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Pomegranate - Modern Super Fruit
Pomegranate (Punica granatum) – photo: www..ats.org
'Pomegranate', which if cut deep down the middle A touch of gold with the rubies perhaps? Well – If pomegranate was good enough for King Midas1 … Pomegranate has a long history as Food Medicine, it was among 6lbs of food and beverage remains in the tomb of ‘King Mita’ (Midas) found at the ancient Phrygian capital of Gordion2 in central Turkey in 1957. Over 40 years later advances in technology allowed scientists using ‘chemical fingerprinting’, coupled with intuitive cookery experts help, to uncover the mystery of the remains and to piece together pomegranate’s place in the ancient Phrygian menu for the 100 guests at King Midas's mourning Feast.3 In a reconstruction of the menu it is reported that pomegranate juice was mixed in a side-dish of ‘humus’, made from hand-crushed chickpeas, sumac, 4 garlic olive oil and tahini.5 Apart from its extensive place in ancient symbolism, mainly as a fertility icon, pomegranate as a food and obviously a juice has been used for thousands of years. Pomegranate’s symbolism still continues, e.g. the British Medical Association has pomegranates in its coat of arms! 01 In the evolution of medicine between Alchemy and Chemistry, herbal Simples7 were used as drugs of longevity and pomegranate was one of the plants used. Alchemy6 being the forerunner of chemistry has much more in common with modern scientists’ ‘cloning’, as a complex composition of the Sciences that is neither pure chemistry or physics, whereas herbal medicines at that time were indeed simple. Ancient medicine may not have had the kind of knowledge, methods or vocabulary to describe e.g. ‘antioxidants’ or red-pigment ‘anthocyanins’ of today or what they are capable of, but they chose the colour ‘red’ for herbs and herbal food medicines, among which pomegranate fruit was a contender.8 In ancient China, to excel, simple drugs of longevity needed to be red. Redness equaled blood and as such was ‘soul’, with gold as its acceptor had an everlasting body.9 In fact, the first synthetic drug for longevity prepared was called ‘Chin-I’ or Gold-cum-herbal juice.10 In that sense the pomegranate and its juice really does have ‘a touch of gold’ about it. Since last writing about pomegranates on Herbsphere, (See archived article: ‘Ancient Fruit – Modern Medicine’), the scientific world has been showing an accelerated huge interest in this wonderful fruit’s products and remedial potential. Pomegranate really no longer can be thought of as a sticky-fingered occupational therapy for children at Halloween and Christmas, pomegranate is in fact a serious food medicine. Pomegranate juice has been around for a couple of years at least in UK Health Food shops, a little bit ahead of the reported pomegranate phenomenon or ‘Pom’ craze in the US started in Los Angeles.02 There we are told that pomegranate juice has advertisements with hyper titles such as ‘defy death’! Alongside this the alcoholic ‘Pomtini’, a pomegranate martini, became the ‘official’ cocktail of the Oscars no less.03 Pomegranates are Hot! Pomegranate juice has been hailed as the Best Healthy Beverage by Reader’s Digest.04
Pomegranate’s Antioxidant Values Just because pomegranate has gained newsworthiness of late, we should not forget its considerable primary antioxidant powers or less sensational plaudits as a preventive health drink. Whatever else pomegranate contains that may be applicable to specific diseases and conditions, modern scientific interests all stems from that strong force for good. Back in 1999 Israeli research on pomegranate’s juice and cold pressed seed oil first showed strong antioxidant activity close to that of (butylated hydroxyanisole [BHA])11 and green tea, and significantly greater than that of red wine.12 It has already been established that antioxidant activity in pomegranate juices is higher when extracted from whole pomegranates than in experimental juices obtained from the luscious red arils13 only.14 Not forgetting the red fruits’ anthocyanidins (red pigment) that contribute to the antioxidant activity,14 pomegranate juice has superior bioactivity compared to its purified polyphenols, which illustrates how the chemical synergy of the whole fruit’s multiple compounds compared to single purified active ingredients may prove to be preferable.15 In the Lab-to-mouth process, research into the antioxidant properties of extracts from pomegranate peel and seeds results have been so encouraging that they are likely to be exploited via applications for the preservation of food products, as well as health supplements and neutraceuticals.16 Delicious pomegranate juice, bursting with antioxidants, is now said to contain in one glass as many antioxidants as two glasses of red wine or ten cups of green tea!17 It is also packed with vitamins A, C and E, and folic acid; the latter being important in the first trimester of pregnancy.17 Another important aspect of polyphenol-rich pomegranate juice is that results in animal models show that dietary supplementation with pomegranate juice is neuro-protective for the neonatal brain, which affects the infant during the first month after birth.18 It is worth noting in relation to any forthcoming supplements that pomegranate peel has a high polyphenolic content.19 A gel made from the peel has also demonstrated wound-healing capacity.20
