Hinduism: Details about 'Bael'
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Bael (Aegle marmelos) is a fruit-bearing tree indigenous to India where it is popularly known as Bel, or Beli fruit, Bengal quince, Stone apple, or Wood apple. The tree, which is the only species in the genus Aegle, grows up to 15 meters tall and bears thorns and fragrant flowers. It has a woody-skinned, smooth fruit 5-15 cm in diameter. The skin of some forms of the fruit is so hard it must be cracked open with a hammer. It has numerous seeds, which are densely covered with fibrous hairs and are embedded in a thick, gluey, aromatic pulp. The fruit is eaten fresh or dried. The juice is strained and sweetened to make a drink similar to lemonade, and is also used in making Sharbat, a refreshing drink where the pulp is mixed with tamarind. The young leaves and small shoots are eaten as salad greens. The fruit is also used in religious rituals and as a homeopathic remedy for such ailments as diarrhea, dysentery, intestinal parasites, dryness of the eyes, and the common cold. In Hinduism, the Lord Shiva is said to live under the Bael tree. ReferenceExternal links
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