Pomegranate health benefits have been known for not hundreds of years, but thousands of years. It is known to have been one of the first cultivated fruits, along with grapes, dates and figs. It was used as a sign of fertility and rebirth in Greek mythology, and was being grown for medical uses and consumption as far back as 3000 B.C.

Although pomegranates have a significant amount of attributes both taste wise and health wise, it has only been in the last few years they have started making it into the homes of even health conscience individuals in the United States. Having originated in the lands of India and Persia, it has for centuries been a very popular drink in these regions, and the juice has always been an important ingredient in preparing many of their local dishes. However, as well known as the pomegranate is because of its extensive use in literature, there are actually only a hand full of individuals who actually eat them or drink their juice on a regular basis.

There are many health enthusiast who drink either a glass of wine or a cup of green tea almost daily because of their antioxidant content. Antioxidants are well known for their medical attributes in a multitude of illnesses. To put it as simply as possible, antioxidants are nutrients found in our food which can slow down or even prevent the damage done to our bodies when it produces by products called free radicals during our body cells use of oxygen. This oxidative damage that antioxidants prevent is the cause of many serious illnesses, such as heart disease, some cancers, and many infections. It might be of interest to wine and green tea drinkers that one of the pomegranate health benefits is its huge content of antioxidants. It contains 3 times more antioxidants than wine or green tea.

Many individuals who suffer from arthritis have stated that drinking one or two glasses of pomegranate juice a day helped reduce their inflammation and relieved some of their pain. Though pomegranate juice may not be able to cure diseases which produce a lot of inflammation, there have been studies done with rabbits that showed after ingesting pomegranate juice, their blood did show a reduced level of inflammatory activity. Even though this may not be anything the medical world calls significant, if pomegranate juice can translate into even a small amount of pain relief for individuals with arthritis, what could it possibly hurt for them to try it.

The pomegranate is having a difficult time competing with other fruits which are more popular but have less health benefits for two reasons; pomegranates have a very short growing season, and they lose their freshness very rapidly after harvesting. So, until there are more companies or individuals willing to grow them commercially in the states, supply is going to be a problem.

If you would like to bookmark our website and pay us a later visit, it would be appreciated. We are going to be adding new information weekly concerning different fruits and in the near future we are even going to add some of the best recipes we can find for each one. - June 16, 2012