Chilgoza pine nuts are famous for being a superfood as well as a dietary nutrient-rich supplement. Let's discover the Chilgoza benefits and know its benefits for us.
What Is Chilgoza (Pine Nut)?
Chilgoza or pine nuts belong to a distinct variety used as a good dietary supplement for the body. The pine variety is similar in shape to stone pines, while the Chilgoza pine's distinctive feature is the three-needle shape of the leaves and a trunk girth of 3-4 metres.
Chilgoza Nutrition Facts
The nutrient-rich Chilgoza pine nut is a recommended superfood. Let's look into the Chilgoza nutrition facts as illustrated below for 100g of Chilgoza pine nut:
The percentage of vitamins and minerals present in 100g is as shown below:
Chilgoza Benefits
Chilgoza benefits include the following —
1. Chilgoza Benefits During Pregnancy
Pregnant women and lactating mothers can use the Chilgoza dry fruit benefits and provide nourishment to their developing babies. Containing a rich quantity of iron and folate, Chilgoza induces the development and growth of the brain of the child when consumed regularly by pregnant women.
2. Chilgoza Benefits for Hair
Chilgoza health benefits include developing thick hair and having glowing clear skin. For people suffering from hair loss or hair thinning, pine nut oil can be a wonderful remedy. Being rich in vitamin E, Chilgoza boosts hair growth and helps to maintain a healthy scalp. Consuming pine nuts or applying pine nut oil can help you sort hair issues naturally.
3. Chilgoza Benefits for Skin
Want clear and glowing skin naturally? Then you should definitely try using pine nuts as a face scrub. Powder pine nuts and mix an equal quantity of rice flour. Add the required amount of rice water to form a paste and apply it as a face scrub. Get amazing results with the scrub, or apply pine nut oil as it contains alpha-tocopherol. The latter helps deeply moisturize the skin and prevent a sudden breakout of acne.
4. Good Source Of Essential Fatty Acids
Consuming Chilgoza pine nuts helps maintain a healthy heart and proper lipid profile. The presence of healthy unsaturated fatty acids, mainly 51% linoleic acid and 37% is oleic acid, helps prevent the onset of heart-related issues by protecting it. Chilgoza contains the required amount of saturated fat that lowers the total cholesterol levels and maintains a healthy lipid profile.
5. Promotes a Strong Immune System
The presence of potent antioxidants, namely gallocatechin, catechin, lutein, lycopene, carotenoids, and tocopherols, helps prevent free radical damage to cells, fight oxidative stress and support the immunity system. A continuous supply of zinc helps in reducing inflammation, thereby triggering immunity and protecting you from chronic diseases.
6. Source Of Energy
Chilgoza pine benefits include being an energy booster for undernourished children, people with low magnesium levels, and individuals who need energy-dense diets. The high amount of magnesium in Chilgoza helps with increased oxygen delivery to all the cells of the body. This increases oxygen uptake and burns more calories, which in turn increases energy levels.
7. Fights Viral Attacks
Viruses that cause flu and herpes are warded off by the polysaccharides present in Chilgoza. Applying pine nut oil, with strong antiviral and antifungal characteristics, can repel mosquitoes from your skin, thereby keeping diseases spread by mosquitoes at bay.
8. Assists with the Management of Diabetes
Diabetes has several symptoms like vision issues, strokes, weight gain, etc. These symptoms can be managed by consuming pine nuts regularly. It also reduces bad cholesterol levels as well as controls glucose levels.
9. Increase in Weight Loss
For all those weight-watchers, here is a great snack that can help with your weight loss. Pine nuts contain pinolenic acid, which can induce hormones (cholecystokinin) that alerts the brain by offering a feeling of fullness, thereby controlling your appetite. This helps you keep away from untimely, unnecessary, and unhealthy snacking of junk food.
10. Chilgoza Benefits for Males
Chilgoza contains zinc that helps in regulating the male sex hormone testosterone. This, in turn, increases the sperm count as well as improves the sperm motility for impregnation.
12. Boost in Brain Health
Brain ageing or deterioration can be prevented by including pine nuts in your diet. Iron present in Chilgoza is vital for oxygen storage and delivery in the blood. Magnesium in pine nuts can assist in improving the performance of those who suffer from anxiety and depression during their adolescence.
