Tamarind
Latin Name: Tamarindus Indica
Type: Herb
Tamarind is a leguminous plant that is native to Africa; high in nutritional value as it contains good amount of fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, iron, and polyphenols with antioxidant property.
It produces long, curve brown pod-like fruits that look like peas. Each pod contains a number of small brown seeds, surrounded by reddish-brown pulp that is often used in cuisines to give a tangy, delicious taste.
The edible pulp is used as traditional medicines for several health conditions, such as diarrhea, constipation, heat stroke, sore throat and diabetes. Being a good source of potassium and antioxidants, tamarind is also a potential remedy to protect heart from conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol level. Recent studies started to look at its anti-inflammatory property that is useful to manage joint pain and inflammation, arthritis, rheumatic conditions and gout.