Very small percentage of the natural medicines comprehensive database is dedicated to Cashew Nuts.
Cashew Nuts is considered to be one of the healthiest foods. They need hot and humid climate in order to grow and this is the reason why countries like Nigeria, Tanzania, Mozambique and Brazil are producing the largest quantities of Cashew Nuts.
Benefits of Cashew Nuts
a) About 100 grams of Cashew Nuts contain more than 500 calories. In addition, they are rich in vitamins, soluble dietary fiber, minerals and many phytochemicals that prevent diseases, including cancers.
b) They contain also monounsaturated fatty acids good for the heart health like palmitoleic and oleic acids. They belong to the group of essential fatty acids that can decrease the level of harmful LDL cholesterol and increase the level of good HDL cholesterol in our blood.
The so-called Mediterranean diet which is mostly based on monounsaturated fatty acids can help the system protect itself from strokes and coronary artery disease by supporting the blood lipid profile.
c) The nuts are rich in essential minerals . Some of the most useful minerals found in cashew nuts are magnesium, potassium, manganese, copper, selenium, zinc and iron.
Little quantity of the nuts on a daily basis can provide the necessary amount of these minerals and protect you from deficiency-related diseases. Selenium is a very important micronutrient and it works as a co-factor for antioxidant enzymes like Glutathione peroxides known as one of the strongest antioxidants in human body. Copper acts as a co-factor for many important enzymes too like superoxide dismutase and cytochrome c-oxidase. Zinc plays the same role together with enzymes that are responsible for the regulation of the growth and progress of digestion, gonadal function and DNA synthesis.
d) Cashews can be quite useful in numerous essential vitamins like pyridoxine or vitamin B6, pantothenic acid or vitamin B5, thiamin or vitamin B11 and riboflavin. Just 100 gr of nuts provide about 30% of daily recommended levels of B6 (that’s about 0.147 mg). B6 significantly lowers the chances of developing sideroblastic anemia and homocystinuria.
Niacin improves the protection against pellagra or dermatitis. In other hand, the aforementioned vitamins are crucial for metabolism of fat, protein and carbs at a cellular level.
e) Cashews also contain a small quantity of zeaxanthin, a very important pigment of flavonoid antioxidant, which is selectively absorbed inside the retinal macula in our eyes. It is believed that it provides protective and antioxidant UV ray filtering features and protects us from ARMD or age-related macular degeneration in old people.
Cashew Nuts are considered to be the best alternative treatment for depression.
Cashew nuts are an excellent source of tryptophan, a vital amino acid that we need to take through our food. This amino acid helps children grow and develop, regulates our mood, improves sleep, balances our behavior and significantly lowers the level of stress, depression and anxiety.
Only two handfuls of cashews contain between 1.000 and 2.000 mg of tryptophan, which has proven to be equally successful as prescription antidepressants in many cases and the only difference, is that you will avoid the antidepressant side effects.
