• AMLA
• BAEL
• STEVIA
• NUTRITIVE VALUE OF FRUITS

AMLA

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• Amla or Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalis) is the fruit of this deciduous tree found mainly in India. This plant belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae.
• Amla is rich in natural vitamin C. Amla has cooling, diuretic and laxative properties.
• It helps in cleansing the mouth, and strengthens teeth and bones.
• It increases the red blood cell count and helps to promote good health.
• It also has antioxidant properties.
• The dried Amla fruit is useful in the treatment of Hemorrhage, diarrohea, and dysentery.
• Amla has laxative properties and therefore useful in the treatment of constipation and piles.
• It also has antibacterial properties and helps in preventing infections and healing ulcers.
• It also helps in preventing skin infections.
• Amla has cell rejuvenating properties and therefore used in maintaining good health of skin and hair.
• Amla helps to keep the hair glossy and shining. It also helps to prevent dandruff. Amla is also known to have anti aging properties.
• Apart from Vitamin C, Amla also provides many other essential minerals to the body. These minerals help in maintaining proper functioning of the metabolic activities of the body.
• Amla contains minerals such as chromium, zinc, and copper.
• The chromium present in it helps in its anti diabetic effect.
• Amla is also used in the treatment of gastritis. It was found to be very effective in the treatment of heartburn due to increased hydrochloric acid secretion of the stomach.

BAEL

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Bael has numerous seeds which are densely covered with fibrous hair and are embedded in a thick aromatic pulp. The flesh is eaten fresh or dried.

The bael fruit consists of moisture 61.5 percent, protein 1.8 percent, fat 0.3 percent, minerals 1.7 percent, fiber 2.9 percent and carbohydrates 31.8 percent per 100 grams of edible portion. Its mineral and vitamin contents include calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, riboflavin, thiamin, niacin and vitamin C.

Food Uses

Ripe bael fruit is regarded as the best natural laxative. For best results, it should be taken in the form of sherbet, which is prepared from the pulp of the ripe fruit.

After breaking the shell, the seeds are removed, with the contents spooned out and sieved.

Milk and sugar are added to make it more palatable.

The pulp of the ripe fruit can also be taken without the addition of milk or sugar.

The unripe or half-ripe fruit is very effective in treating chronic diarrhoea and dysentery where there is no fever. 

Best results are obtained by the use of dried bael or its powder.

The bael fruit, when it is still green, is sliced and dried in the sun.

The dried bael slices are powdered and preserved in airtight bottles.

The unripe bael can also be baked and used with jaggery or brown sugar.

The pulp is often processed as nectar or "squash" (diluted nectar).

A popular drink (called "sherbet" in India) is made by beating the seeded pulp together with milk and sugar.

A beverage is also made by combining bael fruit pulp with that of tamarind. These drinks are consumed perhaps less as food or refreshment than for their medicinal effects.

Mature but still unripe fruits are made into jam, with the addition of citric acid. The pulp is also converted into marmalade or syrup, likewise for both food and therapeutic use, the marmalade being eaten at breakfast by those convalescing from diarrhoea and dysentery.

A firm jelly is made from the pulp alone, or, better still, combined with guava to modify the astringent flavor. The pulp is also pickled.

Bael pulp is steeped in water, strained, preserved with 350 ppm S02, blended with 30% sugar, then dehydrated for 15 hrs at 120º F (48.89º C) and pulverized. The powder is enriched with 66 mg per 100 g ascorbic acid and can be stored for 3 months for use in making cold drinks ("squashes").

A confection, bael fruit toffee, is prepared by combining the pulp with sugar, glucose, skim milk powder and hydrogenated fat. Indian food technologists view the prospects for expanded bael fruit processing as highly promising.

STEVIA

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In spite of the prominence, Stevia has obtained as a calorie free sweetener and flavour enhancer, it contains a variety of constituents besides the steviosides and rebaudiosides. This including the nutrients specified above and a good deal of sterols, triterpenes, flavonoids, tannins, and an extremely rich volatile oil comprises rich proportions of aromatics, aldehyde, monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes.

Stevia has medicinal properties, too. Scientific research has shown it to be beneficial in regulating blood sugar levels, bringing them into normal range. It is also used as a digestive aid. As a skin care product, it has been used to clear blemishes, tighten skin to remove wrinkles, to heal mouth sores and to treat a variety of wounds. It has also been used to treat eczema, seborrhea and dermatitis.

Hypoglycaemic action

Stevia is helpful for hypoglycemia and diabetes because it nourishes the pancreas and thereby helps to restore normal pancreatic function.

Cardiovascular Action

The long-term use of Stevia would probably has a cardiotonic action, that is, would produce a mild strengthening of the heart and vascular system.

Antimicrobial Action

The ability of Stevia to inhibit the growth and reproduction of bacteria and other infectious organisms is important. Stevia has even been shown to lower the incidence of dental caries. 

Digestive Tonic Action

NUTRITIVE VALUE OF FRUITS

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SOURCE

http://www.ayurvedic-medicines.com/herbs/amla.html
http://www.formerfatguy.com/articles/stevia-medicinal.asp
http://www.agricultureinformation.com/forums/stevia/8089-medicinal-properties-stevia.html
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/bael_fruit.html