CURATIVE PROPERTIES: anti-allergic, antioxidant, antibacterial, nutritious, antivirus, expectorant, antiseptic, cardio-protective, does not contain gluten
USE IN TRADITIONAL PERUVIAN MEDICINE:
Support for metabolism
Digestion, stomach and intestine disorders
Coprostasia, reflux
Asthma, allergy
Cough, coughing phlegm
Supplementing of vitamins and minerals
Osteoporosis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT AND ITS PRESENCE
It is a very interesting tree and has many uses. It comes from the areas of Mediterranean Sea. Thanks to its multiple usage it is also grown in other countries, for example in South America, especially in Peru. The tree is uniquely valuable because it can be used for food, fodder, fertilizer, wood, firewood, medical plant, and chocolate substitute. It is also known as a carob tree or locust bean.
Algarrobo can grow up to 8 -20 meters high. The trunk is irregular, with cracked, gnarly bark with grey/brown color. Its diameter ranges from 80cm to 2m. Its branches are crooked and they form a crown in the shape of an umbrella. The leaves are shiny and dark green.
The fruits of that tree resemble bean pods and they grow in bunches – several at a time. Ripe and dry pods of Peruvian Algarrobo are beige and are lighter than those grown in Europe. Inside the pods you will find ovoid, flat seeds. From the pods and seeds people made powder called carob or locust bean powder.
Every part of the tree can be used.
The growing trees are used as fences and shelter for livestock.
The leaves that fall are a delicacy for sheep and goats. They are also used as organic fertilizer.
The pods with or without the seeds as used as fodder for other animals, and they substitute maze and bran in their food.
The wood of Algarrobo is very hard and it is used for production of country houses, doors, tables, windowsills, logs and benches.
MORE INFORMATION
The taste of Algarrobo resembles sweet cocoa. It is used as a substitute for chocolate. It is naturally sweet, does not contain caffeine, contains little fats , and does not cause any allergies. It is used in baking, and similarly to cocoa it gives cakes dark look. Algarrobo contains very little fats and sugar: glucose, fructose, saccharose, protein, pectin, and fiber. Pectin and fiber help with digestion. It also includes minerals, microelements, and vitamins. It is a source of vitamin E – known as a vitamin of youth, and gallic acid – strong antioxidant. The tannin that is contains hampers growth of bacteria in the body. The gallic acid works as a painkiller, and is anti-allergic and antibacterial. It is also an antioxidant, and has antivirus and antiseptic properties.
Algarrobo is a perfect substitute for cocoa. It does no causes allergy. Because of similar taste it is used in food industry as a substitute for chocolate. Ground and roasted seeds are can be a makeshift coffee (in Peru called Café de Mesquite), but they do not contain caffeine, therefore they can be consumed by people with hypertension. From the seeds they also squeeze out dense juice which is used as syrup for conserving fruit preserves and also as an addition for making alcoholic drinks.
The properties of carob were examined in the German Institute of research of content of nutritious substances in dishes. Scientists confirmed that the regular consumption of carob can lower the concentration of lipids in blood and it speeds up the burning process. It lowers the level of cholesterol in blood and regulates metabolism. It helps with digestion and can be used during stomach/intestines disorders (reflux), coprostasia. It is used for treating children and adults in case of diarrhea, the tannin present in carob do not dissolve in water, and do not link with proteins. However, they easily link with toxins and thus hamper the growth of bacteria.
Thanks to its anti-allergic properties it is used in treatment of asthma and problems caused by allergies. It contains the active substance which is of great effect in fighting asthma.
It is recommended for smokers, it has expectorant properties, and after a few days of usage they start to spit out the mucus from lungs. It prevents lung cancer. It helps with the flu and cough.
It has beneficial influence on our blood circulation system.
Thanks to the content of calcium and phosphor it is used to fight osteoporosis.
The content of iron helps with anemia.
It contains gallic acid, and thus is used for curing children from polio.
HOW TO USE
The Peruvian Algarrobo is extremely useful product which can be used in many culinary experiments. Some people value carob higher than cocoa. The most common form is meal, a bit brighter than cocoa. Algarrobo thanks to its components is a valuable nutrition. It can be used by everybody, especially children, breast-feeding mothers, people recovered from illnesses and operations, the elderly, the exhausted, and sportspeople. It can be consumed by people on the “raw food” diet, because if you want to use it does not require thermal processing.
Vegans use it instead of cocoa, coffee, or chocolate. It is used in confectionary for adding flavor to teas, coffees, drinks, or cocktails.
It is added to cakes, cookies, desserts, puddings, home-made chocolate, or drinks substituting for cocoa. It is important to remember that if you add carob it is only half the amount of cocoa. It can be used for thickening some dishes. It is beneficial in case of super-acidity and reflux.
In case of children we recommend gradual introduction, up to 15 g o powder a day, every day more and more. For example, carob can be mixed with grated apple, or different fruit, or dairy products.
FUN FACT From carob you can also obtain carob gum (also known as locust bean meal), which is used in food industry as emulsifier, stabilizer, thickener, support. It is described with the symbol E410. Carob is also used in beauty products industry, tobacco industry, and also with the production of syrups, or even paper.
