pomegranate: the elixir of life

The pomegranate is a native fruit of India. A sour vareity was there in my ancestral house in Mysore. The fruit is supposed to give you a long life. The tree is small, with beautiful small bronze and green leaves. The flowers are a bright scarlet and very attractive. The fruit is full of red or pink seeds , very tasty. Mine is a pink one. The arils are deep pink in winter, but white inthe summer fruit. The fruit is a very good cure for diarrhea. Some times, when there is no fruit on the tree, I use the leaves - grind a few leaves, mix it with yoghurt and eat. You are fit as a fiddle !
All parts of the pomegranate plant is used in Ayurveda, the Indian medicine system.
Although my plant bears many fruit, I get to eat only a few , because of the squirrels. I cover each fruit with a polythene bag, but the squirrels have become cleverer. They cut through the bag and get the fruit. The poor plant looks so ugly with polythene hanging around everywhere.
The pomegranate flower was the symbol of beauty for the Mughal emperors of Delhi. A famous dancer who was also the mistress of Prince Salim was called Anarkali- pomegranate bud!