Nearly 7,500 varieties of the fruit are grown
all over the world. The apple is a native of Eastern Europe and
Western Asia and has been cultivated from pre-historic
times.
The apple is a highly nutritive food. It contains minerals and
vitamins in abundance. The food value of the apple is chiefly
constituted by its contents of sugar which ranges from 9 to 51 per
cent. Of this, fruit sugar constitutes 60 per cent and glucose 25 pet
cent and cane sugar only 15 per cent.
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The skin of apple should not be discarded when
taking it in raw form as the skin and the flesh just below it
contain more vitamin C than the inner flesh. The vitamin content
decreases gradually towards the center of the fruit. The skin
also contains five times more vitamin A than the flesh. |
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Apple contains Pectin and Malic acid. |
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Iron contained in the apple helps in formation
of blood. |
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Raw apples are good for constipation. |
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Cooked or baked apples are good for diarrhea. |
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Apples have been found useful in acute and
chronic dysentery among children. Ripe and sweet apples should
be crushed into pulp and given to the child several times a day. |
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Apples are of special value to heart patients.
They are rich in potassium and phosphorus but low in sodium. It
is also useful for patients of high blood pressure. |
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Apple is also said to be beneficial to gout patients
caused by increase of uric acid in blood. |
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Apples, boiled to a jelly, make a very good
liniment for rheumatic pains. They should be rubbed freely on
the affected area. |
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Sweet apples are valuable in dry hacking cough. |
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Apples are useful in kidney stones. |
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The apple peel water is an excellent medicine
for the inflamed eyes as an eye wash. The over-ripe apples are
useful as a poultice for sore eyes. The pulp is applied over the
closed eyes. |
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Tooth-decay can be prevented by regular
consumption of apples as they possess a mouth cleansing property. |
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The apple is the best fruit to tone up a weak
and run-down patient. It removes deficiencies of vital
organs and makes the body stout and strong. It tones up the body
and the brain as it contains more phosphorus and iron than any
other fruit or vegetable. Its regular consumption with milk
promotes health and youthfulness and helps build healthy and
bright skin. |