Today we’re going to take a look at the health benefits of salak as well as its nutritional facts. It is hoped that we will love fruits more because of their medicinal value. Salak is a long thorny plant and its trunk is similar to an oil palm tree. In scientific language it is called Salacca zalacca. Salak plants are native to Indonesia, namely South Sumatra and Southwest Java. Apart from Indonesia, salak also grows in other parts of the world and it is a plant that is categorized in the Arecaceae family. Apart from the place of origin, salak is also cultivated in other areas such as Bali, Timor, Lombok, Sulawesi, Maluku and Malaysia. Salak has fruit that grows in groups at the base of the plant, almost the same as oil palm stalks, which also bear fruit in groups. Salak is also known as the snake fruit because the skin of the fruit is scaly like a snake. The flesh of the fruit is diverse, some are sweet, chelating and sour, which is a bit sour if it is not ready for harvest or it’s not yet time for harvest.
Snake fruit also has other names according to their respective regions. Among the names for salak tree or fruit are Edible Salacca, Salak Palm, Snake Fruit, Snake Palm, and Snake- Skinned Fruit. Salak Bali, Salak Yogyakarta and Salak Gula Pasir are some of the types that are very popular among the many others.
Table of Contents
Plant
The Salak tree is a continuous green plant, very thorny, branching at the base like thatch. Shallow roots grow even above the ground, new roots appear under the canopy. Salak plants grow well in tropical lowlands and humid places such as oil palm plants. This plant does best in slightly shade or partial sun. If planted under the sun as a whole, the growth is not good and less productive.
Cultivation of salak is usually in clay clay, laterite soil or sandy loam. The leaf stalks of the zalacca plant are very thorny or thorny and long. In addition, these long spines are flat and pointed at the ends. The leaves are also filled with thorns and even the entire body of this plant can be said to be filled with pointed thorns that make it difficult for farmers to harvest or clean the plants.
Fruit
One of the more popular fruits is called snake fruit or salacca zalacca. This is a fruit that grows in groups at the base of the stem above the armpit of the midrib. Salak fruit is usually round in shape, slightly pointed, slightly rounded and varied with snake-like scaly skin. That is why it is called a snake fruit. Under the scaly skin there is yellowish yellow flesh, some are red mixed with white. Inside the flesh there are black seeds (if they are old) and brown or slightly white (if not fully ripe). What is eaten from the snake fruit is only white flesh, while the seeds are not eaten. False seeds are very hard like date seeds.
False fruit is only harvested after 7 months or 6 months from pollination. Quite a long time to have to wait to be able to harvest. Salak can bear fruit for a long time. However, the peak season for salak harvest is in the months of Mai and December. Snake fruit is harvested when the fruit is not fully ripe. The way to harvest snake fruit or zalacca fruit is not by removing the fruit one by one in the bunch, but by cutting the bunches.
History
Salak plants are estimated to come from South Sumatra and West Java. Then, in its distribution, the salak plant was introduced to various regions. Now, besides being widely cultivated in Sumatra, it is also widely cultivated in Thailand, Malaysia and other areas in Indonesia.
Salak plants have also been introduced to New Guinea, Philippines, Queensland and the northern Territory in Australia. In fact, it is increasingly spread throughout the world because it has started to be cultivated in Ponape Island (Caroline Archipelago), China, Suriname, Spain and the Fiji Islands because of its high health benefits.
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Salak Nutritional Value
Salak fruit is rich in nutrients so that it provides many health benefits. Now we look at the nutritional profile of the zalacca fruit so that we are increasingly convinced that this tropical fruit has many health benefits.
The amount of the following nutrients is based on 100 grams of zalacca. So for every 100 grams of salak offers the following nutrients:
- 3.9 mg of Iron,
- 0.2 mg of Vitamin B2,
- 8.4 mg of Vitamin C,
- 12.1 g of Carbohydrate,
- 38 mg of Calcium,
- 18 mg of Phosphorus,
- 0.8 g of Protein,
- 0.4 g of Total Fat and,
- 0.3 g of total dietary fiber.
Health Benefits of Salak
As a nutrient-rich fruit, it contains Protein, Vitamin-C, Dietary fiber, Iron, Beta-Carotene, Calcium, Phosphorus and Carbohydrates. From its nutritional profile we know that salak fruit provides great benefits for the good of human health as long as it is consumed in moderation.
