WOOD APPLE – POOR MAN’S APPLE – NUTRITIVE & CURATIVE

WOOD APPLE – POOR MAN’S APPLE – NUTRITIVE & CURATIVE

Wood Apple (Linonia acidissima) is a fruit derived from Tropical ever green tree, drought tolerant and an easily cultivable tree. All parts of the tree are valuable. The fruit is comparatively cheap and highly nutritive. 

Limonia acidissima (Wood apple) is a large tree growing to about 9 metres (30 ft) tall, with rough, spiny bark. The leaves are pinnate, with 5-7 leaflets, each leaflet 25–35 mm long and 10–20 mm broad, with a citrus-scent when crushed. The fruit belongs to the classification,  berry and is about  5–9 cm diameter, and may be sweet or sour. It has a very hard rind which can be difficult to crack open, and contains sticky brown pulp and small white seeds. The fruit looks similar in appearance to fruit of Bael (Aegle marmelos – Bael or வில்வம் in Tamil sacred for Siva worship). The leaves are equally sacred for worship as Bilva. The pulp can be eaten raw or sweetened using Sugar or Jaggary (gud) powder.
This fruits is considered very dear to LORD GANESA and is worshiped as follows:

Gajaananam Bhoota Ganaadhi Sevitam
Kapitta Jamboophaala Saara Bhakshitam
Umaasutam Shoka Vinaasha Kaaranam
Namaami Vighneswara Paada Pankajam

Meaning: The Lord with the elephant face, served by all the Ganas, One who takes as His food, the essence of Kapitta (WOOD APPLE) and Jamboophala (these are two favorite fruits of Ganesh), son of Uma (Mother Parvati), destroyer of misery of the devotees, controller of obstacles, we worship Your Lotus Feet.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF WOOD APPLE

The health benefits of Wood Apple fruits  include relief from constipation, indigestion, peptic ulcer, piles, respiratory problems, diarrhea, and dysentery.It also boosts the immune system, fights off bacterial and viral infections, reduces inflammation and various inflammatory conditions, prevent cancer, increases milk production for nursing mothers, cures diabetes, increases ocular health, and helps prevent various sexual dysfunctions.

NUTITIONAL VALUES OF WOOD APPLE

Wood Apple fruit has lots of nutritional values; it is a rich source of carbohydrates as you can get 31 Grams of carbohydrate from the 100 Gms of  fruit pulp. It contains protein, beta-carotene, and a precursor of Vitamin A, significant quantities of the B vitamins thiamine and riboflavin, and small amounts of Vitamin C also.  Moisture content in wood apple is high as it contains 64.2 per cent moisture so very good for summer season. Its calorific value is 134 and it is also rich in oxalic, malic citric acid and a concentrated tannic acid. The tree leaves have some astringent and carminative properties.

MEDICINAL VALUES OF WOOD APPLE

The wood apple fruit has lots of medicinal values. One can read about its medicinal values in Charaka Samhita, an Ayurvedic treatise from the 1st millennium BC. It was the first book to describe its medicinal properties.  Wood apple l fruit is considered the best natural remedy or medicine to cure diarrhea and dysentery. It is also helpful to get rid of hiccup and infections of the throat. Not only fruit other parts of wood apple tree also have some medicinal properties like its leaves are aromatic and carminative and its roots are helpful in treatment of ear related problems and cure malaria also.  You can apply  fruit pulp onto bites and stings of venomous insects it work as an antidote and cut the poisonous effect. You can use its Leaves, bark, roots and fruit pulp against snakebite also. The apple wood fruit seed oil is purgative (Strongly laxative in effect).

                                     SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION                                    

Kingdom:	Plante (Angiosperms)
Order	Sapindales
Family	Rutaceae
Genus	Linonia
Species	acidissima
Binomial Classification name	Linonia acidissima
ENGLISH NAMES	WOOD APPLE , ELEPHANT APPLE , MONKEY FRUIT CURD FRUIT

Indian VERNACULAR NAMES

ENGLISH NAMES	WOOD APPLE , ELEPHANT APPLE , MONKEY FRUIT , CURD FRUIT
ASAMESE	Bal, Bael (বেল)
Bengali	Koth Bael (কদবেল)
Gujarati	Kothu
Hindi	Kaitha (कैथा), Kath Bel or Kabeet
Kannada	Belada Hannu / Byalada Hannu (ಬೇಲದ ಹಣ್ಣು), balulada hannu (ಬಳೂಲದ ಹಣ್ಣು/ಬಳೂಲಕಾಯಿ/ಬಳೂಲ) ; Mara sev.
Malayalam	Vilam Kai (വിളാങ്കായ്
Marathi	KavaTH (कवठ).
Oriya	Kaitha or Kaintha
Sanskrit	Billa, Kapittha (कपित्थ),] Dadhistha, Surabhicchada, Kapipriya, Dadhi, Puṣpapahala, Dantasātha, Phalasugandhika, Cirapākī, Karabhithū, Kanṭī, Gandhapatra, Grāhiphala, Kaṣāyāmlaphala.
Tamil	Vilam Palam (விளாம் பழம்)
Telugu	Vellaga Pandu (వెలగ పండు)
Sinhalese	Divul. (දිවුල්)