Hindi Name:
Imli
Botanical Name:
Tamarindus indica L
Parts
Used
Most parts –
The tamarind is very
useful. The seeds,
fruit, leaves,
flowers and bark are
all used medicinally
as well as for other
uses.
Origin:
The Tamarind,
scientific name
Tamarin-dus indica
is the only species
of the genus
Tamarindus in the
family Fabaceae. It
is a tropical tree,
native to eastern
Africa, including
parts of the
Madagascar dry
deciduous forests.
It grows wild
throughout the Sudan
but has now been
introduced into most
of tropical Asia as
well as Latin
America and the
Caribbean. The tree
can grow up to 20m
in height, and stays
evergreen in regions
without a dry
season. Tamarind
timber consists of
hard, dark red
heartwood and
softer, yellowish
sapwood. The leaves
consist of 10-40
leaflets. The
flowers are produced
in racemes. The
fruit is a brown
pod-like legume,
which contains a
soft pulp and many
hard-coated seeds.
The seeds can be
scarified to enhance
germination. The
fruit pulp is edible
and popular. It is
used as a spice in
both Asian and Latin
American cuisines,
and is also an
important ingredient
in Worcestershire
sauce.
Description:
Tamarind (Imli)
fruit is used for
its tart sour taste.
It especially used
in South Indian
cuisine in dishes
such as Sambhar,
Rasam, etc.
Nowadays, it is
common to find
Tamarind (Imli)
fruit pulp in the
Indian grocery
stores. You may
substitute Tamarind
(Imli) with lime if
unavailable, but
expect minor change
in taste.
Plant Description
Tamarind is the sour
fruit pod of a tall,
semi-evergreen tree
which grows widely
in the tropics and
particularly in
India. Tamarind
trees reach a height
of 30 m and are
topped with a crown
of feathery foliage.
Their grey bark clad
trunks can grow up
to 2 m in diameter.
Leaves - long
and feathery. Each
leaf is equally
divided into many
smaller, finely-cut
leaflets.
Flowers -
yellow and streaked
with pink. They are
shaped like small
sweet peas and smell
sweet. They dangle
in small clusters
from the ends of
leafy twigs during
March to May in
India.
Fruits -
brown, fleshy pods
that are fibrous,
thick and sticky.
They are sausage
shaped and covered
in faint fuzz, like
a kiwi fruit. Inside
they contain a
sharp-tasting pulp
and several flat
shiny brown seeds.
They are an
important food used
to provide a sour
flavouring for
drinks, sauces,
curries, preserves
and chutney. In
India the pods are
ripe for harvesting
from April to June.
Imli (Tamarind) in
Other Languages
English
Tamarind
Hindi
imli
Gujarati
amli
Marathi
chinch
Telugu
chintachettu
Tamil
puli
Kannada
hunase
Culinary uses
The taste of
tamarind is very
sour especially its
pulp. The ripe fruit
is a little less
bitter, thus when
sweetened can be
used in a very well
known sweet drink ,
drank by the
Egyptians from a
long time ago.
The pulp of the
fruit is used as a
spice both in Asian
as well as in Latin
American cuisine,
and is also an
important ingredient
to Worcestershire
sauce and HP sauce.
The pulp of a young
fruit is very sour,
and hence suitable
for main dishes.
Tamarind pulp
concentrate is
popular as a
flavoring in east
Indian and middle
eastern cuisine.
It's used to season
full flavored foods
such as chutney,
curry dishes and
pickled fish.
Whereas in a ripened
fruit, Tamarind is
also used to make a
sweet syrup
flavoring for soft
drinks and can be
used in desserts, or
as a snack.
Tamarinds in Indian
cookery is an
important ingredient
in curries and
chutneys, and makes
a delicious sauce
for duck, geese and
water fowl, and in
Western India is
used for pickling
fish, Tamarind fish
being considered a
great delicacy.
Varieties of
Tamarind
There are several
varieties of
tamarind. Some yield
fruits that are very
sweet, without the
slightest trace of
sour. These sweet
varieties command a
high price at the
market and are sold
in their ripened
pods to be eaten
fresh as fruits. The
province of
Petchaboon in
northeastern
Thailand is known
for its sweet
tamarind (makahm
wahn). Each year,
when the fruit comes
into season during
the dry months, a
Sweet Tamarind Fair
is held with lots of
festivities and lots
of delicious
tamarind to sample
and take home.
During this time of
year, bags of the
plump brown pods are
peddled around by
street hawkers as
well as piled among
colorful fruits at
fruit stands across
the country. The
prized good-eating
varieties even find
their way into
prepackaged gift
baskets sold in
modern Bangkok
supermarkets,
alongside imported
fruits, canned goods
and chocolates.
