Pomegranate (PunicaGranatum L) is a native plant of Northern Africa and the Caucasus Mountains and is widely distributed throughout the southern United States. The name pomegranate comes from the Latin “pomum,” meaning apple, and “granatus,” meaning full of seeds. The botanical name is derived from old French: pumegrenate – pomegranate apple.
The pomegranate tree was said to have flourished in the Garden of Eden and has been used extensively in the folk medicine of many cultures. It was mentioned in the papyrus Ebers of Egypt written about 1550 B.C., and was a favorite motif in the temple of Solomon. The juicy pomegranate fruit with its multitudinous seeds was a popular symbol of fertility and fecundity in ancient times and it is counted among the seven kinds of produce with which the land is blessed. Doctors in Greece prescribed pomegranate juice as a remedy for inflammation, intestinal worms, persistent coughs, diarrhea, and dysentery. The Babylonians regarded pomegranate seeds as an agent of resurrection. Persians believed that the seeds conferred strength and invincibility on the battlefield, and in ancient India, the seeds were revered for their powers to promote longevity and immortality. People of the Georgian Republic in Russia used pomegranate for arresting chronic mucous discharges, passive hemorrhages, night sweats and diarrhea. It has also been prescribed to strengthen the human capillary system, and prevent atherosclerosis, asthma, tonsillitis and bronchitis.
1. Pomegranates Are Loaded With Important Nutrients
The pomegranate, or Punica granatum, is a shrub that produces a red fruit (1).
Categorized as a berry, the pomegranate fruit is about 5-12 cm (2-5 inches) in diameter.
It is red, round and looks kind of like a red apple with a flower-shaped stem.
The skin of the pomegranate is thick and inedible, but there are hundreds of edible seeds called arils within.
The arils are what people eat, either raw or processed into pomegranate juice.
http://gurusgarden.com/product_details.aspx?Pname=pomegranate