Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to family of Fabaceae.
The tamarind tree produces brown, pod-like fruits that contain a sweet, tangy pulp, which is used in cuisines around the world. The pulp is also used in traditional medicine and as a metal polish.
The tree's wood can be used for woodworking and tamarind seed oil can be extracted from the seeds. Tamarind's tender young leaves are used in Indian and Filipino cuisine. Because tamarind has multiple uses,
it is cultivated around the world in tropical and subtropical zones.
In Indonesia and throughout another Malay world countries, it is called asam jawa (Javanese tamarind) or simply asam, and sukaer in Timor.
Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) is sometimes confused with "Manila tamarind" (Pithecellobium dulce). While in the same taxonomic family Fabaceae, Manila tamarind is a different plant native to Mexico and known locally as guamúchili.
The consumption of tamarind is widespread due to its central role in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and the Americas, especially Mexico.
The tamarind is a long-lived, medium-growth tree, which attains a maximum crown height of 12 to 18 metres (40 to 60 feet). The crown has an irregular, vase-shaped outline of dense foliage. The tree grows well in full sun. It prefers clay, loam, sandy, and acidic soil types, with a high resistance to drought and aerosol salt (wind-borne salt as found in coastal areas).
The evergreen leaves are alternately arranged and pinnately lobed. The leaflets are bright green, elliptic-ovular, pinnately veined, and less than 5 cm (2 in) in length. The branches droop from a single, central trunk as the tree matures, and are often pruned in agriculture to optimize tree density and ease of fruit harvest. At night, the leaflets close up.
Tamarind timber consists of hard, dark red heartwood and softer, yellowish sapwood. As a tropical species, it is frost-sensitive. The pinnate leaves with opposite leaflets give a billowing effect in the wind.
The tamarind flowers (although inconspicuously), with red and yellow elongated flowers. Flowers are 2.5 cm wide (one inch), five-petalled, borne in small racemes, and yellow with orange or red streaks. Buds are pink as the four sepals are pink and are lost when the flower blooms.
The fruit is an indehiscent legume, sometimes called a pod, 12 to 15 cm (4+1⁄2 to 6 in) in length, with a hard, brown shell.
The fruit has a fleshy, juicy, acidic pulp. It is mature when the flesh is coloured brown or reddish brown. The tamarinds of Asia have longer pods (containing six to 12 seeds), whereas African and West Indian varieties have shorter pods (containing one to six seeds). The seeds are somewhat flattened, and a glossy brown. The fruit is best described as sweet and sour in taste, and is high in tartaric acid, sugar, B vitamins, and unusually for a fruit, calcium.
The fruit is harvested by pulling the pod from its stalk. A mature tree may be capable of producing up to 175 kg (386 lb) of fruit per year. Veneer grafting, shield (T or inverted T) budding, and air layering may be used to propagate desirable cultivars. Such trees will usually fruit within three to four years if provided optimum growing conditions.
The fruit pulp is edible. The hard green pulp of a young fruit is considered by many to be too sour, but is often used as a component of savory dishes, as a pickling agent or as a means of making certain poisonous yams in Ghana safe for human consumption.
As the fruit matures it becomes sweeter and less sour (acidic) and the ripened fruit is considered more palatable. The sourness varies between cultivars and some sweet tamarind ones have almost no acidity when ripe. In Western cuisine, tamarind pulp is found in Worcestershire Sauce and HP Sauce.
Tamarind paste has many culinary uses including a flavoring for chutneys, curries, and the traditional sharbat syrup drink. Tamarind sweet chutney is popular in India and Pakistan as a dressing for many snacks and often served with samosa.
Tamarind pulp is a key ingredient in flavoring curries and rice in south Indian cuisine, in the Chigali lollipop, in rasam, and in certain varieties of masala chai tea.
Across the Middle East, from the Levant to Iran, tamarind is used in savory dishes, notably meat-based stews, and often combined with dried fruits to achieve a sweet-sour tang.
In the Philippines, the whole fruit is used as an ingredient in the traditional dish called sinigang to add a unique sour taste, unlike that of dishes that use vinegar instead. Indonesia also has a similarly sour, tamarind-based soup dish called sayur asem.
In Mexico and the Caribbean, the pulp is diluted with water and sugared to make an agua fresca drink.
Tamarind seed oil is the oil made from the kernel of tamarind seeds. Isolation of the kernel without the thin but tough shell (or testa) is difficult.
Tamarind kernel powder is used as sizing material for textile and jute processing, and in the manufacture of industrial gums and adhesives. It is de-oiled to stabilize its colour and odor on storage. Seeds can be scarified or briefly boiled to enhance germination. They retain their germination capability for several months if kept dry.
The tamarind has long been naturalized in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, the Caribbean, and Pacific Islands. Thailand has the largest plantations of the ASEAN nations, followed by Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Philippines. In parts of Southeast Asia, tamarind is called asam.
