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It is so ‘palatabael’!
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The simple bael fruit has a million uses
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The multi-purpose fruit Bael
There are many better-known summer fruits like mango, pomegranate, litchi, watermelon and musk melon. In compaiesion to them, the simple bael fruit is plain Jane. But bael can surely beat any of these fruits when it comes to health. For it combines g
ood taste with enormous medicinal value. A close relative of the citrus family, the bael tree is a medicinal herb called Aegle Marmelos, which is generally found in the outer Himalayas, Shivaliks and the South Indian plateau.
The bael fruit is rich in mineral and vitamin contents and is credited with tremendous healing powers. In Ayurveda, it is one of the ten herbs popularly known as ‘dasamula’ or ‘ten roots’. It is considered a boon for stomach upsets that are often a bane in summers because of sunstroke and the dangerous ‘loo’ winds.
“Its regular use for two or three months helps getting rid of even the old accumulated faecal matter from the bowels. For best results, it should be taken in the form of sherbet, which is prepared from the pulp of the ripe fruit,” according to Dr. Shivani. “But, if taken in excess it can cause gastric discomfort.” A decoction of the unripe fruit mixed with fennel and ginger is prescribed in cases of haemorrhoids.
As per Ayurveda, the pulp from unripe bael fruits, soaked in gingerly oil for a week, is useful in removing burning sensation in the soles.
The distilled oil can be smeared over the body before taking bath. The juice from its leaf mixed with honey is a folk remedy for fever. Add black pepper and it can relieve jaundice and constipation accompanied by edema.
The leaf decoction is said to alleviate asthma and peptic ulcer too. The decoction of the tannin and alkaloid rich bark of the bael tree is a folk cure for malaria. In some places, the leaves of the tree are used as sacred offering to Lord Shiva. The bael pulp, dressed with palm sugar, is commonly taken in Indonesia as breakfast. In India, the pulp is often processed to make bael squash.
The sherbet mixed with a spoon of lemon juice, is a popular summer drink. Combining bael fruit pulp with that of tamarind also makes a beverage. Mature but still unripe fruits are made into jam, by adding citric acid.
Bael toffee
A confection, bael toffee, is prepared by combining the pulp with sugar, glucose, skim milk powder and hydrogenated fat. Also, the fruit pulp has a soap-like action that could be used as a household cleaner.The sticky layer around the unripe seeds can be a glue. It also finds use in jewellery making. The glue, mixed with lime, waterproofs wells and cements walls, and can protect oil paintings when added as a coat on the canvas.
SHALINI MITRA
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