Passion Fruit
Juicy Trivia
History tells us that during the 16th century catholic missionaries in Brazil named the native fruit. They found the passion flower's individual features to be symbolic of the crucifixion of Christ, or as known in biblical history: ‘The Passion of the Christ’. The spikes from the centre of the flower are said to denote the crown of thorns. The 10 petals, for the 10 faithful apostles, three stigmata symbolize the three nails, the five anthers represent the five wounds and the tendril represent whips.
Although believed to be native to Brazil, it is now grown widely in the tropics, In Hawaii it is called: ‘lilikoi’, Equador: ‘maracuya’ and Venezuela: ‘parcha’
We tend to use just the fruit but interestingly we waste a lot of the nutrients by not using the flowers and leaves.
Jason Says...
Passion fruit contains high amount of Vitamin A and Vitamin C, both of which are strong anti-oxidants that neutralize free radicals and offer protection from cancer
Juice or Smoothie?
Smoothie: You don’t get a lot of juice from this fruit so it would be one to put in the blender and benefit from the whole fruit, or of course just cut it in half and eat it like an egg - delicious!
Juicy Benefits
In Madeira passion fruit juice is given as a digestive stimulant as well as being used as a treatment for gastric cancer.
The leaves of the passion fruit contain alkaloids including Harman, which has blood pressure lowering, sedative and antispasmodic action. The passion fruit leaves are used in many countries as medicines.
The flower of passion fruit has a mild sedative and can help to induce sleep. The passion flower has been used in the treatment of nervous and easily excited children, bronchial asthma, insomnia, nervous gastrointestinal disorders and menopausal problems. The passion flower is sometimes used as a mild hallucinogen!
Research
Studies led by Ronald Ross Watson and funded by Southwest Scientific Editing have shown that passion fruit may help those suffering from osteoarthritis as well as relieving asthma symptoms.
Vitamins, Minerals and Extras
Vitamins A, B1 thiamin, B2 riboflavin, B3 niacin, B9 folates, C, E and K - Ascorbic acid, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, pyridoxine, selenium, sodium and zinc.
Passion fruits contain phytonutrients such as harmine, harman, harmol, harmalin, carotenoids, vitexin, isovitexin and chrysin, scopoletin, carotenoids, and theobromine. Evidence of the health benefits these nutrients give us is growing every day and it is worth bearing in mind that what you see here is just a very small amount of those we know about.
The dried leaves of the passion flower have been used to treat insomnia, restlessness, irritability, anxiety, neuralgia, spasmodic asthma and nervous tachycardia.
References
www.naturespride.eu
www.passionfruitjuice.com
www.phytochemicals.info
www.nutritionj.com
www.phytochemicals.info
A short guide to medicinal herbs and their applications - Christine Haughton
Disclaimer
Please be aware that we are not Doctors, so it is important BEFORE making any changes that you consult with your GP or Medical Practitioner. The suggestions above are not meant as an alternative to any current medical treatment so please DO NOT stop taking any medications you are on. They are also not an endorsement of their effectiveness, nor a recommendation that they should be followed but instead, provided for informational purposes. None of the information on the Natural Juice Therapy site is intended or implied to treat, cure or prevent any condition or disease.