A traditional food plant in Africa, tamarind has the potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare. In Madagascar, its fruit and leaves are a well-known favorite of the ring-tailed lemur, providing as much as 50 percent of their food resources during the year if available.
Throughout Southeast Asia, the fruit of the tamarind is used as a poultice applied to foreheads of fever sufferers. The fruit exhibits laxative effects due to its high quantities of malic acid, tartaric acid, and potassium bitartrate. Its use for the relief of constipation has been documented throughout the world.
Tamarind lumber is used to make furniture, carvings, turned objects such as mortars and pestles, chopping blocks, and other small specialty wood items.
Tamarind heartwood is reddish brown, sometimes with a purplish hue. The heartwood in tamarind tends to be narrow and is usually only present in older and larger trees.
The pale yellow sapwood is sharply demarcated from the heartwood. Heartwood is said to be durable to very durable in decay resistance, and is also resistant to insects. Its sapwood is not durable and is prone to attack by insects and fungi as well as spalting.
Due to its density and interlocked grain, tamarind is considered difficult to work. Heartwood has a pronounced blunting effect on cutting edges. Tamarind turns, glues, and finishes well. The heartwood is able to take a high natural polish.
In homes and temples, especially in Buddhist Asian countries, the fruit pulp is used as metal polish to polish brass shrine statues and lamps, and copper, brass, and bronze utensils.
The copper alone or in brass reacts with moist carbon dioxide to gain a green coat of copper carbonate. Tamarind contains tartaric acid, a weak acid that can remove the coat of copper carbonate. Hence, tarnished copper utensils are cleaned with tamarind or lime, another acidic fruit.
Throughout South Asia and the tropical world, tamarind trees are used as ornamental, garden, and cash crop plantings. Commonly used as a bonsai species in many Asian countries, it is also grown as an indoor bonsai in temperate parts of the world.
The health benefits of tamarind, this sour fruit can actually keep your liver and heart safe from diseases.
Tamarind is rich in fibre and has no fat content. Studies suggest that eating tamarind daily might actually help in weight reduction since it contains flavonoids and polyphenols.
Also, tamarind is loaded with hydroxycitric acid, which reduces your appetite by inhibiting amylase, an enzyme responsible for converting carbohydrate into fat.
Peptic ulcers can be very painful. These are basically sores that appear in the inner lining of the stomach and small intestine. The polyphenolic compounds found in tamarind can prevent peptic ulcers.
Tamarind seed extracts are anti-inflammatory in nature and they are even said to stabilize blood sugar levels and reverse the damage of the pancreatic tissue in those suffering from diabetes. The enzyme alpha-amylase which is proven to reduce blood sugar levels can also be found in tamarind.
Tamarind has been used since ancient times as a laxative because of its tartaric acid, malic acid, and potassium content. Its ability to relax abdominal muscles is why it is also used as a remedy for diarrhoea. So, while the fruit is used to relieve constipation, the leaves provide treatment from diarrhoea, and the root and bark can be consumed to alleviate abdominal pain.
Tamarind is a very heart-friendly fruit. Flavonoids present in tamarind lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol and raise HDL or “good” cholesterol levels, thus preventing the build-up of triglycerides (a type of fat) in the blood. It also has high potassium content which can help keep your blood pressure in check.
Tamarind can take care of your liver as well. A diet rich in calories leads to a fatty liver and studies suggest that daily consumption of tamarind extracts can reverse this condition and it is also effective to deal with allergic asthma and cough because of its antihistaminic properties. It’s also a rich source of vitamin C and can boost the immune system to prevent cold and cough.
Clade : Tracheophytes
Clade : Angiosperms
Clade : Eudicots
Clade : Rosids
Order : Fabales
Family : Fabaceae
Subfamily : Detarioideae
Tribe : Amherstieae
Genus :Tamarindus L.
