The bright coloring of watermelon is a symbol of hot August. It is from this month that he delights us with his taste and use in cooking, cosmetology, and also in the treatment of diseases according to traditional medicine recipes. This remarkable fruit in our diet and its application in everyday life will be discussed.
Briefly about the history of watermelon
The real birthplace of watermelon - Africa. The ancestor of the modern watermelon is considered a wild colocin from the African deserts. This plant has a powerful root system and small nondescript bitter fruits. Legends say that among these fruits came across and sweet, they helped caravans to overcome huge distances in the deserts. It is because of them that the colocint was started.
On the South American continent there is another kind of wild watermelon - citron watermelon. Most modern varieties originate from this species. The first mention of the cultivars of this delicious fruit can be found in the hieroglyphs that adorn the walls of Egyptian temples. 
Despite the lack of resemblance, this fruit is a relative of cucumber, pumpkin and zucchini. Watermelon ordinary is an annual herb belonging to the Pumpkin family.
Did you know? The Turkic name "donkey cucumber" fruit was due to the fact that donkeys are very fond of eating watermelons and often raid on melons.
How to call the fruit of watermelon
The question of what kind of watermelon - berries, vegetables or fruits - is controversial. Often this is due to the fact that the interpretation of the same object by means of different sciences gives different definitions. This does not mean that the interpretation is wrong, just a few. To find out the correct definition, it is necessary to become familiar with the basic terms and their meanings.
Fruit
"Fruit" comes from the Latin term fructus, which means "fruit." The word "fruit" is not a botanical term. This is a household name, which came in 1705 from the Polish language. A fruit is a fruit that consists of pulp and seeds and grows out of a flower. The habitual fruit in our everyday sense is a fruit that grows on a tree. Therefore, most ordinary people do not consider this fruit to be fruit.
Find out how watermelon is useful and why watermelon seeds are used.
Vegetable
Vegetable is also not a botanical term. In cooking, edible parts of herbaceous plants are considered vegetables. In the old Russian language vegetables were called any fruits that grew in the economy of the peasant.
According to V. I. Dahl, vegetables include:
- vegetable garden - what grew up in the garden;
- tops that you can eat;
- all kinds of edible roots.
- those whose root system is represented by tubers are called tubers;
- those whose root system is represented by edible roots are roots;
- and also - lettuce, solanaceous, cabbage, pulses, dessert, melon, spicy, onion, grains.
Check out the most unusual varieties of watermelons.
In the everyday sense, vegetables are all that grows not on a tree. This interpretation suggests that watermelon is a vegetable. But the vegetable should not be sweet, and this contradicts the meaning that is put into the everyday notion of "vegetables."
Berry
The term "berry" is also a household. Berry is a small fruit that grows on a shrub, dwarf shrub or in the grass. The botanical definition of the term is a juicy fruit, which has many seeds and an almost imperceptible thin skin. Watermelon grows on a grassy stem, but the berry we are used to should be small. Therefore, not all consider watermelon berry.
Did you know? The most popular myth about watermelon is supposedly a large number of nitrates contained in it, which can not be seen, but they are there. In order to ensure their absence or presence, immerse the watermelon pulp in a glass of water. If the water turns red, the fruit contains nitrates. Just clouded water indicates their absence.
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a fruit of a plant that belongs to the Pumpkin family. This fruit is formed on the grassy vine from the ovary. As well as the berry, has many seeds, but differs in structure. A berry is a juicy fruit of the same soft consistency, and pumpkins are soft inside and hard outside. Such fruits can reach large sizes, so in the botanical sense - it is pumpkin berry. Another definition pumpkin is a false berry. So watermelon is a false berry.
The taste of watermelon can be enjoyed not only in summer, but also in winter, if you become familiar with the methods of long-term storage of berries and recipe for pickled watermelons.
Useful properties and application of watermelon
Watermelon is 80% water. Moreover, such water is considered structured and belongs to the most useful types of liquid. It has the correct crystal structure, which contributes to the normalization of the gastrointestinal tract, the endocrine system, reducing inflammation.
It is also a low-calorie product that helps normalize weight. Its pulp contains no more than 38 calories per 100 g. 100 g of this pumpkin contains 0.7 g of proteins, 0.2 g of fat and 13 g of carbohydrates. The fruit is rich in vitamins and minerals: retinol, thiamine, potassium and other components. Seeds contain about 25% of the oil, which in taste resembles olive oil, and in its properties, almond. 
Important! People with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, gallstone disease can not eat watermelon. It should also be wary of women during lactation due to the strong diuretic effect.
In folk medicine
The complex of microelements and vitamins provides wide use of this berry for the treatment and prevention of various diseases:
- Folic acid is involved in the synthesis of serotonin and norepinephrine. Serotonin provides blood clotting and stops bleeding. Norepinephrine is called the hormone of optimism, as it helps to quickly deal with stress, get rid of melancholy and depression, and restore strength.
