PIMENTO OR ALL SPICE AND SICKLE CELL
Pimento leaves and seeds
This blog is about eating healthily and that means I will not only talk about food, I will also talk about herbs and spices, that I have tried and tested and researched to find about their benefit for people in general but most especially those suffering from Sickle Cell Anaemia.
Pimento is an evergreen tree native of the Caribbean or South America. It is also known as Allspice in some countries and the reason for this name is because it has an aroma that can be described as a mixture of various spices. The leaves, berries, and oil are used, not only for health and medicinal purposes, but also for spices, flavouring, and fragrance.
You can add the seeds to your cooking, for example to marinate chicken, fish or meat. It can be added into soups, stews, sauces, curry dishes, etc…, or brew the leaves as tea or add the spice to your food when cooking or use the oil as a massage oil.
The reason why I am writing about it is because it has medicinal properties that I have benefitted from.
When in pain, I have massaged my joints with the oil and it has helped by relieving muscles and joints pain. For example, (arthritis, fatigue, muscle cramps, rheumatism, stiffness). Pimento has analgesic, anaesthetic, antioxidant, antiseptic, relaxant, carminative and stimulating properties. It can also be used for toothache or gum pains.
I have brewed the leaves when I have had digestive problems as a result of taking too many painkillers, (cramps, flatulence, indigestion, nausea).
It is also good to relieve tension and stress and as you know, one thing that Sickle Cell Anemia, cannot cope with is stress. It relieves infections and also helps treat vomiting. It has a good iron content, which is useful in red blood cells production, in the bone marrow. It carries a nice amount of Vitamin C and regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents.
And also, it has helped me when I have had chronic period pains; I brew the leaves as tea and drink. It also apparently relieves high blood pressure. It is also been known to relieve respiratory disorders, (chills, cough and bronchitis). It also calms the mind and body
Pimento is a natural source of beta-carotene, vitamins A, B-1, B-2, B-6 and C; along with the minerals iron, potassium, magnesium, selenium, and manganese.
When cooking with it, ground the seeds and add to your food at the final stage of your cooking, in order to preserve the nutrients in the seeds.
