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Sweet Almond
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Almonds
- The Almond belongs to the same group of plants as the rose,
plum, cherry and peach, being a member of the tribe Prunae
of the natural order Rosaceae. The genus Amygdalus
to which it is assigned is very closely allied to Prunus
(Plum) in which it has sometimes been merged; the distinction
lies in the fruit, the succulent pulp attached to the stone in
the plum (known botanically as the mesocarp) being replaced by
a leathery separable coat in the almond which is hard and juiceless,
of a dingy green tinged with dull red, so that when growing it
looks not unlike an unripe apricot. When fully ripe, this green
covering dries and splits, and the Almond, enclosed in its rough
shell (termed the endocarp) drops out. The shell of the Almond
is a yellowish buff colour and flattened-ovoid in shape, the outer
surface being usually pitted with small holes; frequently it has
a more or less fibrous nature. Sometimes it is thin and friable
(soft-shelled Almond), sometimes extremely hard and woody (hard-shelled
Almond). The seed itself is rounded at one end and pointed at
the other, and covered with a thin brown, scurfy coat. The different
sorts of Almonds vary in form and size, as well as in the firmness
of the shell. The fruit is produced chiefly on the young wood
of the previous year, and in part on small spurs of two and three
years growth.
The tree is of moderate size, usually from 20 to 30 feet high,
with spreading branches the leaves lance-shaped, finely toothed
(or serrated) at the edges. The flowers are produced before the
leaves - in this country early in March; and in great profusion.
There are two principal forms of the Almond the one with entirely
pink flowers, Amygdalus communis, var. dulcis, producing
Sweet Almonds; the other, A. communis, var. amara,
with flowers slightly larger, and the petals almost white towards
the tips, deepening into rose at the base, producing Bitter Almonds.
Botanically, they are considered merely variations of the one type,
and the difference in variety has been supposed originally to be
mainly owing to climate, the Bitter Almond being a native of Barbary.
The Sweet Almond is the earliest to flower, and is cultivated more
largely than the Bitter Almond. It is valuable as a food and for
confectionery purposes, as well as in medicine, being rich in a
bland oil, and sustaining as a nutriment: the staying power conferred
by a meal of Almonds and raisins is well known. It is only the Bitter
Almond in the use of which caution is necessary, especially with
regard to children, as it possesses dangerous poisonous properties.
SWEET ALMOND
There are numerous varieties of the Sweet Almond in commerce,
the chief being: (1) the Jordan Almonds, the finest and best of the
Sweet variety. These, notwithstanding their Oriental name (derived
really from the French jardin), we receive from Malaga, imported
without their shells. They are distinguished from all other Almonds
by their large size, narrow, elongated shape and thin skin; (2) Valentia
Almonds, which are broader and shorter than the Jordan variety, with
a thicker dusty brown, scurfy skin, usually imported in their shell,
and sometimes called in consequence, 'Shell Almonds'; (3) and (4)
Sicilian and Barbary Almonds, which closely resemble the Valentia
Almonds but are rather smaller and of an inferior quality. They occasionally
contain an admixture of Bitter Almonds.
The annual import of Sweet Almonds into this country is normally
over 500 tons.
Sweet Almonds have a bland taste, and the white emulsion formed
when they are bruised with water is characterized by no marked odour,
the seeds being thus distinguished from Bitter Almonds.
Modern uses: Fresh Sweet Almonds possess
demulcent and nutrient properties, but as the outer brown skin sometimes
causes irritation of the alimentary canal, they are blanched by
removal of this skin when used for food. Though pleasant to the
taste, their nutritive value is diminished unless well masticated,
as they are difficult of digestion, and may in some cases induce
nettlerash and feverishness. They have a special dietetic value,
for besides containing about 20 per cent of proteids, they contain
practically no starch, and are therefore often made into flour for
cakes and biscuits for patients suffering from diabetes.
Sweet Almonds are used medicinally, the official preparations
of the British Pharmacopoeia being Mistura Amygdalae, Pulvis Amygdalae
Compositus and Almond Oil.
