Along with the many cashew benefits, it is among the most highly praised nuts. Because they are produced in tropical climates, it increases their value and attractiveness.
Cashew Scientific Facts
- Scientific name – Anacardium occidentale L.
- Other names – Cashew apple, cashew fruit, cashew nut.
- French – Anacarde, pomme de cajou.
- Spanish – Anacardo.
- German – Cashewkerne
- Description – The cashew is the seed of the fruit of the cashew tree (‘Anacardium occidentale’ L.), a tree of the botanical family Anacardiaceae that reaches 9 to 12 meters in height.
- Environment – Cashews are cultivated in hot climates worldwide, particularly in Central America and the Amazon delta. It has been recently introduced in India, Madagascar, and Tanzania. It has not yet been acclimated to Southern Europe.
Cashew Benefits
Cashew nuts are oil-bearing nuts with a sweet, enjoyable taste. It is rich in linoleic and oleic, unsaturated fatty acids and vitamins such as B1 and B2, as well as magnesium (260 mg/100 grams), potassium, iron, phosphorus, and pantothenic acid.
It is well-known for its magnesium content, one of the greatest in the vegetable kingdom, bettered only by sunflower seeds (354 mg/100 grams). Meat, milk, and eggs are poor in magnesium, none exceeding 24 mg/100 grams).
MAGNESIUM is involved in various metabolic functions, particularly the transmission of nerve impulses. It lack produces nervousness and irritability, and even cramps and spasms. Since cashews are extraordinarily rich in magnesium and vitamin B1 and B2 (superior to almonds and walnuts), which are also essential for nervous stability, their use is recommended in cases of:
- Nervousness, irritability, depression, weakness, and abdominal tiredness.
- Spasms in hollow organs: the colon (irritable bowel), the uterus (dysmenorrhea), or the coronary arteries (angina pectoris).
How to use Cashews
- Roasted nut – These are eaten with or without salt, much like peanuts or any other nut.
- Fleshy fruit (the stalk on which the nut grows): This fleshy, sour stalk is eaten in complete marmalade or juice. The juice must be drunk immediately to get the cashew benefits since it is challenging to preserve.
REFERENCES
George D. Pamplona-Roger, M.D. “Encyclopedia of Foods and Their Healing Power.” George D. Pamplona-Roger, M.D. Encyclopedia of Foods and Their Healing Power. Trans. Annette Melgosa. Vol. 2. Chai Wan: Editorial Safeliz, 2005. 40. Print. [cashew benefits]
