golden gooseberry
Most of us think of tablets, injections, syrups and topical ointments when we think of health remedies. However, if take a good look at the brightest corner of nature, we will realize that there are plenty of remedies to be found. And the best part is, most of these are easily available. We can prepare several herbal medicines to form our kitchen shelf. We can use several fruits that act as a blessing to our health.
Various fruits have benefits that we are not aware of. These provide nutrients and are the source of vitamins in ample quantity. If we know and have these on regular basis, we may remain healthy and live longer. Today, we are going to discuss the importance and health benefits of one such fruit- golden gooseberry.
Overview
Properties of golden gooseberry.
The golden berries also called cape gooseberry are globular in shape and the size remains 1 to 2 cm in diameter. These are born encased in a tan husk that has a beautiful lantern-like shape. The skin is waxy at the start and might be a bit sticky when you remove them from the husk. This also relates to its smooth and taut consistency. In certain cases, the skin color changes from green to orange when the fruit starts to ripen. There is aqueous flesh underneath the skin. Many crunchy cream-colored seeds are found inside the fruit. The flavor is sweet to tart. One can identify it as the same as the cherry tomatoes having some sweet notes like strawberry and some tangy ones such as pineapple. It also resembles in taste mango and vanilla and even Meyer lemon.
Cultivating facts
Usually, cape gooseberries are fruits that are available all around the year. The peak season in most of the places is through late summer until fall. Golden gooseberries are sweet and tangy fruits. They belong to the Solanaceae family, also called as nightshade family. They have various names such as husk cherry, physalis Peruvian, poha berry and Peruvian ground cherry. They are native to the south American continent. However, they are grown worldwide and their cultivation has been neutralized in many regions of the world. The berries are closely related to tomatoes but are very different from common gooseberry. People use these fruits for many purposes depending on the type of region they are growing in. they are also seen as a valuable addition to cuisines and an important export crop. Golden gooseberry is also a kind of niche crop. Many farmers in different parts of the world grow them for local markets and consumption as a fresh ingredients. They are used in salads, chutneys, sauces, spices, pickles, etc.
Geographical factors
The golden gooseberries are Brazil natives. They became a neutral crop with the Chilean and Peruvian highland regions in earlier times. Incas family are the first cultivators of the fruit. In 1774, England saw the popularity of the fruit growing worldwide. They asked to bring the fruit from the explorers returning from New World. The berries then got popular in South Africa around the year 1807. After this, it got spread like wildfire and cultivation became in different parts. The harvest was soon popular in tropical and temperate regions, especially in the 20th century. Nowadays, they are a popular choice of fruit in various local markets of China, India, Asia, the Philippines and Malaysia. They are also very common in Australia, New Zealand, South America, Hawaii, Florida and even the Caribbean islands.
Naming
The word golden gooseberry came from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. This is when people started calling it cape gooseberry. The fruit at that time was prevalent in jams. Also, at that time, the fruit was imported widely in canned form. When they increased in popularity, they spread to other parts of Australia and local Australians gave the fruit the name as it where the fruit was originally from. The name became popular and is to date, one of the most prominent ones used worldwide.
Uses
Since you have had enough knowledge about golden gooseberry, it’s time to get down to the real thing. The benefits of this miraculous fruit are great and everyone should embrace it. Let’s know what it has to offer to our health.
Improvement in skin
When you are taking cape gooseberry, you are taking in lots of water. Yes, just like tomatoes, the berries are full of water content. Additionally, it has a high content of antioxidants and vitamin C. This helps in making our skin glow from within. Many people know that our skin becomes prone to acne and other problems when free radicals are not allowed to leave our bodies. For normal people, free radicals are the extra substances that are formed as a result of various reactions in our bodies. These free radicals often cause the accumulation of gasses, substances and even pus on our skin, leading to acne.
When you consume golden gooseberry, the free radicals are destroyed by antioxidants. The antioxidants work to kill the radicals or make them dissolve in our bodies. This helps in the prevention of certain skin problems in our bodies.
Having few ounces of berries in the form of juice or slices provides benefits for our skin. One can also have them with boiled water to get better effects.
Loss in weight
Many people who are strictly following a diet routine look for various methods to regulate their calorie intake. Well, you will be happy to know that golden gooseberries present perfect options. These are very low in calories and high in nutritional values. They contain lots of vitamins and nutrients that required our body to increase our stamina and strength. And this comes with a very low consumption of calories. Hence, it aids in weight loss as well. You can opt for gooseberry salads or jams or any other formulations to keep up with your diet regime.
Control of blood pressure
One may think about how a natural product help forestalls hypertension. But surprisingly, this is indeed a fact. The natural product i.e., golden gooseberry is supposed to be a decent regulator of hypertension in humans. This occurs as it comprises phytochemicals. The significant ones are polyphenols and carotenoids. Physalis likewise contains potassium which is a decent pulse controller. The bio-substance compounds and their combination are acceptable to the point that the organic product likewise helps in controlling our body’s cholesterol levels and control blood pressure