Pomegranate (Punica granatum) Photo: Mark Reiger www.uga.edu Pomegranate Floral Medicine and Diabetes The pomegranate really does have a most beautiful flower and this part of the amazing plant is no less interesting or medicinally exciting. The use of the flower has been recommended in Unani, 21 an ancient and most natural form of medicine, as a remedy for diabetes. Earlier this year Australian researchers found that their scientific investigation of pomegranate flower extract improved hyperglycaemia in Type II diabetes and obesity, at least partially.22 This autumn, further phytochemical investigation has demonstrated that pomegranate flower extract’s gallic acid is mostly responsible for its glycaemic activity.23 This was good news, because it will help towards a better understanding of the extract’s therapeutic mechanism and potential. Last autumn, a human study by Iranian researchers found that concentrated pomegranate juice (CPJ) improves lipid profiles in diabetic patients with hyperlipidemia i.e. the presence of excess lipids in the blood. They concluded that CPJ consumption may modify heart disease risk factors in hyperlipidemic patients, and its inclusion therefore in their diets may be beneficial.24 Additionally, research findings on excess triglyceride accumulation and increased fatty acid oxidation in the diabetic heart, which contribute to cardiac dysfunction, suggested that pomegranate flower extract improves abnormal cardiac lipid metabolism, thereby aiding heart function.24A
Pomegranate the Anticarinogenic This year Australian pop-singer Kylie Minogue, after her own devastating diagnosis for breast cancer, with great positivity helped raise the profile of breast cancer; but we must never forget that men can get this form of cancer too. This October 1st -31st 2005, is pink be-ribboned ‘Breast Cancer Awareness Month’. It is good to know that, as well as pomegranate’s potential non-cytotoxic therapy for leukaemia, 25 (pomegranate fermented juice, pericarp extracts and ‘fatty acids’ from seed oil), flavonoid-rich polyphenol fractions from pomegranate fruit have been shown to exert anti-proliferative, anti-invasive, anti-eicosanoid, and pro-apoptotic actions in breast and prostate cancer cells and other solid malignancies. The roseate fruit is exceptional in that various parts of the fruit e.g. seed oil, juice, fermented juice and peel extract, have been shown to exert suppressive effects on human breast cancer cells in vitro. Three years ago, in Korea, in laboratory testings of pomegranate as a chemo-preventive against breast cancer, it was found that pomegranate seed oil had the edge on cancer cell line death (apoptosis), ranging from 90% inhibition of proliferation of (MCF-7) at 100 microg/ml medium and other results at 75%, and 54% apoptosis (cell death) at 50 microg/ml. In another test pomegranate fermented juice polyphenols effected 47% inhibition of cancerous lesion formation, suggesting further clinical trials were warranted.26 However, more recent American research interest in pomegranate’s potential for aiding breast cancers (Summer 2004) has shown the fruit as an anti-carcinogen to be very useful indeed. In fact, results highlight enhanced breast cancer preventive potential both for a purified compound and for pomegranate seed oil, both greater than that previously reported for pomegranate fermented juice polyphenols.27 Prostate cancer is the most common invasive malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among U.S. males, with a similar trend in many Western countries like the UK. In fact, prostate cancer is now the most common cancer diagnosed in UK men. Every year over 30,000 men are diagnosed and 10,000 men die from it. One approach to control this malignancy is its prevention through the use of agents present in diet consumed by humans. ‘Lifestyle and diet’ is important to all areas of health, but last month a randomized, controlled trial involving 93 men with biopsy-proven, untreated prostate cancer, suggested changes in lifestyle and diet can make considerable in-roads into the prevention of prostate cancer in men and even reverse its progression.28 A good move into changing diet would be for men to drink pomegranate juice. Although it is early days, a Wisconsin team first tested pomegranate juice with its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties on laboratory cultures of human prostate cancer