Cyperus is considered a weed. That’s a shame because it is an edible crop. This crop grows well in the Netherlands, despite the fact that it is classified as a tropical and subtropical plant. It can withstand frost down to -15 degrees. In agricultural areas it is combated as if it were an unwanted invader. The earth almond has nutritional and medicinal properties. These properties have long been used, for example in Ayurveda, and have been partly confirmed by Western science. NB! This article is written from the personal view of the author and may contain information that is not scientifically substantiated and/or in line with the general view.
Contents:
- History of earth almond
- Naming of earth almond
- Cyperus oil
- Nutrients earth almond
- Apply earth almond
- Traditional medicinal use of earth almond
- Antibacterial effect of earth almonds
- Cyperus is an antioxidant
- Earth almond is a source of antioxidants
- Spread
History of earth almond
One of the oldest evidence of cultivation of the Cyperus stems from ancient Egypt. Evidence has been found there that people were already eating these small tubers around 4000 years BC. The Egyptians roasted the tubers but also used them to prepare beer. Another use was with honey as a kind of sweet. They were also used medicinally and the tubers were used to make clothes and the house smell better. This vegetable has been used for millennia in North Africa and the Middle East. When the Arabs invaded Spain, they brought with them the custom of eating cyperus. That’s how this vegetable ended up in Europe. North Africa and Europe are not the oldest places where almonds are eaten. In North America, evidence has been found that this vegetable was consumed as early as 7,000 years BC.
Naming of earth almond
The Latin name of this plant is Cyperus esculentus . In Dutch it is called tubercyperus or earth almond. The Spanish name is Chufa or Chufas, the plural form. The taste of the earth almond lies somewhere between that of hazelnuts and almonds. That is why it was given the name almond. Because it grows underground it is called earth almond. Tuber is also a word used for crops that grow in the soil. In Germany the name Erdmandel is used. In English-speaking regions, the name tiger nuts or yellow nutsedge is most commonly used.
Cyperus oil
An oil is made from cyperus. This oil has antioxidant capabilities. The oil is polyunsaturated and consists mainly of oleic acid, palmitic acid and linoleic acid. A study was conducted in China in 2013 which concluded that this oil has clear indications that it is rich in antioxidants.
Source: Marco Schmidt, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA-3.0)
Nutrients earth almond
Earth almonds are rich in carbohydrates, healthy oils, minerals and vitamins. It is especially a rich source of vitamin E, potassium and phosphorus. There are many phytosterols in the earth almonds.
Apply earth almond
The tubers can be eaten raw. You can also cook them. You can also dry and powder them to use them as flour. In Spain, a milky drink is traditionally made from earth almonds called Horchata.
Traditional medicinal use of earth almond
In Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine, the cyperus is seen as a medicine for flatulence, diarrhea, dysentery, a general feeling of weakness and indigestion. In addition, it is an Aurvedic remedy against excessive thirst. In general, the cyperus is good for digestion, in the sense that it is a digestive tonic. It is also an aphrodisiac, improves appetite, combats eye problems, is used to treat a burning sensation and is used as a natural remedy for leprosy or leprosy.
Antibacterial effect of earth almonds
Indian scientific research shows that almonds are effective against a range of bacteria, namely: P. aeruginosa, Proteus, K.pneumoniae, Salmonella, S.aureus, E.coli, C. freundii.
Cyperus is an antioxidant
In addition to the tuberous cyperus, there is a slightly bitter variety that is called ‘purple nut sedge’ in English-speaking countries. The plant is little known in the Netherlands, but you could call it purple earth almond. The Latin name is Cyperus rotundus. This plant is closely related to the earth almond. In Germany this plant is not called Erdmandel but Knolliges Zyperus, a name that is very similar to the Dutch name.
Earth almond is a source of antioxidants
Tunisian researchers from 2014 show that earth almonds are a natural antioxidant. They studied the antioxidant effect of different solutions such as a solution in alcohol and a solution in water. An interesting aspect was that the alcohol solution works less well because alcohol degenerates the DNA of a body cell. Nevertheless, it could be measured that both solutions induced apoptosis in cancer cells. Apoptosis is the death or self-destruction of a cancer cell. This mechanism is disrupted in cancer cells; they continue to proliferate.
Source: Javier martin, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Spread
The earth almond has spread massively in Europe, especially since the 1970s. This plant can also flourish in the Netherlands and Belgium. The many nutritious and medicinal properties of the earth almond are not appreciated. Farmers see it as a noxious weed that needs to be controlled. The cyperus is found everywhere in Europe, Africa, North America, Japan, the Middle East and India. The plant is found in corn, potato, sugar beet and sunflower plantations. A plant can contain 600 seeds. According to a researcher, the plant is common in some places in Zimbabwe; sometimes there are as many as 100 million plants on one hectare. This means that in times of need, Zimbabweans always have access to healthy food. We could also apply this in the Netherlands, if it were not for the fact that most people use weed killers on this beautiful crop. In the Netherlands we still have to wait for the first farmer who wants to grow earth almonds for the commercial market.
