DATE PALM

                                        Phoenix dactylifera

The natural sugar contained in the date is much better than highly refined white sugar.
The fruit is very good for cough & cold, asthma, laryngitis, chest complaints, fevers, dysentery & liver complaints.
Taking dates with milk early in the morning during winter months is found to be a good tonic.
Dates can be eaten with milk for ulcers of the stomach.
The date water can be used with milk for children who have sensitive stomachs, as it helps digest the milk.

The fibre of cellulose of the date is very soft & does not irritate the stomach.
Dates are heat producing & give energy to people who engage in physical exercise & hard work.           
They are also a good source of copper,  which is a diet essential, even though it is needed by the body only in small amounts.

Dates are demulcent, expectorant & laxative & are used in respiratory & digestive disorders.

Dates are also reported to be effective in cases of memory disturbance.
Dried dates soaked in milk are highly nutritious & give energy & vitality.

Dates have a high tannin content & are used medicinally as a detersive & astringent.

As an infusion, decoction, syrup, or paste, dates may be administered for sore throat, colds & bronchial catarrh.
One traditional belief is that it can counteract alcohol intoxication.

A gum that exudes from the wounded trunk is employed in India for treating diarrhea.
The roots are used against toothache.

The consumption of a handful of dates everyday helps in controlling leprosy, asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis & fevers.

To take care of sore eyes, rub the seed of a date fruit on a rough surface with water & apply the paste obtained over the eyelid. To avoid infection of the eye in the process, make sure that the rough surface used & everything else is spotlessly clean.

Saudi women have long chosen to eat dates when they are pregnant or nursing in order to make sure they are receiving adequate vitamins & to boost their energy. 

Dates are great supplement for people who suffer from hypokalemia, a disorder involving too low levels of potassium. 

RECIPES:

To control cough & throat disorder, make a paste by grinding equal parts of dates, raisins, black pepper & long pepper.
Take 1 tsp of this paste & mix it in 1 tsp of honey.
Take this mixture 2- 3 times a day.

To take care of constipation & indigestion, take 4- 5 dates at bedtime & drink a glass of warm water every day till you get rid of the ailment.

To assist in sexual debility, mix 4- 6 dates & 1 tbsp of palm sugar in a cup of warm goat's milk & drink every day.

For general weakness, add 4- 5 crushed dates without the seeds into a glass of hot milk.
To this add a pinch of turmeric, a pinch of cardamom powder & 1 tsp of honey.
Drink this daily at bedtime.

Energy Balls:

½ cup raw pistachios
1/3 cup dried cranberries
¼ cup dates, pitted & chopped
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp chia seeds

Place pistachios, cranberries & dates in a food processor & pulse just until combined leaving large chunks of pistachio.
Add honey & chia seeds & pulse a few more times or until combined.
Separate into 8 evenly sized balls.