cells. They found the extract killed the cancer cells, and the higher the dose, the more cells died. Animal testing proved the juice to ‘slow’ tumour growth. Researchers suggested that pomegranate juice may not only have cancer-chemopreventive effects, but also chemotherapeutic effects against prostate cancer in humans.29 Further research is required, but as a recommendation from man-to-man it was stated: “it is not too soon to point out that diet is plainly significant in the development of prostate cancer. As there are sound reasons for adopting a healthy diet with generally increased intake of fruit and vegetables, why not consider pomegranate, and its juice, as one of the ways of achieving this.” 30 On a lighter note, pomegranate is one of the most important botanicals pertaining to dermatologic uses, e.g. botanical-based cosmeceuticals, which has published clinical trials for the treatment of parameters of extrinsic (from the outside) ageing, such as environmental damage.31 More importantly, topical application of pomegranate fruit extract tested on mouse skin appears to possess chemopreventive activity in skin tumours.32 Furthermore, Pomegranate seed oil has an excellent profile and a couple of years ago topical application for possible skin cancer chemopreventive efficacy was investigated. The overall results highlighted the potential of the seed oil as a ‘safe’ and effective chemopreventive agent against skin cancer.33 This is excellent news, because skin cancer is also one of the most common cancers in the UK and the number of people who get it is increasing. The number of cases has more than doubled since the early 1980s. There are over 69,000 new cases of skin cancer diagnosed each year in the UK; many are not reported so the real number is probably much higher. Over 2,000 people die from skin cancer each year. The riveting fact is that there are proportionately more skin cancer deaths in the UK than in Australia, so it is likely there will be even greater interest and research into pomegranate’s super-fruits’ products coming from that quarter ere long. Just like TV Chef Rick Stein is following the canal system of France learning and sampling the delights of fresh regional food, pomegranate’s cancer curative properties and potential follow the human alimentary canal. Cancer of the mouth, once rare, is coming to be noticeable. Cancer of the esophagus has a more varied geographical distribution and incidence than any other commonly occurring cancer. Its incidence rate is increasing in many countries, especially among males. Although oesophageal cancer has been found to be associated with the consumption of alcohol and tobacco, particularly when combined, and in the last decade the role of nutrition and diet in the etiology34 of this disease has attracted worldwide attention, “Regions with a large incidence of this disease are generally located in poor parts of the world, and their inhabitants share several dietary characteristics. They subsist on a diet high in starch and almost without fresh fruit or vegetables, eat rapidly without sufficient mastication, and consume many foods and drinks such as tea at very high temperatures.”35 Unfortunately, in the West, diet and eating and drinking habits do in many instances comply with this dietary deficit pattern, but by choice! And again, in a dietary survey carried out as long ago as 1987 “in Mazanderan Province of the Caspian Littoral of Iran, where the inhabitants have the highest rate of esophageal cancer in the world, … they drink more tea at a much higher temperature [and] very little fruit and vegetables are consumed by [those] of the high-risk region, whereas inhabitants in the low-risk area keep vegetables and citrus fruits as an important part of their usual diets.” 36 Mouth cancer can affect the lips, tongue, cheeks and throat, which condition is also linked to poor diet! It kills 1,700 people in the UK every year, and some 4,300 new cases are diagnosed annually.37 Men are still twice as likely to develop mouth cancer, but it has also become increasingly common in women in the last 10 years.38 Whereas previously it was thought that older people were particularly vulnerable to the disease, binge drinking and smoking may be fuelling an increase in mouth cancer among young people.39 Anecdotally, in the Middle East, Iran and India, healers use the bark, leaves and skin and rind as well as the edible parts of pomegranate to cure everything from conjunctivitis to haemorrhoids e.g. a paste of the leaves massaged into the scalp is said to reverse baldness. However, it is a boiled infusion of pomegranate rinds is used to soothe a sore throat. This may give the clue to which way researchers could next advance on pomegranate whilst looking for a mouth cancer cure. Near the end of our journey along the alimentary canal, dietary CLA-rich pomegranate seed oil has been found to suppress colon carcinogenesis, which