Watermelon

Watermelon: introduction

Propagated as the passion fruit and even compared to viagra, watermelon should be appreciated for other properties, much more credited and true. But in the course of the article we will also address this presumed, mystical and extraordinary potential of watermelon, deepening its general characteristics, its botanical peculiarities, its nutritional composition and its uses in the herbalist and phytotherapeutic fields.

General characters

As for the melon, the watermelon is the protagonist of the summer, a thirst-quenching, refreshing and low-calorie fruit, capable of ensuring a precious, as much as abundant, water supply.

Watermelon is also commonly called watermelon, and in botany is called Cucumis citrullus or Citrullus vulgaris . The watermelon is distinguished from the other fruits by its massive dimensions, and clearly by its weight, which sometimes reaches even 20 kilos: however, the quality of the fruit is not always proportional to its weight.

Watermelon or watermelon?

The term watermelon, although more similar to the scientific name of the fruit, is typical of the central and southern regions of Italy, while in the North it is preferred to call the fruit "watermelon".

The strange and at the same time funny fact is that both terms - "watermelon" and "watermelon" - are rooted in antiquity, and both are linked to cucumber: "watermelon" in fact, comes from the Latin cucumis, while "watermelon "Originates from the ancient Greek angurion, whose meanings refer, precisely, to" cucumber ".

Botanical analysis

Watermelon is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Curcubitaceae family, typical of southern and tropical Africa. The stem, herbaceous and climbing, is lying down and reaches considerable lengths, sometimes even exceeding 10 meters; the leaves are large, hairy, incised and trilobed. The flowers are both feminine and masculine, while the massive, heavy and voluminous fruits have a round or oval shape. The seeds, hidden in the red, sugary and very sweet pulp of the watermelon, can be black, yellowish or white, with a typical drop shape.

The exterior of the watermelon, the bark, is hard, and has a bright green color streaked with light green slabs or spotted with yellowish or white patches: the rind is not edible.

Nutritional characteristics

As we have seen, the watermelon falls into the category of the most refreshing and refreshing foods ever: so much so that it is made up of over 93% water, and provides very few calories (only 16 per 100 grams of product, even less than with melon). In the watermelon there are approximately 3.7 grams of sugar per fruit pound, 0.4 protein and 0.2 fiber.

For the reasons listed above, watermelon is an excellent ally in low-calorie diets; however, excessive consumption is not recommended for diabetic patients.

Watermelon is a source of antioxidant vitamins (A and C), vitamins of group B (B6) and mineral salts, in particular potassium, phosphorus and magnesium (respectively 112, 11 and 10 mg / 100g of product).

Therapeutic properties

If a thirst quencher is a property, then the watermelon is the progenitor among the fruits, considering the enormous quantity of water present in it.

Also the purifying property is perfectly suited to the watermelon: so much so that for some African peoples, the beciuani, the fruit is exalted even as a sacred and purifier. [taken from //it.wikipedia.org/]

The purifying activity of the watermelon is directly related to the diuretic activity: by stimulating diuresis, the elimination of excess waste is in fact promoted in the body.

The modest amount of mineral salts and vitamins present in the watermelon is a useful natural remedy - albeit a bland one - against states of tiredness, physical fatigue and stress, typical of the summer months. Being rich in potassium, the watermelon is also recommended for people who complain of summer disorders related to alteration of the osmotic pressure, water retention, neuromuscular excitability and slight alterations of the rhythmicity of the heart.

Due to the presence of vitamins, antioxidant substances and carotenoids, the watermelon is one of the fruits studied by the research in recent years as a possible - but not yet proven - remedy in the prevention of tumors.

The watermelon, to be consumed preferably between meals because it tends to slow down digestion, provides a certain feeling of satiety: in this regard, it is an excellent aid to keep hunger under control in those people who, failing to control it, tend to overfeed .

Watermelon seeds have mild laxative properties.

Watermelon against erectile dysfunction?

Many praise watermelon as the panacea for male sexual disorders, comparing it to viagra or even celebrating this summer fruit as more potent than Cialis. We must make things clear.

First of all, a part of the truth has been demonstrated: the watermelon contains citrulline, an "aphrodisiac" amino acid because it is able to dilate blood vessels, thus favoring an erection.

Once in the body, the citrulline turns into arginine, able to stimulate both the immune and cardio-circulatory systems: in the latter case, through a vasodilation, it promotes greater elasticity in the blood vessel wall.

The "problem" is that the citrulline is not found in the juicy and sugary pulp of the watermelon, rather in the white part, commonly set aside: the myth of watermelon collapses as a remedy for erectile dysfunction.

However, the citrulline contained in the watermelon, a potential natural substitute for future Viagra, does not generate the same side effects triggered by the drug.

Currently, the researchers have set themselves the goal of genetically modifying the fruit, as long as the citrulline can reach a considerable concentration even in the pulp of the watermelon.