From The Backyard
Drink from Bel
WE are more or less familiar with 'Bel shoot,' a herbal medicine, for curing constipation and other diseases. The green fruit is chopped into thin slices and dried in the sun. The Bel shoot is then soaked overnight in water and its extract is taken as medicine. Ripe Bel, too, is eaten as much. The ripe fruit is nutritive and highly valued as an agent to clear the bowel. Bel (scientific name, Aegel Marmelos Linn), or wood apple in English, usually grows in the wild. Nowadays, many cultivate it in their neighbourhood for its medicinal and nutritive value. But its hard shell, sticky texture and numerous seeds make it difficult to eat. Moreover, the fruit is seasonal. Scientists at the 'Carbohydrate Section' of the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) meanwhile have experimentally shown that powdered Bel can be used as a drink without affecting the quality of the fruit for at least one year and a half. The pulp of the ripe fruit is mixed with sugar, then dried and powdered. In this way we can prepare instant Bel drink. This powder can be packaged and marketed. The process is easy and one can always make it at home and preserve for use anytime of the year.
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