13. Improves Bone Strength
Vitamin K regulates the use of calcium deposits, which in turn elevates the bone mineral density and decreases the fracture rates. Chilgoza dry fruit benefits include strengthening of bones. Pine nuts, being rich in Vitamin K, are beneficial when included in your regular diet.
14. Keeps Eyes Healthy
The Chilgoza dry fruit benefits include improving vision and protecting eyes against macular degeneration and glaucoma. Eyesight is improved due to the antioxidant nature of carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which help in filtering out harmful UV rays and fight off free radicals for acute vision in the central retina.
15. Cancer Risk is Significantly Reduced
Multiple studies conducted on reducing cancer risk when nut consumption is frequent have provided satisfactory results. One particular study proved a 24% increase in the risk of pancreatic cancer when there's a 100 mg decrease in magnesium serum levels in a day. Consuming Chilgoza pine nuts helps in maintaining your magnesium levels, thereby aiding to ward off cancer.
16. Ease PMS Symptoms
If you are a woman suffering from PMS symptoms, then snacking on pine nuts is an excellent remedy as it contains magnesium and vitamin B6, which help in reducing the severity of PMS symptoms.
Chilgoza Uses
Chilgoza uses, along with the benefits, have made it a sought-after pine nut. Chilgoza pine nut oil is used in traditional medicine due to its antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic and expectorant properties.
The mild aroma and sweet flavour are conducive to Chilgoza pine nut use as a carrier oil in aromatherapy and cosmetic products. It's also used as a massage oil.
Chilgoza Side Effects
There are several Chilgoza benefits due to which people who consume it should be aware of the potential Chilgoza side effects too —
- Regular consumption has caused a difference in the sensory perception of taste buds in some.
- Pine mouth is a condition where a consumer of pine nuts has a bitter metallic taste, which can last for almost a week.
- Rashes and itching
- Indigestion, bloating, vomiting, and diarrhoea are also reported
- Breathing difficulty
Origin and Cultivation of Chilgoza
The botanical name of Chilgoza pine nuts is ‘pinus gerardiana’. The pine tree is found in Kishtwar in Kashmir and Pangi, Bharmour, and Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh. Being coniferous, Chilgoza withstands winter cold, strong winds, and prolonged drought conditions.
How to Eat Chilgoza (Pine Nut)
You can have pine nuts raw and dry and add them to salads, desserts, etc. You can munch on them, and your body will benefit from the nutrients. Another way to eat pine nuts is by making pesto sauce where you mix pine nuts, olive oil, basil, garlic and Parmesan cheese into a paste and use it in pasta or sandwiches.
Chilgoza Price
The Chilgoza price ranges around Rs 4000 per kilogram.
Summing Up on Chilgoza Benefits
Chilgoza pine nuts, being a nutrient-rich source, are consumed for attaining several health benefits. They help maintain a healthy digestive system and can provide a continuous supply of zinc, magnesium, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Chilgoza Is So Expensive?
According to traders and locals dealing with Chilgoza cultivation, the price of pine nuts is high as they are harder to harvest, and their maturity period may extend up to three years.
How Many Pine Nuts Should I Eat a Day?
You can eat 56g of pine nuts per day.
Is Chilgoza Good for Diabetes?
Increased insulin sensitivity is induced by the unsaturated fats found in Chilgoza. Lower glycemic index levels are observed when consumed regularly, thereby aiding those who have diabetes.
Are Pine Nuts a Superfood?
Yes, it's a superfood and nutrient-rich source that helps you maintain a healthy heart, glowing skin, thick hair, and good eyesight.
References
- Daniel Dibaba, November 2015; Magnesium intake and incidence of pancreatic cancer: the VITamins and Lifestyle study - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4705892/
- Seyed Ahmad Hosseini, July 2020; The Effect of Chilgoza Pine Nut ( Pinus gerardiana Wall.) on Blood Glucose and Oxidative Stress in Diabetic Rats - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32753924/
- Min-Yu Chung, 2018; Preparation of Pinolenic Acid Concentrates from Pine Nut Oil Fatty Acids by Solvent Fractionation - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30404957/
