Bangalore, July 08: Physalis or cape gooseberry is known as Ashwagandha in Ayurveda. A berry not so popular among the common people, it is used mostly as a garnish fruit in desserts.
When ripe, they resemble yellow cherry tomatoes and can be eaten raw or used in preserves.
Like the tomato which belongs to the same family, it bears yellow flowers. It possesses a very sweet but tart flavour making it suitable for many different dishes.
Often canned whole and preserved as jam, cape gooseberries are also sold fresh and used for sauces, pies, puddings and chutneys. Physalis grows prolifically in India and the neighbouring countries.
In Ayurveda, it is regarded as a herb that works to normalise physiological function.
The berries are used as a substitute for rennet to coagulate milk in cheese making. Fruits, leaves and seeds of physalis have been traditionally used as an aphrodisiac and a diuretic and for treating memory loss. Physalis is a good source of vitamin A and C, beta-carotene, iron, and calcium, and contains trace amounts of B vitamins. Also, due to its high content of vitamin A, calcium and phosphorus, it reportedly helps control diabetes, clean the blood and aid in the treatment of the prostate gland.
