Vegetables and Fruits For your Good Health >> Bel

Bel contains protein, phosphorus, Vitamin C and B complex and tannin. This fruit has a sweet taste. It is so highly nutritious and healthy, that they say that having 4-5 belphal stored in your refrigerator, is sure route to good health. It is a good friend of students who have to burn the midnight oil to prepare for exams. It helps improve the eyesight and increases concentration power.

It strengthens the heart and the mind. It cures acidity, increases body resistance and improves memory. It is recommended for the young and the infirm alike, as it quickens the reflexes and makes one alert.
This plant is of great value as its root, shoots, bark, leaves and fruit, all are healing and serve many medicinal purposes.

In the shastras, bel is referred to as the "Maharaja of fruits". It has a tough exterior. If it falls from a height, the fruit does not crack. Its nutrients and juice remain intact. It increases the appetite and aids digestion.

• Bel fruit makes delicious panna. It can be roasted and then its pulp can be extracted to make panna. The pulp of raw bel can also be used for the same. Take 2 large bel fruits. Remove the seed from the pulp. Mash the pulp. Add a bit of salt, sugar and lemon juice for taste. Mix in a blender. Store the contents in a bottle. Can be thinned by mixing fresh water, according to taste, before serving. Bell panna, cools the body. Is ideal for hot, summer afternoons. It lowers cholesterol.
• The pulp of bel can be mixed in a juicer to prepare bel juice. It can be had as it is or flavored with leaves of mint, salt and lemon juice.
  
• Crush bel leaves and pour one or two drops in the eyes after sieving. This is an instant remedy for burning and painful eyes.
  
• Bel cures ulcers and gastric disorders. It treats acidity, burning sensation in the stomach and nausea. It cleans the stomach of impurities and cures weak eyes.
  
• Bel leaves are highly auspicious and create an ambience of purity and piety. They are used to decorate wedding pandals, puja thalis and are used while performing hawans and aarti.