Many parts of the persimmon can be used to treat certain illnesses
Persimmon is any of various tropical trees of the genus Diospyros. The fruit is edible when it is ripe, with a yellow-orange or red-orange color. The word Diospyros means “the fruit of God” in ancient Greek. The fruit has a high content of glucose, balanced protein profile and various medicinal properties.
In Vietnam, persimmon is grown in many regions. Apart from a fruit tree, many parts of the persimmon have long been used to cure some illnesses. The fruit contains catechin and gallocatechin tannins, and the anti-tumor compounds betulinic acid and shibuol.
In traditional Vietnamese medicine, persimmon pollen is used to relieve fever, constipation, phlegm and coughing. It can also relieve mouth, tongue and pharynx inflammations. Persimmon calyxes is used to treat nausea and flatulence. Persimmon leaves are used to lower high blood pressure, relieve inflammation and prevent arteriosclerosis and sleeplessness.
Remedies
To lower high blood pressure and prevent stroke, squeeze ripe, fresh persimmon fruit and mix the juice with milk. Drink the solution three times a day, half a cup each time.
Make a drink with dried persimmon fruit, lotus stems and the flowers of kinh gii (Schizonepeta tennifolia). Drink it with a little honey within 15 days, stop the therapy for a few days and repeat another 15-day therapy until hemophilia (a blood-coagulation disorder) disappears.
To treat hemorrhoids, simmer dried persimmon fruit and drink the broth twice a day. Or, prepare a porridge with dried persimmon fruit and eat it twice a day. Or, roast dried persimmon fruit and grind them; mix the persimmon powder with water and drink it thrice a day.
To treat dysentery, slice dried persimmon fruit, roast it and grind it into powder. Eat a teaspoonful of this powder with a little water, three times a day. This can also cure bleeding after coughing.
Simmer persimmon calyxes with a few slices of ginger. Drink the solution during the day to treat hiccups.
Mix persimmon pollen with a little eucalyptus powder, which is available at any herbal medicine shop, and apply onto the infected areas to treat lip or tongue ulcers.
It is recommended to eat persimmon fruit when it is completely ripe. Do not eat the fruit on an empty stomach.
