So, I was driving down Road 14 off admiralty way in Lekki Phase 1, when\nI sighted this Mallam selling this fruit I remember from my childhood days but\nnever knew the real name. I immediately stopped and bought some. I enjoyed it\nso much that I went back the next day for more. I then decided to take some to\nthe office and share with my colleagues. I have never seen such excitement for\nany fruit I shared with them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Typically, they would respond with phrases like: \u201cyou have come again with all this your grass\nand healthy things\u201d. But to my greatest surprise this was different. They even\nstarted arguing about the name because they called it different names. Some\nsaid it is called Licky Licky, some said Awin, some said Icheku, another said\nTsamiyar kurm. I was so confused that it made me determined to do a research on\nthis little fruit with many names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started by putting out a poll on my social media and asked people to share the name of this fruit with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Someone responded and said the English name is VELVET TAMARIND <\/strong>and that stuck,<\/strong> I began my research. Below are my findings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Malaria:<\/strong> According to research, the leaf extract inhibits the growth of\nplasmodium falciparum which causes malaria therefore, taking a decoction can\ncure malaria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Treats Ulcer and Prevents Hypertension<\/strong>: The leaf extract of velvet tamarind has the ability\nto increase gastric mucus secretion. Therefore, a decoction of the leave can be\na remedy for gastric ulcer. The leaves are also highly diuretic-promotes the\nproduction of urine, making it easier for the heart to pump blood hence,\nreducing the risk of hypertension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anti-inflammatory and Anti-microbial Properties<\/strong>: The fruit pulp contains abundant vitamin C which\nfights against microbial infections. The stem bark has the ability to reduce\ninflammation in bronchial tubes that arises due to bronchitis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Improves Oral hygiene and cures Tooth ache Reliefs Menstrual Cramp and stops Diarrhoea Jaundice and Diabetes Management Haemorrhoids (pile):<\/strong> Piles are swollen veins in the anal canal caused by\ntoo much pressure in the pelvic and rectal areas and while not life\nthreatening, these veins can be very painful. A study performed on ethanolic\nleaves extract of velvet tamarind showed it to be beneficial for pile\ntreatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Velvet Tamarind increases the Antioxidant Capacity of\nthe body:<\/strong> Oxidative\ndamage which involves free radicals \u2013 highly reactive molecules with unpaired\nelectrons, is believed to be one of the mechanisms behind ageing and many\ndiseases. The abundance of antioxidants in the leaves helps protect the human\nbody from damage caused by these free radicals when taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Improves lactation and checks genital infections Treats Scurvy and Wounds With all these amazing benefits, don\u2019t you want to experiment as well.\nYou can start by telling me what it is called where you are from. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Gloria Agugua Okpara So, I was driving down Road 14 off admiralty way in Lekki Phase 1, when I sighted this Mallam selling this fruit I remember from my childhood days but never knew the real name. I immediately stopped and bought some. I enjoyed it so much that I went back the next […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3881,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3880"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3882,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3880\/revisions\/3882"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.heirsholdings.com\/hhpeople\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Icheku.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/strong>The stem used\nas chewing stick (indigenous tooth brush) contains saponin which adds cleaning\neffect to the teeth and at the same time removes plaques and caries on the\nteeth of users. The stem bark decoction is also used to treat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/strong> The stem bark extract has significant\nanalgesic property hence, can be used to reduce menstrual pain. You can take it\nalong with papaya leaf, salt and water to work effectively. It can also stop\ndiarrhoea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/strong> A decoction of velvet tamarind leaves is used\nin preparing medicinal solution for curing jaundice. It also lowers blood sugar\nand increases insulin sensitivity, hence, can be used to treat diabetes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/strong>A review of\nseveral studies has concluded that chewing the fruit pulp increase secretion of\nmilk as well as check infections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/strong>The fruit pulp\nhas high ascorbic acid content which is an anti-scurvy vitamin hence used as\nfood supplement. Tender leaves of velvet tamarind, when squeezed and applied on\nwounds, stimulates the growth of healthy skin and protects the wounds against\ngerms and moisture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n