On expression they yield nearly half their weight in a bland fixed
oil, which is employed medicinally for allaying acrid juices, softening
and relaxing solids, and in bronchial diseases, in tickling coughs,
hoarseness, costiveness, nephritic pains, etc.
When Almonds are pounded in water, the oil unites with the fluid,
forming a milky juice - Almond Milk - a cooling, pleasant drink,
which is prescribed as a diluent in acute diseases, and as a substitute
for animal milk: an ounce of Almonds is sufficient for a quart of
water, to which gum arabic is in most cases a useful addition. The
pure oil mixed with a thick mucilage of gum arabic, forms a more
permanent emulsion; one part of gum with an equal quantity of water
being enough for four parts of oil. Almond emulsions possess in
a certain degree the emollient qualities of the oil, and have this
advantage over the pure oil, that they may be given in acute or
inflammatory disorders without danger of the ill effects which the
oil might sometimes produce by turning rancid. Sweet Almonds alone
are employed in making emulsions, as the Bitter Almond imparts its
peculiar taste when treated in this way.
Blanched and beaten into an emulsion with barley-water, Sweet
Almonds are of great use in the stone, gravel, strangury and other
disorders of the kidneys, bladder and biliary ducts.
By their oily character, Sweet Almonds sometimes give immediate
relief in heartburn. For this, it is recommended to peel and eat
six or eight Almonds.
Almonds are also useful in medicine for uniting substances with
water. Castor oil is rendered palatable when rubbed up with pounded
Almonds and some aromatic distilled water.
The fixed Oil of Almonds is extracted from both Bitter
and Sweet Almonds. If intended for external use, it must, however,
be prepared only from Sweet Almonds.
The seeds are ground in a mill after removing the reddish-brown
powder adhering to them and then subjected to hydraulic pressure,
the expressed oil being afterwards filtered and bleached, preferably
by exposure to light.
Almond oil is a clear, pale yellow, odourless liquid, with a bland,
nutty taste. It consists chiefly of Olein, with a small proportion
of the Glyceride of Linolic Acid and other Glycerides, but contains
no Stearin. It is thus very similar in composition to Olive Oil
(for which it may be used as a pleasant substitute), but it is devoid
of Chlorophyll, and usually contains a somewhat larger proportion
of Olein than Olive Oil.
It is used in trade, as well as medicinally, being most valuable
as a lubricant for the delicate works of watches, and is much employed
as an ingredient in toilet soap, for its softening action on the
skin. It forms a good remedy for chapped hands.
- Gerard says:
- 'The oil newly pressed out of Sweet Almonds is a mitigator
of pain and all manner of aches, therefore it is good in pleurisy
and colic. The oil of Almonds makes smooth the hands and face
of delicate persons, and cleanseth the skin from all spots and
pimples.'
- And Culpepper writes:
- 'The oil of both (Bitter and Sweet) cleanses the skin, it easeth
pains of the chest, the temples being annointed therewith, and
the oil with honey, powder of liquorice, oil of roses and white
wax, makes a good ointment for dimness of sight.'
- Culpepper also tells us of Almond butter, saying:
- 'This kind of butter is made of Almonds with sugar and rose-water,
which being eaten with violets is very wholesome and commodious
for students, for it rejoiceth the heart and comforteth the brain,
and qualifieth the heat of the liver.'
BITTER ALMOND
There are several varieties of the Bitter Almond, the best being
imported from the south of France, and others from Sicily and Northern
Africa (Barbary), where it forms a staple article of trade. The annual
imports of Bitter Almonds to this country amount normally to about
300 tons.
The seeds are used chiefly as a source of Almond Oil, but also
yield a volatile oil, which is largely employed as a flavouring
agent.
Bitter Almonds are usually shorter, proportionately broader and
smaller, and less regular than the Sweet Almonds. They contain about
50 per cent of the same fixed oil which occurs in the Sweet Almond,
and are also free from starch. The bitter taste is characteristic.
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