Medicinal uses of tamarind

Most of us are familiar with ‘tamarind’ or ‘imli’. The pulp which is extracted from the long bean like pods of tamarind can be used fresh and it can also be dried and stored to be used for the whole year.

Pic credits: Wikipedia

The fruity and sour taste of the tamarind pulp and the heat of the chilies perfectly complement each other and the combination of these two in the sambars and chutneys of South Indian cuisine give them their tangy, flavorful taste.

Apart from its culinary uses, it is also used for treating minor ills and ailments. The extracts of tamarind fruits, leaves, flowers and bark are also used for cosmetic purposes - in body lotions and henna based hair dyes etc.

Home remedies with tamarind

For headaches

For headaches due to excessive heat, soak tamarind pulp in water, squeeze it and knead it well so that the pulp is dispersed completely and dissolves in water. Strain it and to this extracted juice, add a tsp of ginger juice and drink.

For loss of appetite

Mix jaggery water with tamarind pulp and spice it with cinnamon (dalchini) and cardamom (elaichi). Also when your tongue develops distaste for food, savor tamarind chutney to tickle your grungy taste buds.

For Diarrhoea

Blend these ingredients: 1 tsp tamarind pulp, a cup of butter milk and a mashed ripe banana and have it. Provides relief from diarrhea quickly.

For indigestion

Add a pinch of salt to tamarind pulp and chew it well, when you are suffering from indigestion.

For bleeding piles

Fry tamarind leaves in oil and ghee and cook in sufficient quantity of curd. Add powder of dried pomegranate, coriander (dhaniya) seeds and dried ginger to it and take internally. Liquid gruel soured with tamarind pulp is also useful in bleeding piles.

For common cold

In acute cold, soup made from tamarind pulp is beneficial.

For skin itching

For an itching skin, even when the itching is uncontrollable, smearing a paste of tamarind pulp over the affected parts provides instant relief.

To treat freckles

Application of paste of the roots and bark of tamarind helps to remove freckles.

For white discharge (leucorrhea)

Soak tamarind seeds in water for a day or two and then pound it on a stone slab with milk. Take this paste regularly.

For sore throat

Gargles with tamarind water helps a sore throat.

Final Note

So do you make use of tamarind or imli in your day to day cuisine? Do you like its sour taste? Did you ever use it for medicinal purpose? Which remedies with tamarind has worked wonders for you? Do you have any other home remedy using tamarind to share with us? Do mention in the comments.

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