11 Amazing Plum benefits

The Fleshy, mouth-watering, most desired fruit, Plum, has some particular properties which make its eater relax and feel satisfied with lot of plum benefits, just like Sweet Red cherries.

Being such a sweet, desired, and juicy fruit, nature has blessed this small round ball-shaped fruit with lots of nutrition and medicinal properties for humans to get health benefits and enjoy its good taste.

Plum benefits, being refreshing and nutritious fruit, offer many health benefits, such as they contain a lot of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants, which help lower the risk of chronic diseases.

Plums can be consumed as fresh juicy, or dried fruit called Prunes. Prunes and Plums are known to have health benefits for improving constipation and osteoporosis conditions.

Some common names of Plum:

• Persian: آلو
• Arabic (Plum): برقوق
• Arabic (Prunes): برقوق جاف
• Chinese: Lǐzǐ ( 李子 )
• Dutch: Pruim
• German: Pflaume
• Greek: Damáskino (Δαμάσκηνο)
• Hindi: aaloobukhaara ( आलूबुखारा )
• Japanese: Ume ( 梅 )
• Ukrainian: Slyva ( Слива )

Nutrition facts

Plums and Prunes are high in nutrition numbers. They have different varieties of vitamins and minerals with dietary fibers and antioxidants to safeguard against diseases. Black and Red plums are almost the same in terms of nutrition values, but red plums are a bit sourer, making them sour and sweet in taste.

The below lists show the most effective and health-related vitamins and minerals of prunes and plums.

Plums, raw 100 g (3.5 oz)

Raw plums (100 grams) have 87% water, 11% carbohydrates, 1% protein and less than 1% fat, providing 46 kilocalories of energy with 12% Vitamin C of the daily value.

• Energy (Calories): 46 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 11.42 g
• Fat: 0.28 g
• Protein: 0.7 g
• Vitamins C: 9.5 mg
• Vitamin E: 0.26 mg
• Vitamin K: 6.4 ug
• Vitamin B6: 0.029 mg
• Thiamine (B1): 0.028 mg
• Calcium: 6 mg
• Iron: 0.17 mg
• Magnesium: 7 mg
• Phosphorus: 16 mg
• Potassium: 157 mg
• Sodium: 0 mg
• Zinc: 0.1 mg

Prunes (Dry Plums) 100 g (3.5 oz)

Calories in a prune are 240 kcal. Dried Plums or Prunes per 100 grams have 31% water, 7% dietary fiber, less than 1 % fat, 64% carbohydrates, 2% protein and 57% Vitamin K in terms of daily Value.

• Energy (Calories): 240 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 63.88 g
• Fat: 0.38 g
• Protein: 2.18 g
• Vitamins C: 0.6 mg
• Vitamin E: 0.43 mg
• Vitamin K: 59.5 ug
• Vitamin B6: 0.205 mg
• Thiamine (B1): 0.051 mg
• Calcium: 43 mg
• Iron: 0.93 mg
• Magnesium: 41 mg
• Phosphorus: 69 mg
• Potassium: 732 mg
• Sodium: 2 mg
• Zinc: 0.44 mg

Plum Benefits and Medicinal use

Prunes and plums are a powerhouse of nutrients. Adding plums to your daily diet can increase your overall health and protect you from chronic diseases. The same is true for prunes, as they are available throughout the year, unlike plums.

In 2012 a report was published by the European Food Safety Authority that Prunes have about 7% dietary fiber in their weight which is an essential item in causing the “Laxative” effect. Sorbitol content is also responsible for the laxative effect of consuming prunes.

This report demonstrated that prunes are a significant contributor to proper bowel functioning when consumed at least 3.5 oz or 100 grams daily.

6 Plum benefits as a Traditional remedy

Nature has given prunes the ability to ease headaches caused by excessive body thermogenesis. Below are 6 traditional remedies with Plums:

Healthy and Relaxing Fruit

Plums being sour and sweet do not elevate your cough despite being sour. It is a plum benefit. Plum benefits also include reduced bile and lower fever caused by excessive bile production of liver. 

Helps with Nausea

Eating fresh plums can help with nausea, in which the stomach feels uneasy, and you feel that you are about to vomit, but you often don’t vomit.

Thirst-Quenching

Plum or plum juice is very refreshing. Eating a handful of plums can help in quenching thirst.

A remedy for Flu

In traditional medicine, plum leaves were boiled in water and then used for gargling as a remedy for Flu.

