Feeding on Gond Laddoos & wondering what’s so special? Here are the amazing benefits of Gond
When you start to travel there are so many things that you get to learn and see things you never knew existed. During my travels especially in remote villages, it never ceases to surprise me that the old people are so much healthier and energetic than those who live in the cities and so-called urban areas. This has often been a frequent question that gets me wondering and often the answer is in the difference in the lifestyles and the eating habits. Somewhere as a part of this modernization, we have lost touch with our roots.
Today, we tend to turn to doctors for the smallest problems or the slightest signs of sickness; however, what we fail to understand is nothing but the kind of foods and lifestyles that we follow that make us sick and unhealthy.
The universe is balanced and everything that you need is present in nature.
The universe is balanced and everything that you need is present in nature.Ayurveda has been part of our culture since ancient times. Today there is extensive research that is being done in this field even outside India. The amount of herbs and nutritional substances that can be found in nature is beyond measure.
Let’s today introduce ourselves to one such ayurvedic ingredient available in nature, “Gond Katira”. I am pretty sure many people would relate to Gond ka laddoo that their moms would make at home. I guess we should all today thank our moms for feeding those gond laddoos at home. However, I don’t know how many of us know how it is obtained or the reason for these laddoos being so famous.
Gond Katira is also commonly known as “Edible Gum” or “Tragacanth Gum” or “Acacia Gum”. It is naturally obtained in the form of the sap of the thorny shrub tragacanth or acacia plants. Tragacanth is a thorny and low-growing shrub and commonly found in the mountainous regions of the Middle East. Iran is the highest producer of this tree gum, which is also called Gond Katira in Hindi. The Tragacanth gum is majorly used in Ayurveda for its digestive properties. Some basic facts about Gond Katira are listed below –
- Name: Tragacanth gum (“gond katira”)
- Obtained From: Species of Astragalus
- Plant Part Used: Root sap (dried)
- Common Name: Shiraz, Shiraz gum, gum dragon
- Sanskrit Name: Galgal
- Native Region and Geographical Distribution: Middle eastern region of the world.
Nutritional facts about Tragacanth gum or Gond Katira
Like all our products, let’s look at the nutritional information for Gond Katira.
| Nutrients | Value (per 100 g) |
| Energy | 70 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 35 g |
| Fiber | 30 g |
| Hydrates | 5 g |
| Fats | 0 g |
| Mineral(s) | |
| Sodium | 9 g |
How to use Gondh?
For people like me who are new to Gond Katira should know that it is water-soluble and hence can be used as an ingredient in a variety of preparations. Also due to its nutritional value, it is used in the treatment of a variety of ailments.
It is a tasteless and odourless and swells when soaked in water or turns crunchy when fried in ghee. Due to this texture of gond, it is used in the food and pharmaceutical industry as a thickening and binding agent. The other uses of gond include being used as an emulsifier, a stabilizer, and a texturant additive. Gond is very commonly found in commercial items, like bakery items, beauty products, fizzy energy drinks, ice creams, etc.
However, most of these don’t even exploit the benefits that gond has to offer when consumed in the form of laddoos.
Benefits of Gond
The benefits of Gond are truly limitless. No part of the body is not benefitted by the consumption of Gond, for both males and females. So let’s talk about the benefits of Gond –
1. Cooling effect on the body
If you spend too much time in the hot climate in the peak summers, having a milkshake or sherbet infused with Gond might be just the thing that you need. Gond is known for its cooling properties, which helps to reduce the temperature of the body. Thus preventing heat strokes.
2. Energy Booster
Gond acts as an instant energy booster. Also if you tend to get tired very easily or finding there is some sort of weakness in the body, consuming gond in the morning with milk and sugar can keep you energized throughout the day. Also, it works as a source of energy for kids too.
3. Laxative
Gond acts as a natural laxative and helps in regulating bowel movements. Thus preventing constipation. Also, some of the chemicals present in gond are known for helping with the digestion also.
