“A woman, a dog and a walnut tree, the more you beat them, the better they be”
Walnuts are the favourite dry fruit of all of us but most of the people are not aware of the benefits and importance of this delicious fruit and its tree. We wrote this article to enlighten the benefits of walnut tree. We hope that you will find it valuable.
Walnuts are the plants of the family Juglandacea. They are deciduous trees which grows upto height of 30130 feet and has around 21 species.
Fortunately Pakistan is rich in the production of walnut. A large number of walnut trees are present in the areas of Galliat, Abbotabad, Swat, Dir, Shangla, Buner, and Chitral. If these tree species are properly cared on government level, they are not less than gold for the economy of the country.
Walnut seeds are high density source of nutrients, particularly proteins and essential fatty acids. There are two major varieties of walnuts grown for its seeds — the English walnut and the Black walnut. The English Walnut originated in Persia, and the Black walnut is native to the United States. The Black walnut is of high flavor, but due to its hard shell and poor hulling characteristics it is not grown commercially for nut production. The commercially produced walnut varieties are nearly all hybrids of the English walnut. Walnuts are one of the several high nutrient density foods. 100 grams of walnuts contain 15.2 gram protein, 65.2 gram fat, and 6.7 gram dietary fiber. The protein in walnuts provides many essential amino acids.
Compared to certain other nuts, such as almonds, peanuts and hazelnuts, walnuts (especially in their raw form) contain the highest total level of antioxidants, including both free antioxidants and antioxidants bound to fiber.
Some of the benefits that we can get from Walnut trees are listed below
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Walnut trees provide lumber and nuts. Walnut holds a major identity with high demand in national and international dry fruit markets. It is a major source of cash income after pine nut in Shishi and Birir valleys of district Chitral.
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Realizing the economic importance of walnut, the Livelihoods Program(LP) analyzed its value chain for the livelihood improvement of the communities involved in both valleys.
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Walnut tree provides timber and barks.Walnut timber and bark are used in making of local furniture and cleaning of teeth.
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Historically, the bark of black walnut was used by several Native Americans in tea as a cathartic, emetic, or disease remedy agent, and chewed or applied for toothaches, snake bites, and headaches.
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The leaves of black walnut are used for treatment of ringworm, to make a green dye, and as an insecticide.
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The nut meats were also a food source for Native Americans, and the nuts are still consumed today by people and are an important food source for wildlife also.
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Black walnut is one of the largest hardwood trees found in the US, and is valued economically and ecologically for its wood and edible nuts.
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Quality black walnut wood demands high market prices for many uses including furniture, cabinets, interior architectural woodwork,and flooring. The furniture made from walnut wood is considered as the most costly furniture.
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Black walnut yields edible nuts that are used in baking (cookies, cakes, etc.) and ice cream products.
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Black walnut trees are important because their roots stabilize soil, their foliage provides food for insects and the birds that feed on insects.
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In ancient times people used the barks of walnut tree to make dark brown or black dye.
In my opinion, Pakistan still has a lot of uncultivated land and land unutilized we term as culturable waste. The genetically superior black walnut tree can be grown in any soil and climate under a well-drained soil condition. This commercial tree is highly suitable for cultivation in central and northwestern provinces of Pakistan. The wood of these trees will be used for future packing material in the international market because of its light weight characteristics.
The tree has several harvests and is the fastest growing tree; it may grow 30 to 40 feet in a single season in some regions of the world. It has huge benefits of bringing rain in the area. So the local communities should pay attention towards cultivation of this tree in their orchards and left over patches and the government must take steps towards the development and care of these species present in wild lands and forest areas so that with too many benefits and huge importance, they can really appear as gold for our country.
Blog post Written by Madiha Saeed and Humaira Syed - and You can visit the original article at http://www.thenewstribe.com/