Punica granatum Health Dictionary

Linn.

Family: Punicaceae.

Habitat: Native to Iran; but cultivated throughout India.

English: Pomegranate.

Ayurvedic: Daadima, Daadim- ba, Raktapushpa, Dantabijaa, Raktakusumaa, Lohitpushpaka.

Unani: Anaar, Roomaan, Gulnaar, Gulnaar Farsi.

Siddha/Tamil: Maathulai.

Action: Rind of fruit—astringent, stomachic, digestive. Used for diarrhoea, dysentery, colitis, dyspepsia and uterine disorders. Leaf—used in stomatitis (recommended by The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India). Fresh juice of fruit—refrigerant, cosive, antiemetic; given as an adjuvant in diarrhoea, dyspepsia, biliousness, inflammations of the stomach, palpitation, excessive thirst and fevers. Bark of stem and root—anthelmintic, febrifuge. Given for night sweats. Rind of fruit, bark of stem and root— antidiarrhoeal. Powdered flower buds—used in bronchitis.

The fruit rind (dried) contains up to 26, stem bark 10-25, root bark 28 and leaves 11% tannin.

The rind gave an ellagitannin (granatin B, leaves gave granatins A and B and punicafolin); punicalagin, puni- calin and ellagic acid. Pentose gly- cosides of malvidin and pentunidin have also been isolated from the rind. Rind extract showed significant hypo- glycaemic activity in mildly diabetic rats.

Seeds gave malvidin pentose glyco- side.

Flowers gave pelargonidin-3,5-di- glucoside; also sitosterol, ursolic acid, maslinic acid, asiatic acid, sitosterol- beta-D-glucoside and gallic acid.

Extracts of the whole fruit were highly active against Micrococcus pyo- genes var. aureus, E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; also very effective against intestinal pathogenic bacilli.

Aqueous extract of the root was found to inhibit the activity of My- cobacterium tuberculosis 607.

The proanthocyanidins of pomegranate showed hypolipidaemic activity by their ability to enhance resistance of vascular wall preventing penetration of cholesterol into atherogenic lipopro- teins.