Apple fruit in traditional Iranian medicine
Apple fruit is highly recommended in traditional Iranian medicine. Also, some health benefits have been mentioned for apple fruit.
Benefits mentioned in traditional medicine books-some of the statement are from Abu Ali Sina, the father of traditional Iranian medicine.Sheikh Al Raeis Abu Ali Sina, who is called as the prince of medics by Europeans, mentioned some benefits for the apple fruit in Ghanoon Book. Some of these benefits are:
1. Apple fruit has alkaline characteristics and detoxifies the body.
2. The pectin in apple fruit helps removing the extra water from body.
3. According to Abu Ali Sina, Apple fruit is good for treating diarrhea, even for kinds. For this purpose, grate the apple fruit and then eat it. Also, for those who have inactive bowels and digestion problems, it is suggested to cook the grated apple on moderate heat and then use it.
4. The apple cider is the best for healing dry cough and sore throat. For making apple cider, you should cut one kilo apple fruits to slices (with skin) and boil it in one liter water. Then pour it in a thin fabric and separate the juice. After that, add some sugar and put the juice on moderate heat for a while. According to traditional medicine, for the best results you should drink 3-4 cups of this cider per day.
5. Apple fruit is abundant with calcium which helps body to absorb the calcium of other foods.
6. As Abu Ali Sina states, consuming apple fruit treats constipation and is good for excessive exhaustion.
7. Decoction of the apple leaves helps producing urine and consequently heals the kidney and cyst problems.
8. The apple juice is a beneficial cure for flue and cough.
9. Apple fruit strengthens liver and increases appetite.
10. Apple fruit consumption and even smelling apple fruit is beneficial for treating asthma
11. Cooked apples are good for strengthening liver and stomach. Also, apple consumption removes toxins and yellow bile from the body
12. Apple fruit removes the extra heat and high temperature from the body
13. Apple fruit is also good for painful eyes. For this purpose grate one apple fruit, pour it in a piece of fabric, wrap the fabric and put it on you sore eye.
14. Apple fruit is even influential for those who are diabetic, because the apple sugar does not increase the sugar level in diabetic people.
15. The apple consumption with skin is influential for those who are overweight and help them to lose weight. It is suggested to eat one apple before each meal.
16. Decoction of the apple flower is good for healing cough and respiratory canal inflammation.
17. Apple fruit is also used for healing the shallow injuries.
18. The apple fruit is the best for treating indigestion because it is abundant with pectin.
19. Apple fruit is even used for doing enema. This action is beneficial for bowel ailments.
20. The apple skin is the best for kidneys. For this purpose, decoct the apple skin and drink it daily as tea.
21. Apple juice is beneficial for having a beautiful skin and reducing the skin wrinkles. For this purpose, rob the apple juice on your face and neck skin and do the massage. It is suggested to use fresh apple juice. Also, for having a soft skin, cook one apple fruit, grind it and mix it with milk. Put a thin layer of this mixture on your skin wash it with warm water after some minutes.
22. According to traditional medicine, the sour apple is astringent and decreases the vomit and feeling sick.
23. The cooked sour apple is beneficial for treating Dysentery.
24. The jam made by apple flower is good for the people with weak stomach.
25. It is mentioned in traditional medicine books that sour apple consumption is good for people with hot nature, although those with cool nature should use sweet flavored apple fruits.
26. In old days, apples were used as treatment for Gout and neurotic diseases.
27. Abu Ali Sina believes that apple fruit helps sad people and has a relaxing effect especially if used with Rose flower or Rose water.
28. The inner barks of the apple tree and apple flowers are astringent tonic. The infusion of apple tree inner bark and apple fruits is beneficial for painful throats.
29. Abu Ali Sina mentions that apple fruit is most influential when it completely ripens. Unripe and tasteless apple fruit not only has no benefits, but also it may have unwanted results. He also adds that ripen apple fruit may result in infections and temperature.
Apple fruit in traditional Chinese medicine
Apple fruit has an important place in traditional Chinese medicine and is suggested very favorably as being influential for our body health. Apples contain phytochemicals which help preventing and treating some diseases. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the phytochemicals also help detoxifying the body after alcohol consumption.
Smooth digestion processes and an appropriate diet are important issues in traditional Chinese medicine. All food types have their own definite temperatures which can be hot, warm, cool, and cold. The imbalance between these temperatures results in deficiencies in Qi (energy) balance and finally diseases and illnesses may surge. Apple fruit, because of its sweetness and dry (Yin) nature, is considered as a neutral fruit and is told to have a lot of benefits for the human body.
Traditional Chinese medicine considers apple skin as the best part of apple fruit. The phytochemicals and antioxidants of the apple fruit are densely found in its skin. Based on the information provided by Supreme Science Qigoing Center, about 385 phytochemicals have been found in one apple fruit. Phytochemicals are vital for immune system better operation and preventing deadly diseases such as colon and lung cancer.
Although the quantity of phytochemicals may be influenced by the place in where the apples were produced, stored and sorted out. These influential factors may vary in different seasons and years. For example, if the apple fruit was grown in a branch of tree with more sunlight, the phytochemicals quantity will be more in comparison to those apple fruits grown in beneath branches which less sunlight. Phytochemicals also contain anti-viral and anti-inflammatory characteristics that save the body from diseases. The phytochemicals also exist in apple fruit flesh (under skin), but the quantity is not as much as the phytochemicals in apple fruit skin.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, each apple fruit color signifies a part of body. Red color symbolizes heart and vessels and red apple fruits save heart and vessels from illnesses and lower the lipid in heart and vessels. Green apple fruit is the most advantageous apple type in traditional Chinese medicine. Green represents the liver and green apples help detoxifying the inner organs of the body, bones construction and growth, teeth healthiness, and are influential in both preventing and treating depression. Yellow represents eyes, and yellow apples are beneficial for eye sight.
Apple fruit also helps Qi balance by clearance of five chief organs and meridian channels. In winter and autumn seasons the body is imbalanced by yin excess. In this situation, apple fruit consumption helps decreasing the heat and preventing dehydration resulted by heat. Also, in winter season, apple fruit helps treating bad coughs and cold. Apples also help treating morning sicknesses resulted from lack food and vitamin balance.
Apples are also considered as a food that lowers the aging speed and consequently help preventing hypertension, diabetes and heart diseases. It is said that if you eat 1-2 apples a day, you can decrease your blood cholesterol by half. Apple fruit consumption also helps preventing hair loss.
According to traditional Chinese Medicine Spleen and stomach are two body organs that are important in balancing Qi, and Alcohol affects these two body organs badly. Apple fruit consumption lowers the bad effects of alcohol and reduces liver harms. For better removal of alcohol toxins from the body and to lower the damage to brain cells, it is suggested to use the mixture of apple fruit and watermelon juice.
Traditional Chinese medicine considers apple fruit as having a cool nature. So, apple fruit has a lot of health benefits. Traditional medicine experts suggest that consuming 1 or two apples per day lowers the risk of heart diseases by half. Also smelling apple fruit aroma is relaxing and helps refreshing the spirit. The vinegar of apple fruit is also beneficial for digestion and weight loss. Chewing apple fruit slowly in the mouth helps reducing the oral bacteria.