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Sweet and sour
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Manila Tamarind has several medicinal uses
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Manila Tamarind
Kodukkapuli, a not-so-common fruit in marketplaces, is often sold by vendors going around the streets and is relished by school kids. Native to South America and the West Indies, it is referred to as Manila Tamarind, as its sour taste resembles tamarind.
Pithecellobium dulce, as it is known botanically, is a fast growing, evergreen, glabrous, spiny tree. . The constricted pods are curved into a circle or a helical coil and are reddish brown when ripe, containing about 6-10 shining black seeds, enveloped in a massive pink to whitish pulpy edible aril, fondly eaten by monkeys as well. Because of the resemblance of the fruits to the Indian sweet jalebi, the plant has been given the name jungli jalebi.
The pods contain a thick, sweetish, acidic pulp that is eaten raw or made into a drink similar to lemonade. The plant is reported to be a folk remedy for convulsions, dysentery, ear ache, leprosy, peptic ulcer and tooth ache.
This almost forgotten yet affordable fruit can be recommended for good health.
RIDLING WALLER & PAULINE DEBORAH
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