Pomegranate - Romã
Lythraceae Family
All parts of the plant can be made into medicine. Herb of Mercury.
Fruit, seeds, rind, leaf, bark & root.
Energetically the taste is sweet, astringent and sour. It has a heating energy.
Is light and unctuous.
Super balancing and in Ayurvedic medicine Pomegranate helps to balance all constitutions and is very beneficial to both women and men.
It signifies abundance and eternal life.
Overall the herb is a brain tonic and helps to increase intelligence.
Overall nourishes the nervous system. Deeply relaxes and releases tensions.
Any Inflammation in the digestive tract, respiratory, muscular skeletal and circulatory systems.
All parts are aphrodisiac!
Flowers
Dye from flowers. 100s of years of documentation mostly the flower was left to fruit!
However the flowers have very similar actions to all other parts of the tree. And certainly reports show infusions of the flowers for vaginal discharge, coughs and fevers have been documented.
Flower essence\Vibration of the whole tree
Enhances intuition, harmonises and balances feminine energy on all levels, supports change at a deep level.
For female power, vitality, freedom, creativity and choice.
Helps resolve conflicts where there is an imbalance between career and family life, feelings of confusion, exhausted, being compromised and not feeling fulfilled in either role.
Helps to balance feminine creativity. Helps women see their destiny and choices more clearly
Helps us to celebrate all aspects and phases of being a women. Helps us to heal any hurt or traumas in our relationships with women. Especially good for those that find it difficult to give or receive maternal support due to lack of nurture as a child.
It helps when we try too hard and get nowhere because our commitment is not really in it!
Fruits
With digestion overall helps increase function. Eases inflamed stomach and intestines, colic, irritable bowel and dysentery, diarrhoea also with mucus and blood and its carminative action helps with wind, bloating and digesting foods. Specific for hyperacidity and associated nausea.
Because of the drying action best not to take in constipation.
Strength the gums and heals mouth and throat ulcers. Can help prevent plaque on the teeth. Great for sore throats.
Heart and circulation protective: especially good in inflammatory conditions where repeated inflammation damages the inner lining of the blood vessels.
It is a blood and heart tonic and reduces internal bleeding
Great for high blood pressure, capillary fragility, angina and an ageing heart where heart failure can occur.
Healing action on hot burning pains. Toning and a very balancing, nourishing herb.
Good in arthritis and rheumatism.
A great herb in menopause, gives a boost to our oestrogen levels, is a Yin tonic, giving strength and nourishment and deep inner peace. Helps to cool and settle flushing and burning heat.
Pomegranate excellent in cystitis and any bladder disturbances,
excellent for bladder toning.
Powerful immune boost chemo protective. Anti cancer action most research so far for prostate ca. Also for benign prostate problems.
Increases semen and overall tonic to male system.
Drinking unsweetened pomegranate and cranberry juices will help physical and emotional cleansing.
Tapeworm need to have a couple days fast and then make a decoction of the fruit and peel.
The rind can be decocted and used as a skin wash especially for acne\spotty greasy skin.
Rind is astringent. Dry the peel and leaf anti bacterial and worms. In Morocco the rind is also used in tanning and dyeing leather goods, giving a unique yellow colour.
A decoction made from peel, bark or leaves can be made into a douche to help clear smelly vaginal discharges-could be infection or not.
Harvest fruit and bark in the autumn.
Powder the leaves and take internally or externally on wounds. Can also powder flowers and rind as needed.
_________________
Records since 200BC showed reproduction rates were decreasing and although abortive herbs are mentioned it seems more likely that herbal contraceptives were being taken in herbal\food forms.
A few different herbs are mentioned to prevent conception from taking place and Pomegranate is one of them
(Dill, Rue and Juniper are also mentioned for this use).
I am just sharing information here not giving contraceptive advice!!!
Persephone, wife of the Greek Hades, was the daughter of Demeter and Zeus. As was Hades, she represented both light and dark. Changing Seasons.
Pomegranate is one of her allies.
Often Pomegranate is depicted in artwork around Persephone and others links to Pomegranate are Aphrodite goddess of love and the Empress in Tarot.
Pomegranate has been associated with ritual and ceremony. Example in Persian, Jewish & Chinese cultures especially in weddings, fertility, agriculture and for the first male born in a family. Many cultures working with Pomegranate to purge the system of hatred and envy.
The fruits have been a part of the design in clothing, architecture\stone work for thousands of years. Examples have been found in King Solomon’s Temple, embroidered on the hem of the High Priest’s garments and in Renaissance in Italy.
Actions:
Anthelmintic or vermifuge meaning kills intestinal worms. Very good in Pin and round worms esp when make medicine from the peel.
Protective, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, oestrogen action
Seeds are demulcent soothing.
Astringent\drying
Constituents:
Very important Ellagitannins polyphenols which have anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, prebiotic, and cardioprotective properties.
These polyphenols are found in many berries.
Anthocyanidin high in the fruit is very protective of the heart and all aspects of circulation. Also Anti-inflammatory.
High in Vitamin C, Calcium, & Potassium. Also contains a range of B vitamins.
Sterols known as estrone especially found in the rind.
Triterpenes strong antioxidant. Found to help prevent diabetes and diabetic complications. Also deep wound healing actions.
Pelletierene Alkaloids found in the roots are very strong and are the main agent that kills the tapeworm. These alkaloids are in the family of piperidine alkaloids which are also found in black pepper and help the bioavaibility of turmeric. IT IS ADVISED TO JUST WORK WITH THE FRUIT&RIND OF THE POMEGRANATE FOR TAPEWORM. The bark can also be used, but caution with both bark and roots and even discussion with a herbalist would be best before administering.
Dose: Drink the juice freely. With other pats of the plant: Overall small frequent amounts as needed.
Range of dose 0.5-5g per dose
Preparations: Eat or juice the fruit. Great to add to sweet and savoury dishes.
Can make a molasses or syrup with the fruit, also can dry the fruits-mainly ending up with just the seeds Powder the different parts. Decoct the different parts. Plant essence.
____________________________
My personal experience with Pomegranate was drinking 1-2 whole fruits over a couple of days in an infusion which totally cleared a powerful respiratory virus some years ago.