eGOD – The Miracle of Dates (Palm Date). Arecaceae (palm, palm), a large family, are a commercial source of edible fruit, nuts, oil, fiber, and wood. These palms include agricultural and medical plants, such as rattan (Calamus sp.), Coconut (Cocos nucifera), palm oil (Elaeis guineensis), sago (Metroxylon sago), and dates (Phoenix dactylifera).
Dates have more than two thousand varieties. For example dates Ajwa, Hilali, Khalas, Khodry, Lulu, Munifi, Ruthana, Sefri, Segae, and Sukkary. The term “dates” is repeated in the Quran twenty times and in the Bible more than fifty times.
In Islamic tradition, dates and milk or yogurt are foods that are consumed to break the fast during the month of Ramadan. According to the World Food and Agriculture Organization or FAO (2020), world date palm production has increased from 4.6 million tonnes in 1994 to 8.52 million tonnes in 2018.
Date products have been used for daily consumption for more than 1400 years in various Islamic countries. One of the famous dates, the Ajwa date, has been mentioned by Rasulullah, if a person eats seven Ajwa dates in the morning, then no poison or magic on that day can harm him.
Taxonomically, dates belong to the Eukaryota Domain, Kingdom Plantae, Phylum Spermatophyta, Subphylum Angiospermae, Class Monocotyledonae, family Arecaceae, genus Phoenix.
Dates Distribution
There are about fourteen species of the genus Phoenix. For example, Phoenix dactylifera L., has the local name date palm, with a geographic distribution including North and West Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Australia, California, China, El Salvador, Fiji, Iran, India, Mauritius, Pakistan, Spain. Phoenix acaulis, has the local name Stemless date palm, with a geographic distribution covering: Bhutan, Nepal, North India. Phoenix andamanensis, having the local name Andaman Island date palm, is found only in Myanmar.
Phoenix atlantica, has the local name Cape Verde Island, with the geographical distribution of the Cape Verde Islands. Phoenix caespitosa, has the local name date palm, geographic distribution includes Djibouti, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and Yemen. Phoenix canariensis, has the local name Canary Island date palm, with a geographic distribution including Australia, Bermuda, Italy, Canary Islands, Spain.
Phoenix loureiroi, has the local name Mountain date palm, geographic distribution in China, Philippines, Himalayas, India, Indochina. Phoenix paludosa, has the local name Mangrove date palm, geographic distribution in the Andaman, India, Indochina, and Sumatra. Phoenix pusilla, has the local name Ceylon date palm, geographically distributed in India and Sri Lanka.
Phoenix reclinata, has the local name Senegalese date palm, geographic distribution in Africa, the Arabian peninsula, Comoros, and Madagascar. Phoenix roebelenii, has the local name Pygmy date palm, geographic distribution in China (Yunnan) to northern Indo-China. Phoenix rupicola, has the local name Cliff date palm, geographically distributed in the Andaman Islands, Bhutan and India. Phoenix sylvestris, has the local name Indian date palm, geographically distributed in the Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, southern China. Phoenix theophrasti, has the local name Cretan date palm, geographic distribution in Greece and Turkey (Al-Alawi RA, et al, 2017).
Composition of Dates
Phytochemical investigations have successfully revealed the content of the dates. For example, anthocyanins, phenolics, sterols, carotenoids, pro-cyanidins, flavonoids, and compounds are known to have free radical scavenging activity and antioxidants anti-mutagenic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperlipidemic, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, anticancer, and immunostimulant. .
In addition, dates are also considered by experts as a complete food or perfect diet because of their curative effect on various complaints and the content of fatty acids, protein amino acids, and steroids in them. Dates contain phytochemicals such as phenolics, flavonoids, and carotenoids which have potential as antioxidants and anticancer. The protective effect of dates comes from the mineral content, vitamins, fiber, and various secondary plant metabolites, for example, flavonoids, phenolic, isorhamnetin, lariciresinol, lupeol, lupeol acetate, 3-O-caffeoylshikimic acid, pinoresinol, resveratrol, routine, secoisolariciresinol, zeaxanthin, and spirost-5-en-3-yl acetate.
