Dry fruits: medicinal uses and health benefits of kaju, dry grapes, raisins, date, almonds and walnuts

Dry fruits are considered rich source of nutrients and regarded as delicacies.  Several fruits that come under dry fruits category are: Cashews, Walnuts, Almonds, Raisins, Pistachio, Date,  Peanuts, Macadamia nuts, Hazelnut  etc. These fruits are packaged in aesthetic designs  either as assorted or as a mix in different proportions and sold as gift pack in the market at good prices.

The dry fruits are packed in accordance to their weight, size and quality. Packaging style changes with taste and class of consumers. Several packaging styles include silver serving trays with bowls, baskets and hard board packets.

Dry fruits are hygienically processed and enriched with high nutritional elements to make them delicious and ready to be consumed raw or used in various foods items to make them delicious. Other food items which are made up of different type of dry fruits are mango pulp, fruit cocktail, canned fruits/juices  etc. Cashew nuts and peanuts are also sold as roasted nuts in various flavors like garlic, salt, pepper, chocolate, chilli, sugar and honey. These nuts are hygienically packed in vacuumizeded nitrogen flushed foil packs to increase shelf life.  Raisins  are natural sweetners and used in various food items to enhance the taste.  These are processed and dehydrated from seedless grapes  and the light colour of the raisins is preserved with sulphur treatment. Raisins are consumed either raw or mixed in various other preparations, e.G. Cakes, rolls, pies, or in combination with dried fruits

Dry fruits have special importance during long journeys because of high nutritive value. Variety of peanut items include groundnut Kernels, blenched peanuts and redskin  Blanched Peanuts are packed peanuts which can be readily used for consumption and Redskin Groundnut Kernels have red colored skin over it.

Scorched Splits  Cashew nut is Kernels split naturally lengthwise.

Medicinal uses and health benefits of dry fruits:

Dry fruits are excellent source of minerals and contain substantial quantities of essential nutrients.They are easy to digest and help keeping us healthy. Similar to fresh fruits. dry fruits have strong medicinal properties.

A brief description of major dry fruits is given below.

Raisins

Raisins are made by drying grapes. They are rich in sugar content and considered an excellent food in all cases of debility and wasting diseases. Raisins are considered priority food during the recovery period after successful treatment of a disease.

• Raisins are used for treatment of constipation. They are soaked in a glassful of drinking water for a day or two and eaten early in the morning after removal of the stones.

• Raisins are good source of iron and thus, very useful for anemic people.
  
• Raisins also help to gain weight.
  
• Black raisins are believed to be useful for restoring sexual vigor.

Cashew Nuts

• Cashew nuts provide protein and fiber to body.
  
• They are rich in mono-unsaturated fat that prove helpful to prevent the heart problems.
  
• Cashews are a good source of potassium, B vitamins and folate and contains useful amounts of magnesium, phosphorous, selenium and copper.

Date

Glucose and fructose are the natural form of sugar found in Date.

• The date is a nutritious food.

• Soak the Dates in water overnight and thereafter grind them after removal of seeds. Use of ground date twice a week is considered good for the heart.
  
• Dates is known as a good lexative as small quantities of nicotine are found in the Dates that is considered helful for intestinal disturbances.
  

Almond

Almond is considered very useful in both mental and physical development of human body. Unsaturated fats present in the chemical constitution of almonds gift them few good medicinal properties.

• Good quantities of Iron, copper, phosphorus and vitamin B1 in the Almonds help in the creation of new blood cells, hemoglobin and help in proper functioning of vital organs of the body.
  

• Almonds paste with milk cream and fresh paste of rose bud applied regularly over the face makes the skin soft and fair.
  

• Small amount of almond oil applied over forehead relieves headache and its use on the scalp helps to cure several hair problems.

• Almonds are also used in constipation problems, loss of sexual vigor and cure of skin diseases, especially eczema. Few leaves of the wild almond are powdered with water and the cream and applied to the parts affected by eczema.
  

If interested to know more health benefits, please click"Health Benefits of Almonds"

Walnuts

• Walnuts are the only nuts that have omega-3 fatty acids in high amounts.Omega -3 fatty acids are helpful in lowering triglycerides. Triglycerides should not be more than a certain level in the blood from heart's health point of view.