Gathered as an important and nutritious food during prehistoric Jomon times, the Japanese walnut is supposed to be high in fatty acids that could help in the fight against Alzheimer’s, according to a report
Nutritional spices of life 24 Oct 2007 04:25 (see also this link for more info)
IN BLOOM
Kurumi (Walnut)
| In the high leaves of a walnut On the very topmost boughs A boy that climbed the branching bole His cradled limbs would house. |
| On the airy bed that rocked him Long, idle hours he’d lie, Alone with white clouds sailing The warm blue of the sky. |
| From “In the high leaves of a walnut” by Laurence Binyon (1869 — 1943) |
Walnuts are deciduous trees of the temperate zone, and they can be found in America, Europe, central Asia, China and Japan. There are about 20 species in all. The Japanese walnut ( Juglans sieboldii ) has particularly attractive leaves, while the Persian walnut ( J. regia ) provides fine wood and exceptional nuts. The tree’s botanical name, Juglans , comes from the Latin for “Jupiter’s acorns,” meaning that the nuts were food for the gods. When young, the nuts are protected by a thick green rind, which darkens and shrivels as they become ripe. It was once thought that walnuts were good for the head since the shells resembled skulls and the kernels resembled brains. An English doctor, writing in 1657, said, “if the kernel be bruised and moistened with the quintessence of Wine, and laid upon the Crown of the Head, it comforts the brain and head mightily.” Well, he was leaning in the right direction! Recent research in America shows that eating walnuts, which are rich in Omega 3-type fatty acids, may protect the brain against Alzheimer’s disease.
NATURE IN JAPAN 