Jaggery

Jaggery or gur is a specific type of sugar popular in India. It is normally manufactured from either sugar cane or date palms, but recent trends in its manufacture have resulted in jaggery made from the sap of coconut and sago palms. While jaggery is useful in cooking, it is also an ancient part of Ayurvedic medicine and has spiritual significance in India too. This type of sugar is considered unrefined and is produced by boiling raw sugar cane or palm juice in iron pans. It is then formed into blocks. Because it does not go through additional processing, it does retain some of the natural vitamins and minerals of the ingredients used, though boiling the juice does deplete some of these. Many people do consider jaggery healthier than more refined sugar since it is less stripped of natural nutrients. In traditional Indian medicine, called Ayurveda, this sugar has several purposes. It may be prescribed for use for people with sore throats. It has some use in the treatment of bronchial or lung infections, and in fact in research has shown to possibly offset some of the lung damage caused by silicosis, a disease of the lungs that occurs when people are exposed for a long time to silica powder.

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