Water Apple And Wax Apple: Ayurvedic And Therapeutic Benefits For Modern Health

Water apple is a bell-shaped delicious fruit, popular for its thirst-quenching properties and therapeutic applications for treating various ailments, including heart conditions and liver disorders. It appears similar to an elongated apple on the outside, but doesn't resemble in terms of fragrance, taste and texture. The pleasant aroma, pulpy flavour and innumerable health benefits of this crunchy fruit can be consumed by people of all age groups and would serve as a value addition to the daily diet.

Water apple is popularly known as watery rose apple or simply rose apple, malabar plum, plum rose, and scientific name 'Syzygium aqueum'. Its native environments include tropical South-East Asian countries namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, India and Sri Lanka. Due to its amazing health advantages, water apples are now widely grown and consumed worldwide today and are also processed in the form of fresh juices, jams, pickles and salads.

Water apple confers several benefits for modern health and well-documented in traditional Indian practices of medicine - Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani. The water apple contains essential nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fibre, carbohydrates and proteins. The water apple has count of low fats and calorie content but high water content, which is approximately 90%.

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Water apples have a high content of dietary fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, calcium, niacin, thiamin, potassium, and sulfur. They also contain betulinic acid, jambosine, and friedelolactone. A 100 gram of rose apples has 29 mg calcium, 123 mg potassium, and 13mg sulphur. Water apples also contain negligible cholesterol and sodium that make them even healthier. The leaves also contain powerful plant compounds called flavonoids, which offer anti-inflammatory properties for those suffering from chronic conditions.

• Ideal for weight loss due to its low calorie content

• Aids in digestion and improves immune function

• Fights free radical damage and helps regulating metabolism

• Boosts good HDL cholesterol and cures liver damage

• Reduced risk of stroke

• Heals muscle cramps

• Hydrates the body and prevents constipation

• Treats skin infections, dark spots, acne and enhances skin texture

• Might have blood sugar-lowering properties

• Good for pregnant women due to their increased nutrient needs and to deal with symptoms of discomfort. Also, the leaves possess analgesic activity and help to relieve pain and soreness in a woman post childbirth.

• The bioactive constituents known as terpenoids present in water apples helps in improving nerve function.

• The bark extract is crushed and applied on microbial infections in the mouth known as oral thrush, to heal the sores and swelling.

• The leaf extracts of water apple possess strong anti-inflammatory properties, which help to get rid of kidney stones within the system and ensure smooth elimination of toxins and bladder function.

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While water apples are commercially but caution should be exercised before consuming water apples. Keep in mind to eat only measured portions of water apples, as eating too much poses the risk of toxicity in the body due to accumulation of trace mineral metallic compounds present in the fruit, within the body.

WAX APPLES

Wax apple popularly known as java apple, semarang rose-apple and wax jambu. Wax apple is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae with scientific name 'Syzygium samarangense'. In Southeast Asia, the black ones are nicknamed "Black Pearl" or "Black Diamond", while the very pale greenish-white ones, called "Pearl", are among the highest priced ones in fruit markets. In the cuisine of Indian Ocean islands, the fruit is frequently used in salads, as well as in lightly sautéed dishes. It is mainly eaten as a fruit and also used to make pickles.

A ripe healthy wax apple only resembles an apple on the outside in color but it does not taste like an apple, and has neither the fragrance nor the density of an apple. Its flavor is similar to a snow pear, and the liquid-to-flesh ratio of the wax apple is comparable to a watermelon. Unlike either apple or watermelon, the wax apple's flesh has a very loose weave. The very middle holds a seed situated in a sort of cotton-candy-like mesh. This mesh is edible, but flavorless.

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