Singhara is very beneficial because it acts as a coolant, cures jaundice, has antioxidant properties, treats urine infection, cures indigestion and nausea, relieves cough, helps to combat hypertension, improves the blood and is beneficial for the hair.
Singhara
Singhara is also known as water caltrop, water chestnut, ling nut, devil pod, bat nut and buffalo nut. They are abundantly found in the warm temperate areas of Africa and Eurasia. This fruit resembles the silhouette of a flying bat or the head of a bull. Each fruit is quite large and starchy. It has been cultivated in the Indian subcontinent and China for nearly 3,000 years. In Japanese, this plant is called ‘Hishi’ which means a lozenge or a diamond shaped.
Nutritional Value of Singhara
The submerged stem of the Singhara or the water caltrop reaches 12 to 15 feet and is attached into the mud by fine roots. It contains two types of leaves which are divided into feather like leaves. They are undivided and float in a rosette at the surface of the water.
Singhara seeds can live up to 12 years, even though most seeds germinate within the first two years only. This fruit is usually a nut which has four barbed spines each measuring approximately 1 centimetres.
