10 Incredible Wood Apple (Bael) Benefits – Bodywise

There’s a chance that you may not have heard about wood apples yet. Therefore, in this blog, you will learn more about wood apples and their incredible benefits. When asked about summer fruits, the most common answers include mango, watermelon, and wood apple.

Wood apple is called bael in Northern India. The fruit is like a piece of heaven and helps prevent sunstrokes and other health issues during summers. Botanically, every part of a wood apple is fruitful and good for the body, and it is rich in vitamins, fibre, etc. Keep reading to learn more!

What Is Wood Apple?

Wood Apple is a sacred fruit cultivated in India and majorly found in Sri Lanka, Thailand and many other regions of Southern Asia. Featuring a tough shell, it smells somewhat like blue cheese combined with overripe bananas. Its interior looks like banana pudding featuring dark brown pulp containing resinous hairy seeds. It has a peculiar sour taste, and therefore it is a preferred ingredient to make jams and chutneys.

It is also known as Curd fruit, Elephant apple, and ‘Monkey Fruit.’ Limonia Acidissima is a wood apple scientific name.

Nutritional Value of Wood Apple (Per 100g)

• Energy-134Ecals
• Protein-7gm
• Fat-4gm
• Mineral-2gm
• Fibre-5gm
• Carbohydrates-18gm
• Calcium-130mg
• Phosphorous- 110 mg

Wood Apple Scientific Name

The scientific name of wood apple is limonia acidissima, popularly called the elephant apple.

Wood Apple Benefits

Here take a glance at wood apple benefits.

• Wood Apple is believed to be highly efficient against sunstroke and many more summer-related health issues.
• Wood apple contains tannin and phenolic compounds that are enriched with antioxidant properties and, therefore, helpful against piles and ulcers. It further helps in combating diarrhoea, dysentery and many more.
• Wood apples are equipped with riboflavin and thiamine chemicals, so they effectively detoxify the body. Its juice reduces all kinds of kidney problems while keeping the gut healthy.
• Wood apples are recognised for expectorant properties, and so they are believed to be effective against an array of respiratory health conditions like asthma, bronchitis and sore throat.
• It increases immunity to combat viral, fungal and bacterial infections.
• It contains laxative properties due to being rich in fibre and therefore helps manage constipation and indigestion naturally.
• When combined with jaggery, it averts loss of energy and fatigue.
• Wood apple leaves, when boiled and consumed, relieves high blood pressure.
• Enriched with vitamin C, wood apple thwart the growth of scurvy (bleeding gums).
• Wood Apple is reckoned as a blood purifier as it purifies the blood and removes toxins from the kidney and liver.
• Wood apple prevents the growth of diabetes by managing the flow of sugars in the bloodstream. Besides, it also plays an important role in controlling the life-threatening spikes in sugar levels.

Wood Apple Benefits for Skin

• Wood Apple features a content of phenolic compounds known as antioxidants. This is competent in healing damaged cells triggered by free radicals.
• Wood Apple contains antioxidants that help delay the skin ageing process, thereby maintaining the skin’s youthfulness for a longer time.
• Wood apples anti-bacterial properties help deal with various skin issues and skin infections and promote skin health.

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Wood Apple Benefits for Hair

Wood apples boost hair growth. The antimicrobial nature helps treat a range of hair and scalp infections. They include itching, dandruff and folliculitis.

• It nourishes follicles of the hair due to containing essential nutrients.
• It enhances the circulation of blood while strengthening the strands of hair from the roots.
• It normalises the stress hormone-related secretion, which leads to the prevention of hair breakage and hair fall due to anxiety and stress.

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Wood Apple Benefits in Pregnancy

The potassium in wood apple helps regulate the level of fluid and electrolytes in a pregnant woman’s body and thereby helps keep pregnancy complications at bay. Also, it is competent in relieving constipation that is a common health condition in pregnancy.

What Does Wood Apple Fruit Taste Like?

Wood apple pulp has a sour, sweet taste with an acidic flavour. It has hints of sugar in desserts and spices in savoury foods. Overall, it is a refreshing food option.

Wood Apple Uses

Uses as Food

Wood apple is used as a beverage or ice cream. It is majorly used to make jams and chutneys.

Wood apple medicinal uses

• Wood Apple is used as a cardiac and liver tonic.
• It is used to control diarrhoea.
• It is used to treat sore throat, hiccough, and varied gums related diseases.
• The powdered rind, when mixed with honey, helps to provide relief from diarrhoea and dysentery in children.
• Pulp derived from the roots, leaves, fruit and bark of Wood Apple is used against snakebite.

Other Uses

• The gum obtained from branches and trunk of Wood Apple is used in making ink, varnish, dyes and watercolours.
• The wood obtained from Wood Apple is used for varied construction purposes, agricultural implements, carvings, rollers for mills, pattern-making and many more products. It is also used as fuel.

Wood Apple Side Effects

Excessive consumption of Wood Apple results in abdomen flatulence; hence people with gastric problems must be cautious about the intake quantity.

• Wood Apple regular consumption without a gap leads to contraction of abdominal muscles while creating pressure in the stomach.
• Thyroid patients must avoid wood apple juice as it may aggravate the condition.

Conclusion

Wood apples help to boost your immunity,  treat viral, fungal and bacterial infections. It contains fibre; therefore, it has laxative properties, which helps with digestive issues such as constipation and indigestion.

Here’s a pro tip: Mix wood apple with jaggery. This combination acts as an energy retainer and reduces fatigue, so incorporate it in your diet and see how it works for you.

FAQ’s

Can We Eat Wood Apple Daily?

Yes, wood apple can be eaten daily. Wood apple is rich in thiamine and riboflavin; these substances work wonders in cleansing the body. Consuming wood apple juice helps maintain good gut health and eliminates kidney problems.

Does Wood Apple Increase Weight?

No, there is no such evidence stating that wood apples effectively increase height. However, wood apples are rich in fibre which can reduce bloating and help get rid of initial water weight in the body. Lastly, wood apple juice can work as an energy drink too.

So, Is Wood Apple Safe to Eat?

Yes, wood apples are usually safe to eat. Consult a doctor if you have any allergies or health implications.

References

https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/wood-apple-fruit

https://recipes.timesofindia.com/articles/health/12-fantastic-facts-about-bael-or-wood-apple-that-makes-it-the-best-summer-fruit/photostory/63285043.cms

https://www.hort.purdue.edu/