- Vitamin B4 (choline) protects the liver from harmful effects, removes cholesterol from the body, and prevents the development of atherosclerosis. Promotes the transmission of nerve impulses, improves memory, increases concentration. It prevents the development of urolithiasis, normalizes blood sugar.
- Vitamin P (rutin) normalizes oxidative processes in the body, protects vitamin C from destruction.
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) controls the body's metabolic processes, boosts immunity, helps tissue regeneration, and stimulates collagen production.
Vitamins contained in the berry slow down the aging process, improve the functioning of the internal organs, improve the immune system and the overall tone of the body.
The use of individual components:
- Pectin removes radionuclides from the body.
- Carotenoids protect the heart muscle and prevent the development of benign and malignant tumors.
- Iron cures anemia and prevents the development of anemia.
Seeds are a good anthelmintic. Juice is used as a diuretic and choleretic agent, also useful in skin diseases. Watermelon juice relieves fever in case of sore throat.
You will probably be interested to know whether a fruit, vegetable or berry is plum, grapes, melon, pumpkin, tomatoes, pomegranate.
The therapeutic effect of drinking watermelon is noted in the following pathologies:
- General poisoning of the body and the state after anesthesia are treated with the use of 2 kg of pulp. Juice removes toxins from the body and neutralizes their effects.
- When edema applied decoction of the crusts. 100 g of dried, crushed watermelon peels pour 0.5 liters of boiling water, cover with a lid and leave to cool. Consume 100 ml 5 times a day.
- For the treatment of helminthiasis, 100 g of dry seeds (with skin) are poured with a liter of water. After boiling leave to infuse in a thermos. Apply 200 ml 3 times a day. You can pour the seeds is not water, and milk. Take this composition should be 0.5 cups 2 times a day.
Important! Watermelon can be introduced into the baby no earlier than 1 year.
In cosmetology
In cosmetology, watermelon is used because of its ability to tone and moisturize the skin, to stop the inflammatory processes. It is used in the form of masks and skin cleansers.
The restorative properties of watermelon juice appear in masks for various skin types. At the same time, a certain amount of pulp is mixed with honey, which adds viscosity to the mask and enriches it with additional nutrients, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial components.
Before applying the mask, the skin must be cleaned and steamed to open the pores for access of nutrients. All masks are applied for 20-30 minutes, while it is desirable that the applied mass was warm. After the procedure, the mask is washed off with warm water, and the skin is smeared with a nourishing cream. It is not recommended to go out immediately after the procedure: the skin should cool down within 15-20 minutes.
VIDEO: FACE MASK FROM ARBUS CORDS The mask for wrinkles and for aged skin consists of honey and watermelon pulp in the ratio of 1: 2. In addition to the tonic mask, 1 raw yolk, thick semolina and vegetable oil are added (2 tsp.). The composition for normal skin includes yolk, pulp, sour cream, butter. Bread crumbs or barley flour are added to the mixture to thicken.
To wipe dry skin is used lotion, which consists of equal parts of watermelon and cucumber juice and alcohol. The tool dries the skin well and relieves inflammation in adolescence, prevents clogged pores, normalizes the condition of oily skin.
Watermelon reduces hair tangling, reduces their fat content. The hair mask consists of pulp, which the blender is ground to a pasty state. It should be applied for 20 minutes along the entire length of dry hair. Then wash your hair as usual.
In cooking
Firstly Watermelon is an independent dessert that does not require additions: it is especially good if it is cooled before use. The high content of liquids gives rise to the following type of use of pumpkin - juices, peaches, alcoholic beverages. And of course, it is used in preparations for the winter in the form of jam or salty watermelons. Exotic uses include salads, both fruit and meat.
For desserts, they use thin-melted watermelons with tender pulp, for compotes - with crumbly. In fruit salads, mixtures are used: citrus fruits, watermelon pulp and lettuce leaves as a substrate for decoration and as an ingredient. These salads are filled with citrus juice and served chilled. 
Find out what is watermelon honey and how to cook it.
In the manufacture of snack salads used cheese, greens, chicken. These salads are dressed with olive oil and seasonings. Slices of watermelon are roasted in the grill for about 2 minutes to give them the consistency they need for such a dish.
In the preparation of ice cream or watermelon sorbet, in addition to the main ingredient, citrus fruits, raspberries, cherries are used to impart an appropriate taste. Mint is added to the flavor. The mixture is cooled in an ice cream maker or freezer for about 6 hours before serving.
Watermelon is a universal product that is widely used in traditional medicine, cosmetology and cooking. Its useful properties are in demand in the diet, in the treatment and prevention of various diseases. And even if it were not useful, it would still remain one of the sweetest gifts of summer.