In addition, polyphenolic proanthocyanidins also act in combination with other phenolics such as free radical scavengers or heavy metal chelators, which in turn act to prevent oxidative stress and inflammation.
Dates contain water and fat soluble vitamins which are essential for the vitality of the body. In addition, dates also contain vitamins rich in powerful antioxidants that can act as “chelating” different radicals in non-enzymatic reactions, such as vitamins A, C, and E. Dates are also rich in macros and micronutrients that play an important role in various functions. body biology, such as: selenium, zinc, copper, and manganese which are the main source of antioxidant metalloenzymes such as glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase.
The content of polyphenol extracts in dates varies. Date syrup in the UK contains polyphenol extracts in the form of gallate, quercetin, epigallocatechin, curcumin, resveratrol. Desert dates (Balanites aegyptiaca) in Saudi Arabia contain polyphenol extracts in the form of beta-sitosterol, vanillic acid, and syringic acid. Meanwhile, desert dates in Egypt contain polyphenol extracts in the form of routine, epicatechin-O-glucoside, quercetin, isorhamnetin, isorhamnetin-3-O-routineoside, isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside (Mia MA, et al, 2020).
Efficacy of Dates
All date products such as fruit, seeds, pollen, leaves, and syrup are beneficial for animals and humans. This has attracted scientists to study the various pharmacological potentials of date products. In the journal Current Drug Discovery Technologies in 2018, El-Far AH et al describe the various active substances and properties of dates. For example, as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antidiabetic.
In traditional medicine, dates have been used to treat inflammatory diseases. Recently, dates are used as a pain reliever along with ibuprofen and paracetamol. The mechanism is not certain, but it is reported that dates have active substances that can inhibit the expression of inflammatory cytokines [such as interleukins (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10), IGF-1, and TNF-alpha], interfere with prostaglandin synthesis, increase TGF-beta expression, has an analgesic effect due to the presence of vitamins C and E.
The phenolic and flavonoid content in dates can inhibit the formation of prostaglandin endoperoxide, triggering the termination of inflammatory mediators, such as thromboxane and prostaglandins.
The efficacy of dates as an anticancer has been tested in several experiments. Concentrated polyphenols and ex vivo digested extracts from ajwa dates can inhibit colon cancer Caco-2 cell line growth and proliferation. The essential components of dates, namely (1 → 3) -beta-D-glucan, have an inhibitory effect on sarcoma-180 in vivo in mice.
Khan F et al (2017) identified that methanol extract of ajwa dates inhibits human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) through cell cycle inhibition and induction of apoptosis (the process of cell suicide).
The mechanism can be briefly explained as follows. Interleukin levels (IL-2 and IL-12) were significantly reduced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) therapy but increased following the administration of ajwa date extract.
Another pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-4), which has implications for tumor-inducing activity, however, remains unaffected by DEN therapy compared to untreated normal probands. Cytokines (IL-2 and IL-12), although considered pro-inflammatory, both negatively regulate tumor behavior and are currently in clinical trials. Proanthocyanidin was reported to reduce inflammation closely associated with ultraviolet B and 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene therapy in mice, by increasing IL-12 concentrations. Proanthocyanidin is found in ajwa dates and is closely related to increased levels of interleukin 12.
Dates also have the potential to be anti-diabetic. The fiber (fiber) and fructose content are glucose-lowering, where consumption of dates up to 76.2 grams as a snack is recognized as beneficial in Arabic culinary traditions and can maintain postprandial glucose levels (two hours after eating) in diabetic patients.
In addition, the miracle of dates is scientifically proven in a variety of activities, such as: antioxidants, antimicrobials, antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, antitoxic (such as: antihepatotoxicity, antinephrotoxicity, antineurotoxicity), fertility (reproductive), cardiovascular protection.