Beta carotene and antioxidants work to prevent cancer, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and others and are good for preventing premature aging. The good news, salak in the news contains 5 times higher beta-carotene than watermelon, mango, and 3 times more beta-carotene than guava. Based on these nutritional facts, here are some of the health benefits of salak fruit.
1. Improve memory
The wrong fruit has important benefits for the brain, a wealth of nutrients provides benefits in improving intelligence or memory. Potassium and pectin content such as those in apples help improve cognitive and improve memory.
2. Control blood sugar
For people with blood sugar or diabetes, consuming one is very good because this fruit does not have much sugar content. Even if there is, these are natural sugars that are good for health. Apart from that, the big benefit of one is the peel. Consuming tea from the fruit skin of the salak is good in regenerating pancreatic cells so that it can control diabetes. This fruit also contains pterostilbene. It is a lowering of glucose in the blood so that blood sugar is not excessive. If you regularly consume salak fruit, you will be able to keep your glucose levels normal.
3. Maintain cardiovascular health
Why is salak good for the heart? This fruit is good for the heart because it contains potassium which will stabilize the blood. It also contains antioxidants that will fight free radicals, which is good for heart health.
4. Treat the eyes
The eyes really need beta-carotene to stay healthy. Salak fruit is a fruit rich in nutrients, including beta-carotene which has a role in repairing damage to the eye. For those of you who want to maintain eye health, now there are alternatives to carrot juice. Making salak juice will provide a lot of beta-carotene for you so you can replace your carrot juice.
5. Benefits of salak for the stomach
Saponins, tannins, calcium, beta-carotene and flavonoids are among the important compounds and minerals in snake fruit. Tannins are substances that can benefit diarrhea and cure it. Digestive disorders that are often experienced will be resolved by diligently consuming salak fruit. This scaly tropical fruit is also rich in fiber, so when you eat salak fruit, don’t remove the skin, this is useful for preventing constipation.
6. Treating nearsightedness
One of the benefits of salak fruit is to treat nearsightedness. Myopia cannot be treated by relying solely on vitamin A saka. The benefits of vitamin A are only to improve visual acuity both in dark places or in bright places. Nearsightedness occurs because the retinal shaft is short, not due to the retina of the eye. So consuming foods rich in vitamins, such as vitamins and collaboration with several other substances such as salak fruit are known to treat nearsightedness.
7. Salak fruit is useful for pregnant women
Healthy food rich in nutrients should be a priority for pregnant women. She does not only take care of her own health, but also the health of her baby from the time she is in the baby until she breastfeeds later. One of the problems that often occur in pregnant women is morning sickness or nausea and vomiting. There are many ways to deal with morning sickness and one of them is by eating salak fruit. But you still have to limit it because eating excess salak fruit can also cause constipation, especially if eaten after cleaning the skin.
8. Benefits of salak for weight loss
Antioxidants and fiber are the minerals and compounds present in this tropical fruit. So, these foods are great for maintaining a normal body weight. The fiber content provides benefits to facilitate waste disposal and binds fat in feces and removes it.
Salak fruit also contains carbohydrates which provide benefits in increasing and maintaining stamina. In addition, what people rarely know is the skin of the snake fruit. Salak fruit skin can be made into tea and brewed as usual, this provides extraordinary benefits for health such as regenerating pancreatic cells for those who have problems with blood sugar.
How to Eat Salak
Fresh snake fruit can be consumed directly as a snack or made zalacca juice to treat diarrhea.
Salak is a tropical fruit with a unique skin like snake skin, but has a rich taste. The taste is a blend of apple, pineapple and banana.
- Sarcotesta is also great for sweets that you can enjoy anytime.
- Snake fruit is not ripe and still fresh is usually used as an ingredient for making salad
- Young salak fruit can be used as pickles as a dinner menu
- Snake fruit that has low quality, usually sour taste and is still young. This fruit is cooked with salt so that it tastes better
- Salak fruit is sometimes also processed as juice, pickles and others
- Indonesia is a country that exports salak fruit to Singapore, the Middle East, China, the Netherlands and Hong Kong.
- Indonesia also exports canned snake fruit to foreign countries such as Singapore and Europe.
Another fact of the salak fruit
The salak tree is sometimes used as a fence that cannot be penetrated because it has so many thorns. People also plant snake fruit trees lined up as a fence.
Leather, stalks, and leaves can be made into woven materials
Salak tree leaflets are used for ha.
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