Cashew

Cashew tree is a plant from the anacardeae family and is native to the amazon rainforest and the caribbean. The largest cashew tree in the world can be found in Brazil and covers an area of 7500 square meters. Not bad right?
The part of the cashew tree that is well known and consumed in large quantity over the world is the so called cashew nut which is in fact the seed of the cashew tree.
The other part of the cashew tree that is only eaten were it grows, because it is unsuitable for transport is the cashew apple, a beautiful red or yellow fruit, very sweet, tasty and juicy.
Cashew is widely cultivated in South america, the Caribbean, Asia and Africa.

The cashew apple is rich in Iron, phosphorus and calcium. It is also five time richer in vitamin C than the orange. It is thus healthy for your bone system and your skin by helping your body in collagen production. It is also good for your blood vessel system.
It is used in dysentery, sore throat and influenza treatment in the regions it grows.

The cashew nut contains less fat than other nuts, and it is the type of fat that is good for your heart.
Cashew nut helps maintaining a good heart function, and it helps you keep a good blood pressure due to the magnesium it contains.
Magnesium also helps you keep your bones healthy and protect your nerves system.

Cashew nuts are rich in copper ( 98%), phosphorus (34%), manganese (33%), magnesium (29%) and zinc (21%). They also contain proanthocyanidins a class of flavanols.
The proanthocyanidins and the copper help fighting cancerous cells, and are of good help in color cancer prevention.
The high amount of copper is also good for the hair and its coloration. If you want to keep your hair beautiful, eat cashew nuts... ;)

It is good to know that for some people, cashew nuts, even though they are seeds can lead to the same type of serious allergic reactions as the nuts.