Natural remedy for parasites

Like peaches, plum leaves are famous for removing and extinguishing abdominal and intestinal worms. A traditional remedy is to make past or lotion of plum leaves by grinding them and embrocating (apply and rub) below the belly button for a few minutes. It would relieve worm pain and help remove them via passing stool. 

Remedy for Bile

Plums and Tamarind fruit pulps are everyday kitchen food items which, if used properly, are a remedy for excess bile conditions. If you are wondering how to use it? It’s simple: you just cut or smash a few plums or prunes and soak them in water with the pulp of tamarind fruit. Let it rest overnight; next day filter this mixture and drink delicious sweet, sour brownish water. According to herbal doctors, drinking it a few times a day for 2 or 3 days can cure excess bile condition.

5 modern day science proven health benefits of Plums and Prunes

Promotes Heart Health

Eating daily dry plums or Fresh Plums may have a protective effect on heart health.

Plums have been studied for their significant potential in reducing high blood pressure and lowering cholesterol levels, which are major contributing factors to heart diseases.

A study was conducted on 2 groups of healthy humans for 2 months. One group was given six prunes each morning, and the other just drank a glass of water on an empty stomach.

The group eating six prunes every day in the morning showed significantly lower blood pressure and lower bad cholesterol “LDL”.

Another study showed that men diagnosed with high cholesterol levels were given plums and prunes for 2 months, after which their LDL cholesterol levels dropped significantly.

Plums and dry Plums have abundant Antioxidant

A study shows that Plums have twice the amount of polyphenol antioxidants compared to peaches and nectarines.

Another research also indicates that polyphenol antioxidants in plums and prunes promote bone and heart health and are suitable for diabetes.

Dry Plums and Fresh Plum benefits also include reduced inflammation of body organs and promoting cell health against free radicals in the blood.

Antioxidants in plums have shown remarkable positive signs that the polyphenols-antioxidant can reduce inflammation in the lungs and joints.

Constipation relieving by consuming Plums and Prunes

Plums and Prunes, like many other fruits, have a lot of fiber, making plums and dry plums a great candidate for relieving constipation.

Dietary fibers don’t get absorbed by the digestive system. As a result, they bulk up and act as a pushing force on your stool and help speed up the rate at which waste is removed from your digestive tract.

Besides fibers dry plums and fresh plums have a compound called “Sorbitol ” which is an alcoholic sugar with a natural laxative effect.

Eating plums before bed has proven to treat constipation and promote a natural laxative effect.

Note: Eating plums or drinking plum juice in high quantities might cause nausea or diarrhoea.

Plum benefits: Promote Bone Health

It is unknown what promotes bone health after consuming or eating plums and dry plums. Still, it’s thought that the antioxidant properties and inflammation-reducing properties of plums are the reason behind this.

Meanwhile, some studies have also indicated that Prunes and Fresh Plums are as effective for reversing bone loss as they are effective for stopping bone losses.

Prunes also have different vitamins and minerals that are famous for bone protection, such as vitamin K and potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. These findings were concluded after experimenting on animals and test tubes.

But some studies were also conducted on humans, showing promising results after eating plums for a few weeks.

Plums may help lower Blood Sugar

Plums being generously high in carbohydrates, do not cause rise and spikes in blood sugar levels. It is because of the high quantity of fiber in plums and dry plums because fiber binds with food and slows down the food absorption process, which causes blood sugar levels to rise gradually.

Patients with type 2 diabetes can safely eat plums and prunes.

However, access to everything is terrible, and especially diabetes patients should not cross the safe consumption limit.

How to add Plums or Prunes to your diet

There are a lot of methods, and you can get as creative as you like, to add Plums or Prunes to your daily diet. Following are a few of these methods:

• Use as a sugar substitute in baking products.
• Use them as toppings on cake, especially prunes.
• Use them in toppings of yogurt.
• Eat before sleeping.
• Add to morning drinks or smoothies.

Summary

Plums are a famous fruit full of vitamins and nutritional benefits. And eating prunes also has its benefits. But one should be careful not to overeat Plums or Prunes and exceed the daily limit of 100 to 200 grams. After all, excess of everything is terrible. Putting warnings aside now and here are the benefits of eating plums or prunes on daily bases:

• Plums are good for nausea.
• Eating Plums or drinking Plum Juice may help in thirst quenching.
• Plums are refreshing and can relax the mood.
• Prunes or plums are also suitable for bile.
• Dry plums also support heart health and lower blood pressure.
• Plum benefits also include relieving constipation.
• Prunes in daily diet also promote bone health.