The Date Palm is known to man from time immemorial as they have been found in the reports of the excavations of some of the oldest civilization. This commercial date palm belongs to the plant family Arecaceae or Palmae. It is a tall tree attaining a height of 30-36 metres with pinnate leaves and an open crown. With the modern scientific techniques, shorter palms and better yielding varieties have been successfully developed.The trunk of the tree is covered with the persistent basis of the petioles of the old fallen leaves or leaves that have been cut down. The base of the tree is surrounded by a dense mass of root suckers. The leaves are greyish-green and the pinnae are 20-40 cm.long and regularly distichous. Sweet-scented male and female flowers are found on one plant. Fruits are oblong, generally reddish or golden brown when ripe and the pulp is sweet and fleshy. The seeds are cylindrical in shape with a longitudinal furrow in front.
MEDICINAL USE:
*Leprosy, asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis and fevers.
*Sore eyes or stye.
*Sexual debility.
*Constipation and indigestion.
*General weakness.
*Cough and throat disorder.
HOW TO USE:
*The consumption of a handful of dates everyday helps in controlling leprosy, asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis and fevers.
*To take care the sore eyes, rub the seed of a date fruit on a rough surface with water and apply the paste obtained over the eyelid. To avoid infection of the eye in the process, one must make sure that the rough surface used and everything else is spotlessly clean.
*To assist in sexual debility, mix 4-6 dates and one-tablespoon of palm sugar (Borassus flabelliformis) in a cup of warm goat's milk and drink every day.
*To take care of constipation and indigestion, take 4-5 dates of bedtime and drink a glass of warm water every day till you get rid of the ailment.
*To counter general weakness, add 4-5 crushed dates without the seeds into a glass of hot milk. To this add a pinch of turmeric, a pinch of cardamon powder and one teaspoon of honey. Drink this daily at bedtime.
*To control cough and throat disorder, make a paste by grinding equal parts of dates, raisins, black pepper and long pepper. Take one teaspoon of this paste and mix it in one teaspoon of honey. Take this mixture two or three times a day.
PARTS USED:
*Fruits and seeds.
DOSE:
As recommended above.
Normal Dosage For:
Adults: 4 or 5 cups a day.
Aged 6 to 9 years: 2 cups a day
Aged 2 to 5 years: 1 cup a day
1 to 2 years: 1/2 cup a day
Below 1 year: 1/4 or less cup a day
A Useful Table for Quick Measurements:
1 tbsp = 5 grams (green herb)
1 dessertspoon = 2 grams (dry herb)
1 teaspoon = 25 drops
1 cup = 16 tbsp
1 litre = 7 or 8 cups