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The healing power of watermelon

Watermelon is more than healthy. It is a fruit with medicinal properties. It can have a preventive effect on cardiovascular diseases, regenerates the muscles of top athletes faster and is a blood pressure lowering agent because it improves the functioning of the veins. Still, most people will only eat watermelon because it is super tasty, thirst-quenching and inexpensive.

Naming watermelon

The Latin name for watermelon is citrullus vulgaris. In English this fruit is called watermelon, almost identical to the Dutch word. It is related to other melon species such as the galia melon and cantaloupe. This fruit was given the prefix 'water' because it is a very juicy melon; if you eat this melon you don't have to drink it. It is one of the most thirst-quenching fruits.

The enormous watermelons are often a source of inspiration for music and film. In 193 Herbie Hancock wrote 'watermelon man' on his album 'Headhunters', an album that set the tone for the funk movement that erupted later in the 70s of the 20th century. In the beginning of the movie and the musical 'Dirty Dancing', a sidekick clumsily carries three watermelons.

Watermelon contains citrulline, hydroquimone, salicylic acid, succinic acid, vanilla acid, lancer broside and langocerid acid. These substances together make watermelon healthy. citrulline in particular is very healthy for its medicinal properties. This is an important amino acid for the human body, an indispensable building material and protein for the construction of body cells.

Watermelon is a rich source of citrulline. This amino acid is converted in the body to the amino acid arginine. Arginine is an amino acid that is considered essential. Basically essential means that humans cannot produce it themselves, but if humans can produce it from citrulline, arginine is not essential in the actual sense of the word, but no less important. Arginine plays an important role in nitride oxide synthesis and is essential for proper heart function and the immune system. American research from 2007 shows that when drinking watermelon juice for three weeks, the concentrations of arginine and ornithine increased by 22% and 18% respectively. Citrulline concentrations in the body remained the same; it is concluded that the citrulline in watermelon is directly converted to arginine.

Watermelon appears to be able to suppress ankle blood pressure naturally. Increased ankle blood pressure is often a sign of pre-stage elevated blood pressure. American research from 2012 shows that an extract of watermelon counteracts the elevated blood pressure in the ankles by allowing the veins to carry more blood. Substances in watermelon such as arginine have been found to improve the functioning of the blood vessels, the researchers found. The researchers are not talking about salicylic acid in watermelon; this is slightly blood-thinning and can also improve blood pressure through that effect.

Watermelon contains lycopene. That is a strong antioxidant. Lycopene is also in tomato but it has a low bioavailability; this means that the lycopene from raw tomatoes is not particularly well absorbed by the body. Heated tomatoes are better absorbed. A scientific study shows that watermelon has a better bioavailability. Researchers used a standardized amount of frozen watermelon for their study. Antioxidants such as lycopene can trap free radicals and render them harmless. These free radicals are known to cause inflammation at the cellular level or low-grade inflammation that can ultimately lead to all kinds of lifestyle diseases. Excessive free radicals can cause a chain reaction and cause DNA damage, which in turn can lead to the formation of tumors.

In a study, it appears that the citrulline level in watermelon is good for increasing muscle recovery in athletes. An increased heart rhythm due to vigorous physical exertion also returns the heart to its normal rhythm faster if watermelon was used. The researchers used both pure watermelon and watermelon with synthetic citrulline. Little difference was discernible between these two forms of watermelon, from which it can be concluded that synthetic citrulline is worthless. The research was done in Spain and seven athletes were given the watermelon. All seven athletes recovered more quickly from their physical performance.

Melon seed is edible and sold separately in some stores. You can easily put the melon seeds over a salad. They contain the minerals phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, manganese and calcium. It also contains protein. It also contains linoleic and oleic acids and many other saturated and unsaturated fats. Melon seeds are fine to grind and use as flour in a bread or pancake mix.

Watermelon is a delicious snack. If you buy a watermelon it is best to cut it into pieces and put it on the table as a snack. You can also serve this snack together with tangerine wedges, pieces of apple, pear, mango and pineapple. You can pick up square cubes of watermelon with a fork, but for the real enthusiasts you can serve the watermelon with the skin to chew it off nicely. Watermelon is a delicious chew fruit.

A plate of watermelon cubes could be used up quickly, but that's a good sign because watermelon is very healthy. You can keep the remaining pieces of watermelon on a plate under plastic cling film in the refrigerator. It will keep for at least two days in the refrigerator, but the vitamin content and taste may decrease. This way you can quickly serve people a melon snack again.

Making watermelon juice is fun and original. You can rarely buy this juice in the store. Putting watermelon in a juicer to make juice is not really recommended. Another way to enjoy watermelon is to juice it. Put watermelon in a blender with a glass of water if desired. You can now make a delicious liter of watermelon juice. It is especially a nice day on a warm summer afternoon. It is decorative if you put a slice of lime on the rim of the glass. It is also nice to make the watermelon juice extra fresh by adding a squeezed lime or lemon to the watermelon juice. A little bit of mint is a good light addition to a watermelon juice.

You can easily give water a subtle flavor by adding a cube of watermelon. You can keep this water in a refrigerator but that is not really necessary; water at room temperature is just as thirst-quenching as ice-cold water. Moreover, it is not really super healthy to drink ice-cold water. The body is busy making the water up to body temperature.