TAMARIND
- AGRICULTURE
News: Controlling cholesterol to promoting
digestion; many benefits of tamarind
What's
in the news?
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Tamarind of imli not only adds a touch of
tang to your meals, but also safeguards you against many chronic diseases.
Tamarind:
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Tamarindus
indica, commonly known as tamarind, is a leguminous plant belonging to the
Fabaceae family.
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It is a tropical tree grown mostly in tropical Asia and Africa.
Areas:
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It is majorly produced in India and Thailand.
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Thailand has the largest plantations of
the ASEAN nations, followed by Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines. In parts
of Southeast Asia, tamarind is called ASAM.
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It is cultivated all over India,
especially in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh
and Tamil Nadu.
Importance
of Tamarind:
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Tamarind offers great potential as a dry-land crop since investment is
one-time and the harvest is life-long with negligible loss in productivity as
the tree gets older. It is a great option to be grown to supplement seasonal
crops.
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The fruit (tamarind) is mostly consumed as
a confectionery and added in curries and beverages.
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The tree's wood can be used for
woodworking and tamarind seed oil
can be extracted from the seeds.
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Tamarind's tender young leaves are used in
South Indian and Filipino cuisine.
Medicinal
Properties of Tamarind:
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In Ayurvedic
medicine, tamarind is of great use; the fruit consists of phytonutrients,
vitamins and minerals.
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The tamarind tree has been used for its
properties as a disinfectant, laxative,
antioxidant and pain killer.
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Different parts of the tree have been
effectively used for treatment of
malaria, diabetes, diarrhoea, asthma and snake bites.