Witnessed by: TCM · Ayurveda · Western · Unani
Pomegranate (Punica granatum), of the Lythraceae (formerly Punicaceae) family. Deciduous shrub or small tree with spiny branches and scarlet tubular flowers; native range: Iran and the Trans-Caucasus to the northern Himalaya; cultivated around the Mediterranean and across Asia since deep antiquity. Globally recognized as dadima in Sanskrit, anar in Hindi, shi liu (石榴); rind = shi liu pi (石榴皮) in Chinese, rumman (رمّان); flower = gulnar in Arabic, and pomegranate; dried flower = gulnar; dried seed = anardana in English. The part used is fruit rind (pericarp), juice and seeds, dried flower (gulnar), and root or stem bark. A leathery reddish rind enclosing juicy crimson arils around angular seeds; the rind and bark are harshly astringent, the juice sweet-sour and cooling.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
POMEGRANATE
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Pomegranate
- Scientific name
- Punica granatum L.
- Family
- Lythraceae (formerly Punicaceae)
Form
- Part used
- fruit rind (pericarp), juice and seeds, dried flower (gulnar), and root or stem bark
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- sour · astringent
- Ayurveda
- sweet fruit (madhura dadima): sweet · astringent · sour fruit (amla dadima): sour · astringent · the rind: astringent
- Western
- sour · astringent
- Unani
- sour · astringent
Temperature
- TCM
- warm
- Ayurveda
- cooling
- Western
- cool
- Unani
- cold (& dry in the sour fruit, the sweet nearer temperate and moist)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Large Intestine · Kidney · Stomach
- Western
- bowels · intestines · digestion · heart
- Unani
- heart · stomach · liver · intestines
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- astringes the intestines and stops chronic diarrhoea and dysentery, binds Kidney qi to stop leakage, and kills worms (the root and stem bark expel tapeworm)
- Ayurveda
- grahi (absorbent, checks diarrhoea), hridya (cardiac tonic), dipana (kindles digestion), tridoshahara, raktapitta-shamaka (checks bleeding), balya
- Western
- astringent, refrigerant and styptic; the rind and root bark a specific taenifuge (pelletierine alkaloids)
- Unani
- qabiz (astringent), muqawwi-e-qalb (cardiotonic), muqawwi-e-meda (stomachic) and daf-e-ishaal; the flower (gulnar) a styptic for haemorrhage
Cautions
Contraindications: constipation and dry states; the root and stem bark (pelletierine) only under supervision and not in pregnancy
Toxicity: the sweet fruit is a safe food; the root and stem bark alkaloids (pelletierine, isopelletierine) in overdose cause nausea, vomiting, vertigo, visual disturbance and collapse
Interactions
- Western
- CYP450-metabolised drugs: pomegranate juice inhibits intestinal CYP3A4, raising blood levels of some substrates · anticoagulants: juice inhibits CYP2C9 metabolism of warfarin and may raise the INR · antihypertensives: additive blood-pressure lowering
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