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Nutritional qualities and health benefits

• It has lots of vitamin C, cantaloupe in particular 42 mg per 100 g of meat.
• It is rich in vitamin A and lutein, which will reduce the incidence of cataracts and macular degeneration.
• Containing high levels of vitamin B6, niacin, and potassium. The orange-fleshed melons are 50% more potassium than bananas.
• Melon contains adenosine, which prevents the formation of blood clots.
• The melon has a lot of cellulose which is suitable to facilitate intestinal transit
• The cleansing properties of melon eliminates skin blemishes caused by toxins.

Origin and cultivation

The melon comes mainly Asia and Africa although there are also some variety that comes from America. Consumed since ancient times and are grown in Europe for over 2,000 years. Cantaloupe from the Middle East and its name comes from a town near Rome, where it is cultivated since the seventeenth century.

Common names

The scientific name of the plant is Cucumis Melo. In Spanish it is known by the same name.

Curiosities

• The melon plant is a climbing vine and use the trees to climb them.
• The melon plant has beautiful flowers of yellow or white.
• Depending on the species, we can find melons from 6 cm to 20 cm, and can weigh 20 kilos.
• Melon seeds, depending on the species, can be black, brown, yellow or white.
• Formerly the melon was tasty and had a little too similar to cucumber taste, hence there melons taste like cucumber. Until the fifteenth century not tasty melons are achieved due to hybridization with other species.
• Crushed melon seeds, raw foods help to eliminate intestinal worms.

Sources consulted

Lyle, Susanna. Enciclopedia de las frutas del mundo. David Baterman Ltd. (ed. Lit.); Parangona Realitzacio Editorial SL (trad.). Barcelona: De Vecchi, 2007. 480 p. ISBN: 978-84-315-5164-3

Flowerdew, Bob. El gran libro de las frutas. Kyle Cathie Limited (ed. Lit.); Anna Turró/Montse Pratsobrerroca (trad.). Barcelona: RBA Libros, S.A., 2006. 256 p. ISBN: 978-84-787-1595-4

http://www.botanical-online.com/melonespropiedadesmedicinales.htm

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumis_melo

Foto: Autor: JamesDeMers