Species :T. indica
Binomial name : Tamarindus indica
L. 1753
酸豆：常绿大乔木，高达20米。树皮暗灰色，粗糙而有纵裂。偶数羽状复叶互生；叶柄短而粗壮；小叶7-20对，长方形或长椭圆形，长1-2.4厘米，宽4-9毫米，先端圆或浅凹，基部近圆形，偏斜，两面无毛，全缘。
夏季开黄色花，成顶生圆锥花序或腋生总状花序，花不整齐；萼管稍呈倒三角形，萼片4；花瓣上面3片发达，黄色带紫红条纹，下面2片退化成鳞片状；雄蕊3，花丝中部以下合生，有3-5刺毛状退化雄蕊。荚果肥厚肉质，深褐色，皮薄而脆，果肉熟时红棕色，味酸；故名“酸角”。种子3-10，近长方形，深红色光亮。
果实为不开荚果，类长圆形，稍扁，长3-6 cm，微弯曲，外果皮棕褐色，稍坚脆；中果皮棕黄色或棕黑色，较厚，味酸，外侧有数条纤维状筋脉；内果皮革质状。种子呈类圆形，长7-14 mm，宽6-11 mm，较扁，表面呈红棕色，光滑，有光泽，稍具指纹样纹理，压扁，两侧各具一近圆形瘢痕，脐点呈圆点状，微凹入，合点亦为点状而微突，位于脐点对侧，子叶白色，气芳香，味酸甜。加糖压制品呈较坚实块状物，如挑选可分出完整者，形如蚕豆，具2-4枚种子。气特异，强酸性，叶甜。
具有助消化、除腹胀、减轻咽喉疼痛作用。生果肉具有轻泻作用。种子外皮治疗痢疾，煎剂治疗脓疡。叶煎剂有抗菌作用。
罗望子是一种可食用的植物，它的树皮、叶子、果实、果肉都可当做食材或者药材。刚长出的果实是绿色的，硬的，非常酸，常被当作开胃菜或者增加酸味的佐料。成熟的果实更美味可口，酸味变淡甜味增加，常作为果酱放在甜品里，或者加在果汁里，也可以配合其他食材做菜。
罗望子是一种有益健康、并可食用的果实。也可作为温和的泻药。成熟的果荚中有可口的酸性果肉，可增加印度咖喱粉和某些辣甜味料、马来西亚沙嗲、加勒比海甜食及清凉饮料的风味。树皮可治气喘，种子可治腹泻，花可降血压；种子的果胶还可作果酱。罗望子汤用于治疗感冒、食欲不振、恶心、妊娠呕吐和便秘。
相关论述
《注医典》：“具有清理大肠，退热退烧，降逆止吐，清热止渴的作用。主治大便干燥，发热发烧，恶心呕吐，胃热口渴。”
《白色宫殿》：“具有清除过盛的胆液质，清热补胃，止渴止吐的作用。主治胆液质过盛引起的大便干结，胃热口渴，恶心呕吐。”
《拜地依药书》：“具有清除全身多余的胆液质，清理大肠，清热增食，清热补胃，止吐止渴，除暑解毒，安神除慌，消降黄疸，祛风止痒，消炎愈创的作用。主治全身性胆液质增多，肠道不畅，大便干结，胃热纳差，胃脘灼热，恶心呕吐，口干烦渴，中暑昏倒，心悸心慌，面目黄疸，皮肤瘙痒，口腔溃疡等。”
《药物之园》：“具有清热强心、补胃，消除胆液质性恶心呕吐，清热降压，安神除慌，祛风止痒，消除霍乱、白喉、口腔溃疡的作用。主治热性心虚、胃虚，胆液质性恶心呕吐，血压升高，心悸心慌，皮肤瘙痒，霍乱，白喉，口腔溃疡。”
Tamarindus indica L.，中药名，罗望子 。为豆科酸豆属植物酸豆 , 以果实入药。分布于福建、台湾、广西、广东、四川、云南等省区。具有清热解暑，消食化积的功效。主治中暑，食欲不振，小儿疳积，妊娠呕吐，便秘。
Tamarindus indica L.
中文学名: 罗望子
别称: 都桷子、酸角、酸豆、罗晃子、通血图
入药部位 : 果实。
性味 : 性甘、酸，味凉。
功效 : 清热解暑，消食化积。
主治 : 中暑，食欲不振，小儿疳积，妊娠呕吐，便秘。
罗望子可以生吃，嫩的连皮带肉整个都可以吃，不过如果是老的，里头的籽咬到会很苦哦。要拿来蘸辣椒盐，或腌制着吃味道会更好，还可以做成罗望子酱来吃，口味香甜浓郁养肝。
罗望子果肉富含糖、醋酸、酒石酸、蚁酸、柠檬酸等成分，在食品领域主要用来做调味品、饮料、果酱等，产品深受消费者喜爱养肝。
罗望子果肉又富含钙、磷、铁等多种元素，其中含钙量在所有水果中居首位。所以，在医药方面罗望子也被人们广为运用。
如常食用罗望子可治腹泻、气胀、麻风病、麻痹、瘫痪，防治坏血病、胆汁过多，可杀死人体寄生虫，减缓酒精、曼陀罗中毒!
直接口含罗望子则可生津祛暑，清热解毒，消除咽喉疼痛，帮助消化，洁齿固齿。如与食盐拌用可作为去风湿病搽剂。
相关配伍
1．治全身性胆液质增多，肠道不畅，大便干结，胃热纳差，胃脘的热，恶心，呕吐，口干烦渴昏倒，心悸心慌，面目黄疸：取适量罗望子，泡入开水中，溶化出药味，内服。(《拜地药书》)
2．治皮肤搔痒：取适量罗望子，前汤内服。(《拜地药书》)
3．治口腔溃疡：取适量罗望子，浸泡在开水中，待凉后漱口。(《拜地药书》)
4．治热性心虚，胃虚，胆液质性恶心呕吐，血压升高，心悸心慌，皮肤瘙痒，霍乱：取适量罗望子，泡入适量的开水中，溶化出药味，内服。（《药物之园》）
5．治白喉，口腔溃疡：取适量罗望子浸泡在开水中，待凉后漱口。（《药物之园》）
