The grapefruit occupies a special place among the citrus fruits because of its taste, appetizing properties, and delightful qualities. The fruit is often huge. It differs in color and may have a pinkish flesh or pale yellow or pinkish flesh. The skin is usually quarter to half an inch deep.
The grapefruit is indigenous to India, Malaysia, and Thailand. It has spread to other hot countries from these countries. It is now widely grown in Israel, West Indies, Brazil, South Africa, USA, and Australia.
It is nutritious and cooling and possesses the same properties as the lemon, lime, and orange. The seedless variety is the best as it often contains a more considerable amount of calcium, sugar, and phosphorus. The grapefruit is commonly used as table salad and is taken together with other vegetables and fruits. It is sometimes cut into half, and the seeds and the hard pith extracted from the center.
Grapefruit is an enticing appetizer. It increases gastric digestion. It is a crucial health builder and also a tonic. Despite its often sharp, sub-acid taste, the fresh grapefruit has an alkaline reaction after ingestion. The citric acid of the fruit is oxidized in the human system, and hence, the effect is to increase the alkalinity of the body’s fluids. Grapefruit juice is useful in the prevention and treatment of acidity and many diseases caused by too much acid.
The fruit is also helpful in relieving constipation. The pulp, when individually taken, supplies good bulk to aid bowel action. It is useful in supporting the health of intestines and is considered a defensive food item against diarrhea, dysentery, enteritis, and other digestive tract diseases.
When having the flu, the juice of grapefruit is an excellent remedy as it helps to reduce acidity in the system and its astringent properties arising from a substance called ‘maringin,’ tones up the system, and the digestive tract.
The juice of grapefruit is also a proper diet in all fevers. It relieves thirst and eliminates the burning sensation produced by the temperature. It should be taken mixed with water.
Grapefruit contains ‘quinine’ and hence is helpful in the treatment of malaria. This ‘quinine’ is also advantageous in feverish colds. It can be plucked from the fruits by boiling a quarter of a grapefruit and then filtering the pulp.
This excellent fruit could also be used as natural remedies to treat fatigue, scanty urination, and diabetes.
