Benefits of Pomegranate (QUR'ANIC NAME: Ar-Rumman)
Qur'anic References:
There are Three references of Pomegrenate in the Qur'an under the name of Rumman. {Surah vi,Verse 99; Surah vi,Verse 141; Surah LV,Verse 68}

• We bring forth the green blade from, which we bring forth the thick clustered grain; and from the date palm, from the pollen thereof, spring pendant bunches; and (We bring forth) gardens of grapes, and the olive and the pomegranate , alike and unlike.
  
• He it is Who produceth gardens trellised and untrellised, and the date palm, and crops of divers flavor, and the olive and the pomegranate , like and unlike.
  
• Wherein is fruit, the date palm and pomegranate .Which is it, of the favors of your Lord, that ye deny?
  

Hadith on Pomegranate:
Anas bin Malik (Radhiyallahu anhu) narrated that Rasulullah(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said, "There is not a pomegranate which does not have a pip from one of the pomegranate of the Garden(of Jannah) in it." (Abu Nu'aim).
Rasulullah(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said, "Pomegranate and its rind strengthen digestion(stomach)." (narrated by Ali(radhiyallahu anhu), Abu Nuaim, Al-Jozi) Pomegranate is native of Iran, although its wild forms are found in India (in the Himalayas), Afghanistan and Syria. Pomegranate is a highly delicious juicy fruit and is held in high esteem from time immemorial, both as a fruit and in medicine. Good quality pomegranates were grown in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and were also known in ancient Egypt. During the time of Prophet Moosa(alaiyhis salaam), quality pomegranates were in cultivation throughout Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. The city of Rimmon was well-known for its quality Rummon i.e. pomegranate.

Cultivation of pomegranate: It was introduced quite early in the Mediterranean and eastern countries like India. But in Spain, it was introduced after the Islamic influence there and it reached England in the thirteenth century. Much later, Spanish took this important fruit plant to the new world - Mexico and Florida. Its cultivation gradually spread to other countries too and now it is grown almost everywhere in the tropical and sub-tropical climate. Presently good quality pomegranate comes from Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Morocco and Spain. In India, Sholapur is famous for juicy pomegranate fruit known as Anar. In Turkey pomegranates are served during important feasts.

The calorific value: of the pomegranate fruit is 65. Its juice is easily digestible and contains about 15% invert sugar. It is a rich source of sodium and also contains a good amount of riboflavin, thiamin, niacin, Vit.C, Calcium and Phosphorous. Protein and fat contents are negli- gible.

Pomegranate is a good food and a medicine of great value:
It is a tonic for heart patients, highly efficacious in the inflammation of the stomach and effective to check heart pain. The juice of the fruit is an excellent cooling beverage and allays thirst in diarrhoea. It acts as a good medicine for both diarrhoea and dysentery. For many ailments such as colitis, anaemia, jaundice, high blood pressure, piles and arthritis, its juice is an effective medicine. When given with honey, it reduces biliousness. Pomegranate fruit is also prescribed in many disorders under the Homoeopathic medicine system. The decoction of the root bark of pomegranate, which contains an alkaloid pellatrierine and tannic acid, is a highly useful medicine for the expulsion of worms, including tapeworms. This decoction is reported to be effective also in tuberculosis.

The thick skin:
i.e. rind of the pomegranate fruit is greatly responsible for its good keeping quality. The fruit can be kept for as much as six months. The rind too contains high percentage of tannic acid (more than 20%) and is sometimes used for tanning leather. The well-known Moroccan and Spanish leather were once used to be tanned by the pomegranate rinds.
According to Unani medicine, the ideal time to eat pomegranate is after having had lunch. Take out the seeds, sprinkle with a little salt and black pepper and swallow the juice after chewing the seeds. This way of eating is beneficial in chronic constipation and indigestion. It also soothes the nerves and stimulates the liver.
Authorities of Unani medicine also maintain that persons doing tedious mental work should eat the fruit in the late afternoon in the same manner shown above. Another way of using the fruit advantageously is to press out the juice, add a little sugar and drink it. This produces blood, promotes good health and refreshes the brain.

SOME REMEDIES:

• Diarrhea: The skin of the fruit is valuable in the treatment of diarrhoea. About 20 grams of the skin and 3 grams of cloves or cinnamon should be boiled well in about 250 ml of water. When cool, the patient should drink 30 to 40 ml of the liquid thrice a day for a few days.
  
  
• Hoarseness or Loss of Voice: Boil about 20 grams of the skin and two to three grams of alum in 250 ml water. Use the liquid for gargling.
  
  
• Ear-ache: Mix a little honey with a teaspoon of the juice of the fruit. Warm the mixture and administer two to three drops into the affected ear. The ache should disappear.
  
  
• Bad Vision or Weakening Eyesight: Fill fresh sweet pomegranate juice in a small bottle; leave in the sun. The juice will thicken in a few days. This is excellent for the eyes. Apply in the eyes. The more mature the juice becomes the more effective it is.
  
  
• Digestive and Kidney Disorders, Poor Appetite, and Diminished Sexual Power: Pour about one and half liters of the juice in a bowl until the sediments settle. Separate the juice from the sediments and sieve through a clean cloth. Pour in a bottle so that it fills it to two thirds. Add 250 grams candy sugar and ten grams ground fennel. Leave in the sun for a week but shake it a number of times daily. Give the patient 30 - 100 grams once daily. This is an effective treatment for the above disorders.
  
  
• Stomach-ache: Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the fresh seeds and eat.
  
  
• Poor Appetite and Digestive Disorders: Make regular use of the pure juice of the fruit in the case of poor appetite. The juice is also good in simple colitis in which the colon is inflamed, characterized by diarrhoea; and mucous colitis in which the mucous membrane of the colon is inflamed, characterized by colicky pain, and constipation or diarrhoea. The juice is an excellent remedy in dysentery, inflammation and ulceration of the lower part of the colon, characterized by pain and diarrhoea with bloody stools and mucus. For nausea and morning sickness characterized by excessive secretion of bile, a tablespoon of the fresh juice mixed with equal quantity of honey, is an effective remedy.
  
  
• Intestinal Worms: The root-bark of the pomegranate tree is highly toxic to intestinal worms. Boil the bark of a two- inches long root in a cup of water. Half a cup of the decoction should be given thrice a day at intervals of two hours to an adult. Two hours after the last dose he should be given castor oil to purge the system. The dose for children is 1/3 of the adult.
  
• Fevers: Mix a pinch of saffron powder to a glass of the juice. This beverage is very useful in fevers and it allays thirst felt in fever.
  
  
• Anal Itching: Itching in the anal region is very often the result of parasites in the intestines that go to the anal area to lay their eggs causing local itching. Roast the skin of the pomegranate until it is dark brown and brittle. Crush then powder to a fine texture; mix with a little edible oil and apply over the anus.
  
  
• Teeth and Gum Disorder: Regular use of the toothpowder of the rind helps in preventing and curing tooth decay and gum disease. It cleans the teeth, leaving them sparkling white. To make the powder, dry the rind in the sun until it is brittle. Powder, mix with a little fine black pepper and store in a jar. Use everyday with a toothbrush, or apply and rub with the finger.
  
  
• Bleeding Piles: Pound about ten grams of the skin of the sour variety of the fruit. Boil in about 250 ml water. Sweeten with sugar and drink in the morning and evening.
  
  

Source: AL-Islam Publications
1. Medicinal Plants of the Prophet: by Dr. M.I.H.Farooqi
2. Fruits that Heal: by R. A. Lasania