| Common Names | Tomato |
|---|---|
| Description | |
| Locations | Epirus |
| Clinical Summary | |
| Contraindications | All green plant parts are poisonous |
| Active Substance | alkaloids histamine carotene essential oil Solanine (alkaloid) lycopene (pigment) tomatine (antibiotic). The fruits contain water (90%), glucides (4%), lipids (0.3%) organic acids (malic, citric acid) minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, zinc, iron, iodine, boron, copper) vitamin A, B1, B6, C, E and K |
| Active Substance Plant Part | Ride fruits |
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| Educational Research | |
| Interaction | |
| Features Description | Lycopersicon esculentum is an annual plant growing from 10 to 50cm, with compound, dark green leaves, wavy leaflets and white or yellow flowers. Tomato fruits are classified as berries, their shape is round, flattened or irregular. The unripe fruits are green, while the ripe ones are red. The blooming and the harvesting take place from June to September and the fruiting lasts from August to October. |
| Method Administration | The plant is administered as orexigenic, as well as for the treatment of headache and rheumatism, in the form of tomato juice from the fruit pureed (3 glasses daily, for three weeks). Also, it is applied externally against acne and sunburn in the form of lotion (100g of tomato juice, 40g of ethyl alcohol 90% and 10 mL of glycerol).Warning: The use of herb preparations is not recommended without seeking advice from your physician or pharmacist. The substances they contain may interact with the subscribed drugs that the patient already takes, thus eliminating their therapeutic efficacy or inducing toxicity. They may also burden further weakened vital functions of the body thus exposing the patient to increased morbidity and life threatened conditions. |
| Pharmacological Info | The plant is mainly used in homeopathy in the form of ointment for the treatment of headaches and rheumatisms. In allopathic medicine the plant is not used, although there are a lot of studies which have shown that the consumption of the fruits may help the treatment of anorexia, arteriosclerosis, vascular diseases, rheumatism, gallstones, kidney stones, constipation, gout and toothache. The external application of the tomato paste is recommended for the treatment of acne (especially to oily skin), sunburn and insect bites. Recent studies have shown that tomatoes' consumption reduces the risk of cancer (prostate, mouth, esophagus, stomach, colon, breast, cervical, ovarian) at an important percentage, which reaches up to 40%. This action is attributed to the contained lycopene, which can also protect the elderly from macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness. |
| Pharmacological Use | |
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| References | Βιβλίο: Οδηγός των φαρμακευτικών φυτών, Paul Schauenberg, Ferdinand Paris, Εκδότης Μ. Γκιούρδας, Αθήνα 1981, σελίδες 65-66 http://plants.usda.gov/java/charProfile?symbol=ADCA The PLANTS Database, United States Department of Agriculture http://www.herbgarden.co.za/mountainherb/herbinfo.php?id=271 http://www.amazondiscovery.com/Tomato.html http://www.medicinalpedia.com/lycopersicon-esculentum/ |
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