Walnut (Juglans regia), is native to Central Asia and some areas of the Balkan Peninsula, nowadays being cultivated a lot in mild climates of south-eastern Europe, northern Greece, Italy, France and Romania. The mature walnut is a vigorous tree with a wide crown, whose branches feed a large number of fruits. It has been considered since ancient times as a "selfish" tree, because due to the large amount of iodine and juglone that its leaves give off, it is not suitable for rest and relaxation in the shade of the walnut tree and annual and perennial plants in the area shaded by the walnut tree cannot grow.  

Walnut trees are used for their leaves, raw fruits and their shells, ripe fruits, inflorescences, buds, young leaves or sap. But by far the ripe fruits are the best known and are predominantly used in food with a high caloric value: 100 g of fruit releases 618 Kcal.

 

 

Dried walnuts contain: essential fatty acids omega 3 and omega 6 (linoleic and linolenic), amino acids: arginine, tryptophan, tyrosine, minerals: manganese and copper in appreciable quantities, but also magnesium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, zinc, traces of iodine and sodium in small quantities. Vitamins: especially vitamin B6 and E, C (in large quantities) but also vitamin A, B1, B2, as well as caffeic acid, coumaric acid, flavonoids, ascorbic acid and ellagic acid, tannins and volatile oils.

 

Walnut oil, extracted by pressing the kernels of ripe walnuts, contains large amounts of lipids, predominantly polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as sphingolipids and phospholipids with an essential role in maintaining the integrity of cell membranes and neuronal transmission.

The leaves contain naphthoquinone (juglone), tannins, ellagic acid, gallic acid, flavonoids, inositol, essential oils, traces of iodine.

 

 

Antibacterial, antihemorrhagic (walnut buds) antifungal, antianemic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, depurative, hypoglycemic, laxative, purgative, regenerative, sudorific, vermifuge, yang tonic.

 

 

Contraindications: in hyperthyroidism, irritable bowel, acid gastritis, in insulin-dependent diabetes.

 

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a medical recommendation for any health problems or conditions. In case of health problems, consultation with a specialist is recommended.