This exotic fruit is grown on an industrial scale in South Africa, Australia, the Hawaiian Islands, Thailand and South America, although its native land is the tropics of Brazil.
In Russia, the passion fruit is known as Passiflora, Passionflower and Granadilla. There is a legend that the Italian Jesuit monk F. Ferrari called this plant a passion flower in memory of the suffering of Jesus Christ. When they showed him the Passiflora flower, he compared the parts of the plant with the clothes, the wounds of the Savior, a crown of thorns and nails of his crucifix.
In his homeland, in tropical forests, passion fruit grows in strong vines almost ten meters long with dark green leaves. There are several dozen varieties of this species. The passion fruit flowers are not very large, after pollination for 80 days, a fragrant fruit is formed instead of the flower.
Passion fruit contains almost no fats, proteins and predominant carbohydrates, which allows those who care about their weight to use this fruit in their diet. The caloric content of 100 g of tropical treats is only 65-70 kcal. But the benefits of passion fruit are not only used when dieting, but they have many valuable properties.
Useful properties of passion fruit:
Strengthening of immunity: vitamins and antioxidants in the composition of this fruit neutralize free radicals, lead to a type of prevention of viral infections and increase the resistance of the body.
Cancer prevention: flavonoids, phenols, vitamins A and C have an anticancer effect, activate white blood cells and eliminate free radicals.
Prevention of ophthalmic diseases: even small portions of passion fruit consumed regularly will improve eye health, serve as an excellent prevention of degeneration of the organ of vision, cataracts and night blindness.
It improves the skin, eliminates wrinkles, normalizes the state of the epidermis: the masks and scrubs of this fruit are very effective thanks to vitamin A, which is found in abundance in passion fruit.
Benefits for the intestines: the abundance of fiber contained in this fruit perfectly stimulates the intestines. Digestion, fight against constipation, elimination of toxins, blood sugar balance: these passion fruit properties effectively regulate digestion.
Normalization of blood pressure: with regular use of this fruit, a pronounced vasodilator effect is felt, which normalizes blood pressure for a long time.
An auxiliary agent for cardiological pathologies: a large amount of potassium, copper, iron, supports the work of the heart muscle and improves blood circulation.
Prevention of insomnia: the abundance of macro and microelements in the pulp of the fruit helps to improve the condition of bone tissue, increase its density and resistance. The use of passion fruit is recommended to prevent age-related osteoporosis, relieve joint inflammation and reduce pain.
In addition, the passion fruit relieves headaches and menopausal symptoms, helps with insomnia, promotes the beauty of nails and hair and slows the aging process.