inhibition is associated in part with the increased content of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) in the colon and liver.40 Pomegranate General Assets Moving on down the alimentary canal, traditionally anti-diarrhoeal, pomegranate rind extract has been shown to have gastro-protective activity through its antioxidant mechanism.44 Mexican researchers tested antibacterial properties of aqueous and methanolic extracts of 26 medicinal plants used in Mexico to treat gastrointestinal disorders against eight different species of entero-pathogens which cause diarrhea and dysentery: two Escherichia coli species; two Shigella sonnei species; two Shigella flexneri species; and two Salmonella sp. species. Surprise, Surprise! Pomegranate possessed strong antibacterial activity against most of the pathogens tested.41 Plus, when screening was done of some fifty-four plants’ extracts of importance in the Ayurvedic system of traditional Indian medicine used to treat enteric diseases for their potential against multi-drug resistant Salmonella typhi, pomegranate showed strong antibacterial activity.42 Pomegranate is also one of eight plants tested by Australian researchers last year which may provide alternative but bioactive medicines for the treatment of the plaguey Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection.43 Indian animal studies have also evaluated the pomegranate seed extract and established it to be effective as an anti-diaorrhoeal agent.43A With regard to safe usage, in 2003 a Cuban research investigation focused on the toxicity evaluation of the whole pomegranate fruit (hydro-alcoholic) extract, which is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of respiratory diseases, because previous findings on the anti-influenza activity of pomegranate extracts had given support to the ethno-pharmacological application. It was concluded that any toxic effects of Punica granatum fruit extract occurred at higher doses than those effective in the models where the anti-viral activity has been studied or than those doses used in Cuban medicine.45 Earlier, when extracts of 13 Brazilian medicinal plants used in Brazilian folk medicine for the treatment of infectious diseases were screened for their antimicrobial activity against bacteria and yeasts, results found pomegranate showed good activity on Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and anti-candidal46A activity was detected. 46 Also, in the early 90s, plants used in Argentine folk medicine screened for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, commonly present on skin and mucous membranes which causes boils and abscesses, showed that pomegranate pericarp (outer rind) extract produced one of the more active results.47 In the wake of recent world shaking disasters, such as the Asian Tsunami around last Christmas, the more recent Katrina hurricane’s strike on New Orleans in America, the September earthquake in Peru and latest large earthquake in Pakistan, the fearful spectre of ‘cholera’ is always waiting at the gate to claim victims. Peruvian people in the popular treatment of diarrhea use natural products with good success. Accordingly, Peruvian scientists when testing several plants ‘in vitro’ on Vibrio cholerae, which causes cholera, found that tea infusion and the decoction of pomegranate peel showed the best bactericidal effect and it was suggested to use them to stop cholera spreading.48 Take Pomegranate to your Heart
Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) – Photo: Jo-Ann Ordano Copyright © 2004 California Academy of Sciences http://www.calacademy.org/research/library/manzanita/html/ With pomegranate having so many virtues, its place in ancient medicine and undergoing so much modern research all over the world, it is packing a heavy-weight punch. It is easy to see how any one particular plant, irrespective of where one is geographically domiciled, can take on the mantle of being a ‘panacea’ for all ills. In the case of pomegranate it may seem to be sailing very close to that wind, but it is really good stuff. Last but far from least, the good news is that pomegranate juice’s strength and power does go straight to the heart. Cancer is given much attention, but the bare fact is that heart attack and disease is still the UK’s biggest killer. We have one of the highest rates of death from heart disease in the world – one British adult dies from the disease every three minutes. Again, it is necessary to reiterate that the risk of heart disease is greater for people with poor diet who do not exercise, even though smoking, alcohol and drugs can play their part. There are also factors such as ‘ethnicity’ i.e. South Asians, those from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka’s have been found to be more vulnerable to coronary heart disease.49 Though men in general are more likely to suffer from heart disease than women, they are notoriously