The forgotten goodness of bael or vilvam‏....(kumar)

In summer, we seek ways and means of trying to keep our bodies cool and stave off dehydration. One of the best ways of doing this is to drink plenty of fresh fruit juices. While watermelon and nimbu-pani are eternal favourites, the humble bael is mostly forgotten.
The fruit of bael tastes like marmalade and smells like a rose. In the summer, the trees have almost as many fruits as leaves. The tree also has the added advantage of requiring very little care.
The medicinal value of all parts of this tree finds mention in the ancient ayurvedic text Charak Samhita and even in the Vedic scriptures. The Charak Samhita describes all parts of the tree - stem, bark, root, leaves and fruits - to possess medicinal value at all stages of development.
The bark is used to make an antidote for snake venom. A decoction of leaves can do a great deal to heal ulcers. The Kurma Purana mentions that the regular drinking of the juice ensures a long life span and a golden skin!
In terms of its properties, the bael fruit is similar to banana, helping in two contrasting conditions - diarrhoea and constipation. As the fruit begins to ripen, it is helpful in treating diarrhoea. The fully ripe fruit is a very good laxative and acts as an excellent coolant for the body.
Scoop out the pulp, which could be eaten raw, with or without sugar. Or blend it with coconut milk, regular milk, honey or date jaggery to make a beverage or freeze into ice cream. You can even make chutney, jams and jellies with bael pulp. The jam is purple and looks like the one made from blackcurrants.

Medicinal Uses: The fresh ripe pulp of the higher quality cultivars, and the 'sherbet' made from it, are taken for their mild laxative, tonic and digestive effects. A decoction of the unripe fruit, with fennel and ginger, is prescribed in cases of hemorrhoids. It has been surmised that the psoralen in the pulp increases tolerance of sunlight and aids in the maintaining of normal skin color. It is employed in the treatment of leucoderma. Marmelosin derived from the pulp is given as a laxative and diuretic. In large doses, it lowers the rate of respiration, depresses heart action and causes sleepiness.
For medicinal use, the young fruits, while still tender, are commonly sliced horizontally and sun-dried and sold in local markets. They are much exported to Malaya and Europe. Because of the astringency, especially of the wild fruits, the unripe bael is most prized as a means of halting diarrhea and dysentery, which are prevalent in India in the summer months. Bael fruit was resorted to by the Portuguese in the East Indies in the 1500's and by the British colonials in later times.
A bitter, light-yellow oil extracted from the seeds is given in 1.5 g doses as a purgative. It contains 15.6% palmitic acid, 8.3% stearic acid, 28.7% linoleic and 7.6% linolenic acid. The seed residue contains 70% protein.
The bitter, pungent leaf juice, mixed with honey, is given to allay catarrh and fever. With black pepper added, it is taken to relieve jaundice and constipation accompanied by edema. The leaf decoction is said to alleviate asthma. A hot poultice of the leaves is considered an effective treatment for ophthahnia and various inflammations, also febrile delirium and acute bronchitis.
A decoction of the flowers is used as eye lotion and given as an antiemetic. The bark contains tannin and the cournarin, aegelinol; also the furocourmarin, marmesin; umbelliferone, a hydroxy coumarin; and the alkaloids, fagarine and skimmianine. The bark decoction is administered in cases of malaria. Decoctions of the root are taken to relieve palpitations of the heart, indigestion, and bowel inflammations; also to overcome vomiting.
The fruit, roots and leaves have antibiotic activity. The root, leaves and bark are used in treating snakebite. Chemical studies have revealed the following properties in the roots: psoralen, xanthotoxin, O-methylscopoletin, scopoletin, tembamide, and skimmin; also decursinol, haplopine and aegelinol, in the root bark.