The SCD™ Knowledge Base

Tamarind

Suneeti writes:
No tamarind paste - make it at home with the pods instead, by soaking the peeled pods in hot water.

Tanya writes:
Tamarind:Used plant part - Unripe fruits or the pulp of ripe pods.
Plant family - Caesalpiniaceae (a tropic family closely related to the bean family).
Main constituents:
Fruit acids (20%) and sugar (up to 35%); furthermore, small amounts of terpenes (limonene, geraniol), phenylpropanoids (safrol, cinnamic acid, ethyl cinnamate), methyl salicylate, pyrazine and alkylthiazoles are reported.

I found this a while ago when I was looking into the legality of it. I decided to avoid it for several reasons...
1. That part of it is made up of unripe fruits - so may contain starches.
2. It is in a plant family closely related to beans.
3. It is up to 35% sugar, but again, given that it is made up of pods, and unripe fruits, that sugar might not be fructose.

Elaine writes:
I would eliminate it.

Originally from the Long Island listserve.