Eggplant

Ripe aubergines are always eaten cooked — steamed, fried, grilled or baked. The flesh is low in calories (approx. 25 kcal/100 g), rich in dietary fibre (3 g/100 g) and contains notable amounts of potassium (approx. 230 mg/100 g) and B vitamins (B1, B3, B6). Aubergine is a key ingredient in Mediterranean dishes (moussaka, ratatouille, parmigiana) and Middle Eastern cuisines (baba ghanoush, imam bayıldı). Raw consumption is unsuitable due to bitter compounds and low solanine levels.

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In Ayurvedic and Middle Eastern folk medicine, aubergine is regarded as blood-pressure balancing and anti-haemorrhoidal. The fruit contains chlorogenic acid (the most abundant phenolic compound in the flesh), nasunin in the purple skin, and small amounts of other polyphenols. In some traditional systems (Ayurveda, Unani) a fruit paste is applied for haemorrhoids; ethnobotanical use is documented for centuries, but clinical studies are lacking.

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In European and Asian folk medicine, fresh aubergine leaves are used as soothing, emollient poultices (cataplasms) for burns, abscesses, boils and cracked skin. Lightly crush or steam leaves and apply to the affected area. WARNING: Leaves contain higher concentrations of solanine and should be used externally only.

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The purple skin of aubergine contains nasunin, an anthocyanin from the delphinidin group, which acts as an antioxidant and in laboratory studies inhibited lipid peroxidation in brain cell membranes. Chlorogenic acid in the flesh shows preclinical antimicrobial and antidiabetic activity. For preventive dietary recommendations (coloured vegetables) evidence relies on epidemiological data, not on clinical trials with aubergine itself.

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In medieval Persian and Arabic medicine (including al-Razi, Ibn Sina), aubergine is mentioned: well-ripened, fully cooked fruits were considered digestible and beneficial to digestion. Al-Razi explicitly warned that raw or unripe fruits contained harmful qualities and must always be cooked — an observation consistent with modern knowledge of solanine levels.

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Aubergines supply manganese (approx. 10 % of daily requirement per 100 g), a trace element that acts as a cofactor for various enzymes (including superoxide dismutase, manganese complexes) contributing to antioxidant capacity. Folate content (approx. 22 µg/100 g) makes aubergine a modest contributor to folate intake. As a low-calorie bulking vegetable, aubergine suits weight-reducing diets.

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