Karonda: Health Benefits, Uses & Side Effects

Karonda has different names in different states and countries. While Karonda is its Hindi name, it is called Kilakkai in Tamil Nadu, Koromcha in Bengali, Karvand in Marathi, and Christ’s thorn in English.

Karonda is a type of berry which is oval in shape and has tiny seeds within it. Its taste is both sour and sweet.

Basic Overview of Karonda

Karonda for Abdominal Pain

Bloating, indigestion, gas, stomach issues – all these problems can easily be alleviated by regularly consuming Karonda. It is rich in fibre, which makes it highly beneficial for relieving abdominal pain.

If you are going to consume dried karonda powder, it is suggested that you mix it with water first. Doing so will guarantee positive results in the long term.

Karonda for Mental Well-Being

As magnesium and vitamins are important for nerves to work properly, consuming an adequate amount of magnesium is suggested.

Karonda is rich in vitamins and also has magnesium, which makes Karonda extremely beneficial for improving the mental health of a person.

On top of this, another karonda cherry benefit is that it has tryptophan which helps in boosting the production of serotonin- a natural mood booster. This ensures better mental well-being.

Karonda for Treating Inflammation

The Karvand fruit proves to be also helpful in the treatment of inflammation. Besides, due to its anti-inflammatory nature, karonda also decreases the production of toxic agents which cause headaches and dizziness.

Karonda for Constipation

Alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, and triterpenoids are some of the main phytonutrients that karonda has. These natural chemicals are beneficial for treating constipation and other digestive problems.

Karonda Benefits for Skin Infections

Using karonda for treating skin diseases proves to be effective because of its anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal properties.

**Karonda for Liver Health **

You can use karonda in the form of its extract, which is said to have hepatoprotective effects.

Thanks to karonda’s root extracts, it is also possible to save your liver from inflammation and toxicity and reduce the chances of suffering from liver diseases. This is considered to be one of the best karonda fruit benefits.

Karonda for Maintaining Glucose Level

Due to the presence of flavonoids and several other phytonutrients, karonda helps in lowering blood sugar levels significantly.

Karonda for Urinary Tract

Karonda is also rich in a chemical compound known as Proanthocyanidins, which can have anti-inflammatory effects on the human body. This compound also ensures that your urinary tract remains free from bacteria and helps in preventing urinary tract infections.

Karonda in Pregnancy

Eating karonda during pregnancy without consulting a doctor is not recommended. For this reason, before adding karonda to your diet, consult your doctor to avoid possible complications.

Karonda for Fever

Karonda has a good amount of Vitamin C. Consuming Vitamin C rich food can also help in treating and preventing fever, chills or chest pain.

Karonda is widely used for treating fever. This practice is quite old but is said to be beneficial for those who suffer from cold, flu or fever frequently.

While karonda as a fruit can be eaten as an appetiser, people have made their own ways of using karonda. Here are some of the most popular recipes you should try:

Karonda Juice

• For preparing karonda juice, take 2 cups of sugar and water each along with 1 tablespoon of lemon and 200gm of karonda.

• Soak the karondas in cold water for 10 minutes to soften them.

• Take them out and clean them thoroughly.

• Put the karondas in the mixer and add a glass of water and 2 cups sugar in it.

• Turn on the mixer and blend the karondas for about 1 minute. This will give you a juicy mixture.

• To remove the pulp, use a strainer and sieve the mixture gently.

• Once done, put the juice in a glass, add lemon juice and some ice cubes in it and serve it.

Karonda Pickle

• Wash karondas and slice them into 2 parts.

• Boil the karondas for about 5-6 minutes.

• Take boiled karondas out and spread them on a sheet of paper.

• Dry the karondas by placing them in sunlight for 2 days.

• Now, take a pan and pour 1 teaspoon of oil into it. Heat the oil and add 2 tsp of hing (Asafoetida) in it and turn off the stove.

• Take another pan and add cumin (50 gm), rai (1 tsp), and fennel seeds (50 gm) in the pan to dry roast them. Once done, grind these dry-roasted items and place them aside.

• Put the dried karondas in a large bowl and add the dry roasted powder, haldi, kalonji, red chilli, salt, and half of the oil heated earlier and mix well.

• Get an air-tight container, add the pickle to it, add the remaining oil and a little amount of citric acid and close the container.

• Place the container in sunlight for 5-6 hours and your karonda pickle is ready to be eaten.

Karonda Jam

• Wash 500 gm karondas and chop them into halves.

• Take a pan, add 1.5 cups of water and karondas in it and bring it to a boil.

• Stir the karondas from time to time.

• Once softened, turn off the stove and let the karondas cool.

• When cool enough, filter the karondas and take out the water so that your jam has a thick texture. After filtering, grind the karondas finely.

• Now, take a pan and put ground karondas in it along with 600 gm sugar and start cooking these on high flame.

• When the stuff starts boiling, put 2-3 pieces of cinnamon in it and turn the flame low.

• Stir continuously to prevent karondas from sticking to the pan.

• Once it thickens, turn off the flame.

• Now, transfer the jam into a jar, and it is ready to use.

Stomach Trouble: Karonda is acidic in nature and has a sour taste. If consumed excessively, it can cause stomach problems or hyperacidity.

Diarrhoea: Unlimited use of karonda can also put you at risk of suffering from diarrhoea or stomach cramps.

Allergies: Karonda has been suspected of releasing histamine- a compound responsible for causing allergic reactions.

Low Blood Pressure: Eating karonda in large quantities can affect blood pressure and cause hypotension.

It is recommended that you shouldn’t eat or consume karonda immoderately. To obtain all the benefits of karonda, you should take care of the amount consumed and consider the karonda fruit side effects as well.

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Considering the nutritional potential of karonda and the huge list of its benefits, it can be said that including this tasty fruit can do wonders for your health

In general, karonda doesn’t present any major side effects if it is eaten in moderation. Hence, it is recommended that you do not consume it excessively as karonda is acidic and its overconsumption can have harmful effects on your stomach and cause hypotension.