Common Name: Rockbreaking Cherry
Scientific Name: Prunus
mahaleb, belonging to the Rosaceae family, order Rosales, and class
Angiosperms.
The cherry tree is a deciduous or large shrub, reaching 2-10
meters in height, with a trunk diameter of up to 40 cm. The leaves are
petiolate, alternate on the stem, and clustered at the ends of branches. The
leaf blade is smooth, ovate to heart-shaped, with serrated edges and
longitudinal veins. The flowers are fragrant, entirely white, small, and
arranged in long inflorescences. The tree/shrub blooms in mid-spring, and the
fruit ripens in mid- to late summer. The fruit is a small, thin drupe
resembling a cherry, initially green, turning red, then dark purple, and
finally black when ripe. The spice is extracted from the seeds inside the
cherry stones. The seeds have a fragrant aroma and a taste reminiscent of
bitter almonds.
Culinary Uses: The
spice is prepared from the seeds by grinding them into a powder. It is used in
small quantities and is added to desserts to give them a pleasant aroma, such
as Turkish sweet pastry, Greek sweet bread, or Armenian chorak bread.
Medicinal Uses: Mahlab
cherry strengthens eyesight, hearing, and taste; reduces heart palpitations;
helps cleanse the stomach of toxins; expels phlegm from the chest and gas from
the abdomen; purifies the skin when its powder is mixed with a little olive oil
and applied to the skin; helps in the treatment of fractures; strengthens the
body; invigorates the body in general; strengthens weak muscles; and reduces
high body temperature. It reduces coughing; purifies the kidneys of stones, and
the liver and spleen of toxins and impurities; promotes menstruation; expels
salts from the urinary tract; strengthens sexual potency; treats problems of
urinary incontinence and difficulty in urination by drinking it like tea, by
soaking a teaspoon of mahlab with a cup of boiling water and drinking it;
treats muscle tension, and diseases of melasma and scabies, by making a mixture
of ground mahlab with olive oil and applying it to the affected areas; treats
hoarseness; contributes to the treatment of anemia by consuming its ground form
with sugar and sweet almonds; reduces the pain of stomach ulcers; and treats
ulcers and digestive disorders, especially those affecting the stomach. It contributes
to weight gain and stimulates appetite. This is achieved by mixing 100 grams of
mahlab powder with the same amount of sugar and the powder of 12 sweet almonds
or cashews. A spoonful of this mixture is taken daily for two weeks.
It is considered one of the best plants for expelling worms, and
consuming its powder with honey gives the body and mouth a pleasant scent.
The oil extracted from mahlab and its seeds helps protect hair
from falling out and breakage; it softens and straightens hair, adding shine
and vitality; it perfumes the hair and gives it a beautiful fragrance; it
moisturizes the hair and protects it from dryness; and it is also used to
promote long, healthy hair.
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