The pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a deciduous shrub with small, dark-green leaves, and long protective thorns. It comes originally from the Himalayas or Iran and is found in the Mediterranean region and along the Silk Road towards Afghanistan and China. It is a hardy plant which can live for hundreds of years and produces red flowers and large berries the size of an apple. These have a tough, dry peel full of flesh-covered seeds. The pomegranate is mostly used to make sweet desserts or juice, but it is also made into syrups and wine.

The seeds are demulcent, which means that they relieve irritation, and are therefore good for treating an inflamed digestive system. The rind is astringent and has been used to treat dysentery throughout history, and I recall a Moroccan friend once telling me his grandmother would go to the market to buy the rind for treating the children if they had a loose bowel. The bark of the tree can also be used to kill tapeworm. Dioscorides says that the calyx can be made into a decoction to be used as a mouthwash for treating loose teeth and flabby gums.¹

The pomegranate is considered a ‘power fruit’ because it contains three times the amount of antioxidants as red wine or green tea. The peel is especially high in polyphenols such as ellagitannins, ellagic acid, and other flavonoids particularly quercetin, kaempferol, and luteolinglycosides. These substances are responsible for pomegranate’s strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. The red colour is caused by anthocyanins such as delphinidin, cyanidin, and pelargonidin glycosides. Pomegranate also contains good levels of vitamin C, vitamin K, and to a lesser extent B-vitamins.

When eaten regularly, compounds in pomegranate have a prophylactic effect on bowel health, helping to prevent dysbiosis by interacting with the gut microflora. Specifically, ‘pomegranate byproducts and punicalagins inhibit the growth of certain pathogenic organisms such as Clostridia species, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but encourage Bifidobacterium breve and Bifidobacterium infantis as well as the production of short chain fatty acids.’² Pomegranate is also active against Candida.³

They also reduce inflammation in the gut which is associated with food sensitivities and increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut). Extracts have also been found to reduce Helicobacter pylori activity associated with ulcer formation.⁴

Furthermore, bioactive compounds in pomegranate help reduce weight, serum triglycerides, blood glucose, LDL oxidation, as well as improve insulin sensitivity, making it a valuable addition to the diet for anyone with metabolic syndrome. Pomegranate has also demonstrated an ability to treat aspects of cardiovascular disease in modern clinical trials: the juice can reverse carotid artery stenosis, reduce carotid intima thickness, as well as lower blood pressure when taken over a three year period.⁵

Polyphenols in pomegranate also display anticancer activity in the laboratory, in fact, most ‘chemo-preventative agents are antioxidant in nature.’ In clinical trials, pomegranate has demonstrated anti-proliferative, anti-invasive, anti-metastatic activity, as well as protecting cells against DNA damage.⁶

References:

1.         Dioscorides P. De Materia Medica. South Africa: Ibidis; 2000.

2.         Viladomiu M, Hontecillas R, Lu P, Bassaganya-Riera J. Preventive and prophylactic mechanisms of action of pomegranate bioactive constituents. Evid-Based Complement Altern Med ECAM 2013;2013:789764.

3.         Höfling JF, Anibal PC, Obando-Pereda GA, et al. Antimicrobial potential of some plant extracts against Candida species. Braz J Biol Rev Brasleira Biol 2010;70:1065–8.

4.         Colombo E, Sangiovanni E, Dell’agli M. A review on the anti-inflammatory activity of pomegranate in the gastrointestinal tract. Evid-Based Complement Altern Med ECAM 2013;2013:247145.

5.         Sreekumar S, Sithul H, Muraleedharan P, Azeez JM, Sreeharshan S. Pomegranate fruit as a rich source of biologically active compounds. BioMed Res Int 2014;2014:686921.

6.         Turrini E, Ferruzzi L, Fimognari C. Potential Effects of Pomegranate Polyphenols in Cancer Prevention and Therapy. Oxid Med Cell Longev 2015;2015:938475.