Punica granatum Linn.
Family Punicaceae.
Habitat Native to Iran; but cultivated throughout India.
English Pomegranate.
Ayurvedic Daadima, Daadim ba, Raktapushpa, Dantabijaa, Raktakusumaa, Lohitpushpaka.
Unani Anaar, Roomaan, Gulnaar, Gulnaar Farsi.
Siddha/Tamil Maathulai.
Action Rind of fruit—astringent, stomachic, digestive. Used for diarrhoea, dysentery, colitis, dyspepsia and uterine disorders. Leaf—used in stomatitis (recommended by The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India). Fresh juice of fruit—refrigerant, cosive, antiemetic; given as an adjuvant in diarrhoea, dyspepsia, biliousness, inflammations of the stomach, palpitation, excessive thirst and fevers. Bark of stem and root—anthelmintic, febrifuge. Given for night sweats. Rind of fruit, bark of stem and root— antidiarrhoeal. Powdered flower buds—used in bronchitis.
The fruit rind (dried) contains up to 26, stem bark 10—25, root bark 28 and leaves 11% tannin.
The rind gave an ellagitannin (granatin B, leaves gave granatins A and B and punicafolin); punicalagin, punicalm and ellagic acid. Pentose glycosides of malvidin and pentunidin have also been isolated from the rind. Rind extract showed significant hypoglycaemic activity in mildly diabetic rats.
Seeds gave malvidin pentose glycoside.
Flowers gave pelargonidin-3,5-di- glucoside; also sitosterol, ursolic acid, maslinic acid, asiatic acid, sitosterolbeta-D-glucoside and gallic acid.
Extracts of the whole fruit were highly active against Micrococcus pyogenes var. aureus, E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; also very effective against intestinal pathogenic bacilli.
Aqueous extract of the root was found to inhibit the activity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis 607.
The proanthocyanidins ofpomegranate showed hypolipidaemic activityby their ability to enhance resistance of vascular wall preventing penetration of cholesterol into atherogenic lip oproteins.
