Brian H. Appleton

The nutritional value of pomegranates by Dr. Mohammad Abolfazli    

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The most nutrition can be derived from pomegranates if you juice them whole in the blender including the red outer skin and the white membranes inside as well as the red fruit. Although the taste is very strong and pungeant this is the way to gain the maximum nutritional benefit. The red skin has Lycopene which is anticarcinogenic especially for breast and prostate glands according to a 7 year study completed at Stanford University. The skin is also high in iron, phosphorus and vitamin C as well as having bacteriocidal properties as well as deworming and anti-constipational effects.

The seeds sweep the intestines clean. Pomegranates purify the blood and help with fertility for both genders which is why in Iran bowls of pomegranates are offered as wedding presents.

The Torah and the Qoran both call pomegranates the fruit of heaven and some scholars think that it was a pomegranate rather than an apple in the Garden of Eden. There is archeological evidence of pomegranate cultivation in ancient Egypt 4,000 years ago.

Pomegranates are good for the heart, they reduce cholesterol and lower blood pressure and they are also a good antidepressant. One of the reasons Iranians make a paste called Fesenjoon served with entres in winter is to combat depression because it boosts seratonin. So between helping fertility, antidepression and rumors that it was the fruit of knowledge in Eden "Love and Pomegranates" is an appropriate connection for the title of the new anthology coming soon from University of Utah Press, edited by Meghan Sayres.