Punica granatum
Steeped in history
and romance, pomegranate is native to the mountainous region that
includes northern Iraq and northwest Iran. Sumerian cuneiform records
reveal that pomegranates have been cultivated in the Middle East since
approximately 3000 B.C. For many centuries
desert caravans carried the thick-walled fruits as a source of
nutritious, thirst-quenching juice. In Egyptian art and mythology, the
pomegranate symbolized abundance and unity. In early Christian, Jewish,
and Islamic artistic traditions, the fruit represented blood, death, and
the renewal of life. According to Greek mythology, Persephone, daughter
of the goddess Demeter, makes the mistake of eating pomegranate seeds
in the underworld, and so is eternally bound to that place for part of
every year. The Romans named the fruit Punica granatum, or
“seeds from Carthage,” possibly because that Phoenician city in North
Africa was a source of fine pomegranates in the ancient world.
Therapeutic Uses
Prostate health
Heart health
Antioxidant
The luscious pomegranate has been cherished as food
and medicine for at least 4 millennia. Compared with other common fruit
juices, pomegranate is one of the richest in antioxidant activity, with
roughly 3 times that of red wine and green tea! Animal studies show that
pomegranate juice and pomegranate flower extract offer strong
protection against the progression of atherosclerosis. Studies
on humans demonstrate a modest effect on blood pressure and
inflammation reduction—reasons for adding pomegranate to a heart-healthy
foods list.
One of the most interesting areas of pomegranate
research is prostate health. Laboratory and animal studies have shown
that the fruit’s juice, peel, and oil all interfere with the spread of
prostate cancer tumors. A 2-year study examined the effect of 8 ounces
of pomegranate juice on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in 46 men
who had received surgery or radiation therapy for prostate cancer. PSA
levels are used as a marker after cancer treatment to determine if the
cancer has returned. Treatments are deemed effective if they reduce PSA
levels in prostate cancer patients and/or prolong the time it takes for
the PSA level to double (indicating that progression of the cancer is
slowing). Sixteen of 46 patients (35 percent) exhibited a decline in
their PSA levels during treatment, while 4 of the 46 patients (2
percent) achieved a PSA decline of more than 50 percent. Overall, PSA
doubling time was significantly delayed in a majority of the men
drinking the juice. After the 2-year study, those who continued to drink
pomegranate juice had lower PSA levels than those who stopped. At the
conclusion of the study, the mean PSA doubling time went from 15 to 54
months, with no adverse events reported.
In men, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of
cancer-related death in the U.S. Seven government-funded studies are
currently evaluating pomegranate’s role in treating prostate cancer.
How to Use
Juice: 8 ounces per day (the typical amount used in research studies).
Capsules: Generally, 2 to 3 g per day of powdered pomegranate capsules.
Precautions
There are no known safety issues with drinking pomegranate juice or with using pomegranate juice extracts.
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