Carob and Powder Profile
Also known as- Ceratonia siliqua, Locust Bean, St. Johns Bread, Carob Tree.
Introduction
The carob is a tree in the same plant family as beans and peas. Its pods have been used for food for as long as 5,000 years. The tree was first raised in Egypt and Western Asia and is now adapted to cultivation in the semitropical reaches of the United States, Australia, and Latin America. Most popular as a substitute for chocolate, carob powder was once deemed to essential to the opera, for saving the voices of performance-weary sopranos.
Constituents
According to Dr. James Duke, carob seed powder contains alanine, alpha-aminopimelic-acid, amino acids, arginine, ash, aspartic acid, benzoic acid, butyric acid, capronic acid, carubin, catechin tannin, cellulose, ceratoniase, ceratose, chiro-inositol, concanavalin-A, fat, formic acid, fructose, D-galactose, gallic acid, beta-D1,6-DI-O-galloylglucose, beta-D-glucogallin, glucose, glutamic acid, glycine, gum, hemicellulose, histidine, hydroxyproline, invert sugars, isobutyric acid, isoleucine, leucine, leucodelphinidin, lignin, lysine, D-mannose, methionine, mucilage, myoinositol, pectin, pentosane, phenylalanine, pinitol, primverose, proline, protein, saccarose, saponin, serine, starch, sucrose, sugars, tannin, threonine, tocopherol, tyrosine, valine, water, xylose. The pods are rich in antioxidant polyphenols (19.2%), like chocolate.
Parts Used
Seeds and pods
Typical Preparations
Seed and pod powder usually roasted, used in the same manner as cocoa powder and sprinkled on food or taken as a tea, extract or capsule. The cut Carob is the easiest form to be taken as a tea. The raw carob is perceived as bitter by most taste buds so roasting it improves the flavor dramatically.
Summary
As a food, carob is most often used as a hypoallergenic substitute for chocolate. In herbal medicine, carob powder is most often used as a treatment for diarrhea. The fiber (locust bean gum) in carob helps reduce the volume of fluid lost and prevents dehydration, especially in children. Give to children mixed with applesauce or sweet potatoes and a glass of water.
In traditional herbal medicine, carob powders are used to treat prostatitis and prostate infections. It is also applied topically to remove warts.
Carob powder is useful as a diet food. It lowers the glycemic index of foods with which it is mixed. A slice of carob cake, for instance, releases sugars much more slowly into the bloodstream than a slice of chocolate cake.
Precautions
In very rare instances, allergy is possible. Avoid over-consumption until you know you are not allergic.
