The Black Plum

The summers and the monsoons in India are significant for a variety of fruits such as watermelon,mango,papaya,guava,plum,grapes,pineapple and litchi.The markets are flooded with these fruits.One important fruit during this season is the Black Plum,also called the Malabar plum or the Java plum.It is often incorrectly called as "BlackBerry ",which is a different fruit altogether.

Scientifically, the Black Plum is called Syzygium cumin.It is called 'Jamun' in Hindi and 'Jamu' in Assamese.The Black Plum is a large evergreen tree which is much branched and grows from 5 to 20 meters tall having trunk diameter of 60 to 90 cm.Fruits are green which turns to pale greenish to pink to deep purplish to black when ripe.The fruits are small and oval in shape.The fruit has a combination of sweet mildly sour and astringent flavor and when eaten tends to color the tongue purple.The Black Plum tree grows naturally in India,Himalayas,Malaysia,Sri Lanka and Australia. It got introduced to Africa,South America,Brazil,Florida,Hawaii and Fiji.

The tree as a whole is very beneficial be it the fruit,leaves,seed,bark or the trunk.The fruit is loaded with vitamins and minerals.Let's take a look of the vitamins-vitamin A,C,K,,B1B2,B3,B6 ,E and folate.The minerals found are potassium,fluoride,iron ,calcium,zinc,magnesium and phosphorus. The fruit is rich in dietary fiber and offer very low calories without any harmful fats.Plup is astringent,juicy,white to pale lavender in color with one large and green seed.

The interesting fact about this Black Plum is the whole lot of nutritional,medicinal and commercial benefits we can derive from this plant.It is helpful for both cure and prevention of heart disease,cancer,asthma,diabetes,anemia,digestive issues,skin problems and arthritis.Black plum with low glycemic index is very beneficial for diabetic patients.
#Black plum reduces frequent urination and thrusting.
#It helps to convert starch into energy and keep blood sugar level in check.

Commercially, as the wood of black plum is water resistance,it is used in building houses, railway slippers and agricultural implements.Leaves are used as fodder for sheep, cow and goat..Flowers are rich in nectar which attracts bees and produce a high quality honey.

So, black plum is a very nutritional seasonal fruit,just make it a part of your diet .There is a whole lot of product based on this fruit such as jam,jelly,juices,tonics and medicines which can be bought online.I am giving the link below-

https://amzn.to/2FtmzrW