reluctant to visit a doctor and equally bad about taking medicine, therefore an easy preventive aid like drinking pomegranate juice daily to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease has particular man-appeal. The importance and power of pomegranates antioxidants, which can protect us against the oxidative stress of our industrialized world, such as pollution, chemicals, viruses and bacteria, and consequently cardiovascular diseases and cancer, can best be appreciated when the process of building plaque is understood. Plaque is the fatty substance that builds up inside your artery walls and eventually blocks the arteries. It begins when the endothelial cells that line your arteries are injured by oxidized LDL50 cholesterol; then, when clot formation is caused, it ends in heart attack. In a recent study, pomegranate juice was found to slow down cholesterol oxidation by almost half, and reduce the retention of disproportionate LDL cholesterol.51 The study’s volunteers all had heart disease and reduced blood flow to the heart. One group were given a 240ml glass of pomegranate juice daily and the other ‘placebo’ group a similarly coloured and flavoured drink. After three months the pomegranate juice drinkers attained a 17% increase in blood flow to the heart and were 35% better off overall. Conversely, the placebo group’s blood flow had worsened by around 18%. This significant improvement in blood flow to the heart suggests that pomegranate juice may have important clinical benefits for ameliorating heart disease and to help prevent it. Take pomegranate juice to heart, because drinking a glass of pomegranate juice every day improves the function of blood vessels, reduces the hardening of the arteries and improves heart health. COMMENT Pure pomegranate juice is expensive and therefore can be viewed as a medicinal daily tonic, rather than just juice. Before long it is highly likely that it will be flying off the supermarket shelves. When buying pomegranate juice be sure to go for one that is ‘pure’ and not overly processed, so that whatever goodness within it that could otherwise be obtained by doing the messy job of juicing the fruit for yourself is not extracted out, e.g. salvestrols. It is speculation, but with such good anti-carcinogenic reports an anticarcinogenic salvestrols content is highly likely. There are pomegranate extract capsules available in the UK, but it is a personal choice to use and get the most beneficial form of pomegranate obtainable. Pomegranate Juice, grenadine (light syrup) and molasses (heavy syrup) used in Mediterranean cooking can be bought on the Internet, however to incorporate the fruit itself into your diet is useful to health. There may not be a wealth of pomegranate food recipes that can be made from pomegranate products readily on offer in the UK as yet, except use for the ‘arils’ and juice, but this is likely to change with the growth of its popularity. A simple way to use the fruit is to sprinkle the little ruby arils over salads and breakfast cereals; pomegranate juice may be substituted for other liquids in cakes, or used in jellies and salsas (sauces), or used in stuffing such as for seasonal game or in glazes. It is a good opportunity to be innovative and do some creative cooking. References: Poem: From Lady Geraldine's Courtship, by Elizabeth Barrett Moulton Barrett, published in 1844, before marrying Robert Browning English Poet. http://www.florin.ms/pomegranate.html
01. ‘The Power of the Pom’ by Maggie Bright, The Mail on Sunday YOU Magazine, 10th July 2005.
02. ‘The Power of the Pom’ by Maggie Bright, The Mail on Sunday YOU Magazine, 10th July 2005. 03. Ibid. 04. Ibid.
24A. ‘Pomegranate flower improves cardiac lipid metabolism in a diabetic rat model: role of lowering circulating lipids. Huang TH, et al. Herbal Medicines Research and Education Centre, Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Br J Pharmacol. 2005 Jul; 145(6):767-74.
‘Differentiation-promoting activity of pomegranate (Punica granatum) fruit extracts in HL-60 human promyelocytic leukaemia cells.’ Kawaii S, Lansky EP. Laboratory of Bio-Organic Chemistry, Tokyo Denki Uv., Saitama. Japan. J Med Food. 2004 Spring; 7(1): 13-8.
‘Pomegranate (Punica granatum)
pure chemicals show possible synergistic inhibition of human PC-3 prostate
cancer cell invasion across Matrigel.’ Lansky EP, et al. Rimonest
Ltd. Haifa, Israel. Invest New Drugs. 2005 Mar; 23(2):121-2.
43A.’Studies on antidiarrhoeal activity of Punica granatum seed extract in rats.’ Das AK, et al. Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Jadavpur University, Calcutta, India. J Ethnopharmacol. 1999 Dec 15; 68(1-3):205-8.
Voravuthikunchai S, et al. School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia. J Ethnopharmacol. 2004 Sep; 94(1):49-54.
46A Candida: Any of the yeastlike imperfect fungi of the genus Candida.
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