephen Harrod Buhner, Herbal Antibiotics, 2012, 215.
[lxvi] Buhner.
[lxvii] Howell, et al.
[lxviii] Buhner.
[lxix] Buhner.
[lxx] Buhner.
[lxxi] Howell, et al.
Just got several large bags of pomegranates and now I know about the skins! Will not be throwing them away. Very interesting! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI use pomegranate peel powder to treat coccidiosis in my goats. I make a drench of apple juice, fresh garlic, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, pometranate powder, and a little molasses. This clear up scours from cocci so much faster than the chemicals that vets recommend! And once the goats figure out it tastes good, they don't fight me when I dose them.
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks for sharing!
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