Jujube Fruit.A Magic fruit berry for emotion controlling and more.
Article Content:
- .Botanical Source of Fructus Jujubae.Ziziphus jujuba.
- .History,Origin and Distribution of Jujube.
- .Phytochemicals of Jujube.
- .Medicinal Action and Uses of Jujube.
- .Chinese Jujube.Chinese Dates.
- .Traditional Uses of Jujube.
- .Jujube Suggestions and Administration.
- .Research Update:Jujube Fruit.
History,Origin and Distribution of Jujube.
Trace: The jujube (pronounced juh-ju-bee or juh-juh-bee) is a member of the buckthorn family, or Rhamnaceae. Its botanical name is Ziziphus zizyphus (formerly Zizyphus jujuba ), and its common names are common jujube, Chinese date, and Chinese jujube. Though the plant's origin is probably Syria, it was distributed throughout much of the Mediterranean region at least 3,000 years ago and today is most widely grown in China.
History:
It is thought to be native to North Africa and Syria, but moved east through India to China, where it has been cultivated for over 4,000 years. The tree can reach a height of 5-12 m, with shiny-green leaves, and sometimes thorns. The many inconspicuous flowers are small, greenish or white, and produce an olive-sized fruit that is a drupe.
Jujube has been a part of Chinese medicine for at least 2,500 years and is mentioned in the Classic of Odes, a 6th century BCE anthology of Chinese poetry. The fruit has a pleasant taste and high nutritional value, and is often used to disguise unpalatable prescriptions.
Largely dismissed in the West, Europeans and Asians recognize jujube as a valuable medicinal herb. Gerard, in the 17th century, maintained that the herb was an excellent tonic for all parts of the body, especially the lungs and kidneys.
Origin of Jujube:
The jujube originated in China where they have been cultivated for more than 4,000 years and where there are over 400 cultivars.The plants traveled beyond Asia centuries ago and today are grown to some extent in Russia, northern Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East and the southwestern United States. Jujube seedlings, inferior to the Chinese cultivars, were introduced into Europe at the beginning of the Christian era and carried to the U. S. in 1837. It wasn't until 1908 that improved Chinese selections were introduced by the USDA.
The jujube or Chinese date, introduced into this country from China, is a medium size tree, up to 25 or more feet, with glossy green, deciduous foliage.
Geographical distribution:
Jujubes originated in China, where they have been cultivated for more than 4,000 years and where there are over 400 cultivars. The spiny trees travelled beyond Asia centuries ago and today are grown to some extent in Russia, northern Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East and the southwestern United States.
The fruit is a drupe, varying from round to elongate and from cherry-size to plum-size, depending on the cultivar. It has a thin, edible dark red skin surrounding whitish flesh of sweet, agreeable flavour. The single hard stone contains two seeds. Confusingly, Jujube is also the name of a tiny fruit-flavoured candy with a hard, gelatinous texture, but the name is the only connection between the two foods.
Chinese dates are among the most persistent and long-lived imported trees in the South. Some sources indicate that they were introduced from Europe by Robert Chisolm in 1837, and first planted in Beaufort, North Carolina. They have also been mentioned as being in the early Spanish missions in California, and were possibly brought to America at an earlier time.
They are thought to be native to Syria or China, and are widely distributed in the warmer parts of Europe, southern Asia, Africa, and Australia. The Chinese have been known to cultivate as many as 400 varieties of jujube, and have a great fondness for the fruit; it is sometimes processed with honey and sugar, and sold as a dessert confection. The jujube has been cultivated in China for hundreds of years. Roger Meyers, a member of the California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc., has published several articles on jujubes, and is attempting to research the names and provide sources for some of the best varieties that have been introduced in the past.
It thrives best in warm, dry climates; but will withstand winter temperatures down to -20 F. Fruit is generally dark brown when ripe, oval to pyriform in shape, 1 to 2 inches diameter, with a single stone. Fruit will dry if left on tree, similar to figs. Skin is smooth and thin until drying of fruit occurs, then becomes wrinkled. Pulp is dryer than in most fruits.
Adaptation:
The jujube can withstand a wide range of temperatures; virtually no temperature seems to be too high in summertime. Winter dormancy allows it to withstand temperatures to about -28 Deg F, yet it requires only a small amount of winter chill in order for it to set fruit. The plant revels in summer sun and heat, with the lack of either limiting fruit production more than winter cold. Yet jujubes have fruited in the Puget Sound and low Cascade regions of Washington State as well as in Pennsylvania. Fruiting of some cultivars has also been reported in northern Florida.The Indian jujube, which is more sensitive to frost, is grown in Florida, but the fruit is considered inferior. Jujube trees are not particularly suitable for container culture, but can be grown in this manner in a large container.
This deciduous tree grows 12 to 15 feet tall, although trees are known to reach 30 feet. (The largest known jujube tree in the United States, at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, measures over 40 feet high and wide.) Over time trees develop a graceful, gnarled shape. Most varieties have thorns on young branches. Its leaves are 1 to 2 inches long, leathery, and shiny bright green. Tiny yellow-green flowers are about 1/4 inch wide.
Reference:
1.Jujube Fruit.A Magic fruit berry for emotion controlling and more.
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