More common
varieties produce
tart fruits that
vary from
sweet-and-sour to
mouth-puckering
sour. The less sour
ones – removed from
their brittle pods
and coated with a
mixture of salt,
sugar and crushed
chillies – are a
delight to nibble.
They wake up the
mouth, get the
juices flowing and
temporarily quench
thirst. Others are
cooked in syrup with
their seeds strained
out and made into
candied tamarind.
They are great for
the digestive tract
and have a mild,
natural laxative
effect.
Additionally,
tamarind is believed
to possess blood
purifying
properties.
Tamarind
juice is a mild
laxative.
Tamarind is used to
treat bile disorders
Tamarind
lowers cholesterol
Tamarind promotes a
healthy heart
The pulp, leaves and
flowers, in various
combinations, are
applied on painful
and swollen joints.
Tamarind is use as a
gargle for sore
throats, and as a
drink to bring
relief from
sunstroke.
The heated juice is
used to cure
conjunctivitis. Eye
drops made from
tamarind seeds may
be a treatment for
dry eye syndrome.
Tamarind seed
polysaccharide is
adhesive, enabling
it to stick to the
surface of the eye
longer than other
eye preparations.
Tamarind is used as
a diuretic remedy
for bilious
disorders, jaundice
and catarrh.
Tamarind is a good
source of
antioxidants that
fight against
cancer.
Tamarind reduces
fevers and provides
protection against
colds. Make an
infusion by taking
one ounce of pulp,
pour one quart of
boiling water over
this and allow to
steep for one hour.
Strain and drink
tepid with little
honey to sweeten.
This will bring down
temperature by
several degrees.
Tamarind helps the
body digest food
Tamarind applied to
the skin to heal
inflammation
The red outer
covering of the seed
is an effective
remedy against
diarrhea and
dysentery.
Juice extracted from
the flowers is given
internally for
bleeding piles.
Medicinal use
Medicinal uses of
Tamarind are many
and it is used
extensively in the
Indian system of
medicine, Ayurveda.
Tamarind
preparations are
universally
recognized as
refrigerants in
fevers and as
laxatives and
carminatives. Alone,
or in combination
with lime juice,
honey, milk, dates,
spices or camphor,
the pulp is
considered effective
as a digestive, even
for elephants, and
as a remedy for
biliousness and bile
disorders, and as an
antiscorbutic. In
native practice, the
pulp is applied on
inflammations, is
used in a gargle for
sore throat and,
mixed with salt, as
a liniment for
rheumatism. It is,
further,
administered to
alleviate sunstroke,
Datura poisoning,
and alcoholic
intoxication.
History:
The tamarind
originated many
centuries ago in the
Old World tropics
spreading to other
regions warm enough
to continue its
growth. Today
tamarind is very
popular in the
Middle East, Africa,
Asia and Latin
America. In the
United States, it is
commonly known as an
important ingredient
in Worcestershire
sauce.
Dosage:
Adults (18 years
and older):
There is no proven
safe or effective
dose of tamarind.
However, 10 grams
daily for up to
three weeks has been
used to delay the
progression of
fluorosis by
enhancing excretion
of fluoride. As a
laxative, 10-50
grams of tamarind
paste as fermented
fruit cubes has been
used.
Children
(younger than 18
years):
There is no proven
safe or effective
dose of tamarind in
children. However,
10 grams daily for
up to three weeks
has been used to
delay the
progression of
fluorosis by
enhancing excretion
of fluoride.
Quality Assurance
As we believe in
providing quality
products that are
close to nature, we
conduct various
stringent quality
tests under the
supervision of the
experts. These tests
are performed with
due care from the
very initial stage
of procurement of
the products to the
final stage of
delivery to the end
users.
Packaging
We also provide
reliable packaging
of the cardamom seed
oil and other
cardamom products.
During the packaging
procedure, we keep
the hygienic level
high and also ensure
that there is no
human touch.
Moreover, the
packaging has also
helped in the easy
and safe delivery of
the products.
We are dealing with
various esteemed
clients located in
India as well as in
the markets of New
Zealand and Dubai.
We also promise to
serve a superlative
range of cardamom
and cardamom
products which
includes green
cardamom powder to
our new customers as
we serve to our
existing satisfied
clientele. The
frequent and
concrete feedbacks
from our customers
have also helped in
the advancement of
the managerial
activities and
serving the products
as per the demand
prevailing in the
market. Last but not
the least; we are
also looking forward
to provide more
beneficial deals in
the forthcoming
years.