The fruit is a pod containing a sticky pulp which tastes both sweet and sour and contains the richest natural source of tartaric acid (8-10%) of any fruit. The seed are dark brown and shiny.
Calcium and phosphorus content are unusually high; the value of 0.113 percent of calcium is the highest reported in the literature.
Tamarinds are an excellent source of vitamin B but they have little or no vitamins A and C, Preliminary tests indicate that they are probably a good source of vitamin G.
Ripe tamarind fruit has a widely recognized and proven medicinal value. American pharmaceutical industry processes more than 100 t of tamarind pulp annually.
The whole plant has medicinal value virtues. It leaves are cooling and antibilious, while the bark is an astringent, a tonic and reduces fever. The fruit pulp is digestive, antiflatulant cooling, laxative and antiseptic.
The tamarind pulp needs to be soaked in water, and then strained to extract the dark brown juice. The concentrated paste can be diluted with hot water or added directly to a dish, often balanced by sugar or honey to give a sweet-sour flavor.
A teaspoon of the concentrated paste, sweetened with sugar and diluted with boiling water is sometimes served as a drink.
Tamarind
