Carob

The carob( Ceratonia siliqua) is an evergreen shrub from the Fabaceae family and native to Mediterranean and its seed pods are edible. Its height reaches up to 10 meters. It has a wide crown and a thick trunk. The brown bark is rough and the branches are sturdy. Pinnate leaves are 10-20 cm long and drop shaped. The flowers are 6-12 cm long with greenish red colour and are small and many in number. The carob pods are in a purplish brown colour, shiny and flat with a length of 10-30 cm. The middle layer of the fruit is soft and sweet when fresh. In every pod there are about fifteen hard shelled flat seeds. The seeds contain a subtance calle Trigosol. It grows in Turkey around Antalya, Silifke, Anamur, Datça in small and big groups. A mature carob tree can produce fruits up to 1000 kg.

Until a few centuries earlier, carob was used instead of sugar or in the sweets. In time, white sugar use has become common and this habit discontinued.

The fruits are used in cough drugs. It is added to the chewed tobacco to and flavour. Carob fruit is also used to make preserves. The balsam obtained from its seeds is used in the textile industry for finishing. Also it is used as a sweetener in chocolate production and in foodstuff as a food additive thickening agent shown as E410.

Distributing healing for 5000 years…

The carob is a fuit consumed by the Prophet Jacob in the desert to replace the bread. It has been known for nearly 5000 years. The carob is among the chief medically and contains three times calcium of milk; the E vitamin it contains is good for coughs, influenza, osteoclasis and anaemia; it brings out the phlegm, softens the chest, open the bronchus, good for smokers and effective in the shortness of breath (those who have allergenic shortness of breath are strongly advised to eat carob preserve syrup); high raw cellulose effect is good for intestinal problems and gastritis; it relieves flatulence of the stomach and intestines; cleans parasites in the intestines like worms; strengthens the stomach; it has a good effect on the teeth gum with its rich mineral and vitamin content; thanks to high natural sugars, rich minerals (especially zinc) and vitamins (A,B,B2,B3,D) content, it is a natural source of strenght and food; high sodium and potassium content is very good for he liver and the lungs; it cleans the toxic substances from the blood; effective in the prevention of the lung cancer; good for the heard, prevents palpitation; it cleans the radiation entering the human body through food; it a natural doping.