10 Reasons Why We Love Plums

Plum – Prunus Domestica

Plums are among my favorite fruits. I can say I’ve loved them since I was a little girl. My mother’s grandparents had an orchard with fruit trees and vines. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother in the orchard, either picking fruit together for sweets, or eating fresh fruit. Grandma also made a lot of cakes with these wonderful fruits.

The plum was brought to Europe by the Romans, originally from Persia and the Eastern Caucasus. In our country it has acclimatized very well, being the fruit tree with the highest weight. Since Antiquity, Plum is recognized for its high nutritional value and remarkable therapeutic properties. Pliny the Elder praises the laxative properties of the Plum, and prunes were recommended in ancient Greece. In the sec. XI – XII, these famous fruits are found in the prescriptions of the School of Salerno. In the sec. XVIII, the English Pharmacopoeia named The Plum as its medicine.

The main constituents of plums

The energy nutritional value of fresh plums is 58 to 62 kcal per 100 g pulp, and in dry state 249 kcal. Fresh, ripe plums contain about 80% water, 14 -15% carbohydrates, 0.6% protides, mineral salts (Na, K, Ca, P, Fe, Mg, Mn), of which potassium (210 mg% ) predominates, organic acids, mucilages, vitamins A, B1, B2, etc.

Plums are used in cosmetics

Plums can be used in cosmetics in the form of a mask for oily complexions with dilated pores. As we know the health of our body is reflected on the outside, an internal cure with these wonder fruits is also recommended. Plums have diuretic properties, nervous system stimulants, laxatives, hepatic decongestants and detoxifying. It is especially recommended in chronic constipation, both fresh and dry, soaked in water. It relieves inflammatory states of the liver.

Plums can be consumed as such, especially in the morning or at the beginning of the meal. To combat constipation we cold mace 200 g prunes (unsmoked) in water about 3 to 4 hours. This content is taken in the evening. Plum juice can also be prepared before meals. Externally you can prepare an astringent cosmetic mask with 5 to 6 crushed plums that leave 20 minutes on the face. Cleansing the skin with these wonder fruits is done both inside and outside. Ladies you will literally shine!

Love plums

More than 10 varieties of Plum are grown in our country. There is almost no house in the countryside that does not have a plum or two, most of which is grown in orchards. Did you know that Plum is also a good fixer of sloping soils? It prevents the washing of the ribs, fixes slippery land and thus avoidthe phenomenon of erosion.

Reasons why we love Plums:

1. Plums have strong energizing qualities. This is due to the sugars it contains that enhance the body’s energy capacity, stimulating the muscle and nervous system. Dried fruits have an energy capacity 5 times higher than fresh fruits and are recommended for athletes and those who work hard.
2. Plums are rich in vitamin C, each fruit contains 7% of the recommended daily intake. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that prevents cellular degradation, having an essential role in the metabolism of living cells, in the decomposition of adipose tissue and its transformation into energy.
3. Boosts memory – Consumption of at least 3 plums per day, helps to eliminate damaged cells that affect memory, through the abundance of antioxidants.
4. Beneficial for the diet – Plums are low in calories. Each fruit contains 30 calories. The daily diet is based on the consumption of 2000 calories.
5. I’m preventing heart disease. Plums are very low in fat, each fruit contains less than 0.2 grams. They do not contain saturated fats, there is no risk of heart attack by increasing cholesterol.
6. They’re full of good carbohydrates. Plums are consumed successfully in any diet. Beware, however, of prunes that have a higher concentration of carbohydrates and stimulate the pancreas to secrete insulin. Ideally, we should eat the plums fresh.
7. Very beneficial for the bones. Plums also contain vitamins (A, B1, B2, etc.), 80% water, carbon hydrates, proteins, mineral salts (Na, K, Ca, P, Fe, Mg, Mn), potassium (210 mg%), which helps to restore and grow bones.
8. Prevents cancer. By potassium content, blood pressure is kept under control, thus reducing the risk of strokes. The reddish pigment – bluish of plums, called anthocyanin, helps to prevent various types of cancer.
9. Treats constipation. This problem is increasingly common among adults. There are certain factors that favour it such as: poor nutrition in raw fruits and vegetables, predominant consumption of meat, sedentary lifestyle, lack of sport, etc.
10. Combat anemia. Vitamin C present in this wonder fruit, intervenes in the absorption of iron in the digestive organs, playing an indireact role in the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency anemia.

Observations

In folk medicine, high alcoholic strength is used for “plamades”, i.e. for maceration of medicinal plants, a popular form of tinctures.

Did you know that plum leaves also have diuretic and laxative properties like fruit? In addition, there are also febrifuges and deworming (against oxides and limbrics). Use empirically in the form of decoction (boiling 10-15 minutes), one tablespoon per cup.

Plums can be eaten fresh, but especially in the form of compotes, sweetness, jam, magium, in winter being an ideal dessert for every meal.