Bael drink can have a soothing effect during summers. (Source: Getty Images)
Nothing beats a glass of bael sherbet during summers. It has a cooling effect on your body and keeps you hydrated. Known by various names like wood apple, Bengal quince, Indian bael or stone apple, this native fruit is also packed with nutrients and medicinal properties.
Nutritional value of bael fruit
According to a study in IOSR Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology, bael fruit contains water, sugar, protein, fiber, fat, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron and vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C and riboflavin).
Benefits of bael fruit
Bael is known to act as a tonic for heart and brain. It is also gut-friendly and has been traditionally used to cure constipation, diarrhea, diabetes and other conditions. It contains chemicals like tannins, flavonoids, and coumarins, which reduce inflammation. While all parts of the bael tree are useful, the fruit’s medicinal value becomes higher when it begins to ripen, according to a study published in the journal Pharma Innovation.
“The fruit is aromatic, cooling and laxative. It arrests secretion or bleeding. The unripe or half-ripe fruit is good for digestion. It is useful in preventing or curing scurvy. It also strengthens the stomach and promotes its action,” the study reads.
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Bael fruit also has anti-fungal and anthelmintic (that expels internal parasites from the body) properties.
Besides curing diarrhea, bael fruit also helps in managing the following health issues, according to research:
Heals ulcers: Research has shown that bael, when consumed in the form of a beverage, forms a coating on the stomach mucosa and helps in healing of ulcers.
Treatment for cholera: Bael is a high source of tannin, important for treating cholera. Its rind contains about 20 per cent of the compound and the pulp about 9 per cent. The fruit is considered to be a cure for cholera.
Controls cholesterol: Bael juice controls lipid profiles and triglycerides, and reduces blood cholesterol levels.
Controls diabetes: Bael contains laxatives that keeps blood sugar levels in control, thereby helping in controlling diabetes.