4. Pregnancy
Gond laddoos have been an ancient recipe giving to women during pregnancy. During pregnancy, it helps provide the mother and child with the necessary nutrients. And post-pregnancy it is given to lactating mother to help increase the production of breast milk. Also, there are a lot of other positive effects that Gond has on women during the post-pregnancy period. It also helps in building immunity after delivery.
5. Treatment for mouth ulcers
Gond helps in reducing the redness and pain of mouth ulcers. A finely ground paste of Gond can be applied to the mouth ulcers for quick relief.
6. Weight loss
If you check the nutritional information of Gond, Gond is very high in fiber and also helps in increasing the metabolism of the body. Also due to the high-fiber content, you will feel more satisfied and lesser hunger pangs. Also, the high metabolic rate ensures that you have the necessary amount of energy for the complete day. And the final result is a weight management diet and weight loss.
7. Benefits for the Skin
The soluble fiber in Gond is known to have a lot of beneficial effects on the skin. It helps detoxify the system and thus helps in improving the complexion along with providing a healthy glow on the skin. Besides, Gond consumed regularly can help in the prevention of wrinkles, by improving the elasticity of the skin.
8. Good for bones and pain
The high calcium and magnesium content of Gond helps in strengthening and nourishing the bone tissues. Thus improving the overall bone health. Also, Gond is known to be a natural analgesic and works on certain receptors in the nervous system for reducing the pain.
9. Improves Libido in men
Gond is known to highly effective in increasing libido and also for treating various sexual inadequacy or weakness in males. The long-term consumption of gond can cure other sexual issues like erectile dysfunction, low semen count, and other sexual issues in males.
10. Natural Breast Enhancer
Gond is one of the ingredients for the herbal treatment of the enhancement of breasts. It is known to be a natural and effective breast enhancer, through the balancing of hormones in the body. The effects are more easily seen after prolonged use of Gond.
Conclusion:
The list of benefits of Gond is endless. Due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-aging properties. It is used in a very wide variety of treatments, including the treatment of cancer.
As far as the side effects are concerned, in moderate quantities there are no side effects; however, it is advisable to have adequate consumption of water.
So the next time your mother gives you Gond laddoos, relish the same.
References
- Zandleven J, Beldman G, Bosveld M, Benen J, Voragen A. Mode of action of xylogalacturonan hydrolase towards xylogalacturonan and xylogalacturonan oligosaccharides. Biochem J. 2005 May 1;387(Pt 3):719-25. PMID: 15560751
- Mokhamad Nur, Todor Vasiljevic. Insulin Inclusion into a Tragacanth Hydrogel: An Oral Delivery System for Insulin. Materials (Basel). 2018 Jan; 11(1): 79. PMID: 29304023
- E. Mayhew, E. M. F. Roe. Changes in the Permeability of Landschütz Ascites Tumour Cells to Vital Stains after Treatment with Tumour-Inhibitory or modified Samples of Gum Tragacanth or with Gum Karaya. Br J Cancer. 1964 Sep; 18(3): 537–542. PMID: 14219547
- Mehdi Atashkar, Mohammad Hojjatoleslamy, Leila Sedaghat Boroujeni. The influence of fat substitution with κ‐carrageenan, konjac, and tragacanth on the textural properties of low‐fat sausage. Food Sci Nutr. 2018 Jun; 6(4): 1015–1022. PMID: 29983965
- Heena Sharma, B. D. Sharma, S. Talukder, Giriprasad Ramasamy. Utilization of gum tragacanth as bind enhancing agent in extended restructured mutton chops. J Food Sci Technol. 2015 Mar; 52(3): 1626–1633. PMID: 25745233
- Seyyed Majid Bagheri, Leila Keyhani, Mehrangiz Heydari, Mohammad Hossein Dashti-R. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2015 Jan-Mar; 6(1): 19–23. PMID: 25878459
About the author
Sheetal
I am Sheetal Makhija aka Crazy Pulchritude, as most of the handles say. Currently, a trainer and a Kriya Yoga Practitioner and personally on a mission to be able to add values to people’s lives and just tell everyone out there that “No matter how hard it gets there is always hope. You don’t have to give up.” My mission and motto in life remain – Even if I can give hope to people, my life has been a success.
