walnuts

Juglans regia L.

Fam. Juglandaceae

Etymology

Juglans is a Latin term coined in honor of Jupiter: "Jovis glans" that is the "acorn of Jupiter" since among the ancient Romans the walnut was the "tree consecrated to the king of the gods. The" adjective "regia" which means "royal" reveals that the tree was introduced to the West by the kings of Persia.

Description

The walnut is a tree 10 to 20 m high, with thick, expanded and rounded crown. It has an erect, straight trunk, with a basal diameter up to 1-2m, covered by a gray-whitish smooth bark in the early years, darker than that of the adult trunk, longitudinally fissured.
Alternate leaves, imparipinnate, with 5-7 elliptical leaflets and with entire margins, almost sessile, dark green above, paler below, slightly velvety due to the presence of tufts of hair at the insertion of the secondary veins on the main one.

The walnut is a monoecious plant with diclinic flowers, that is, the sexes are distinct, but present in the same individual. The male flowers are collected in pendulous, cylindrical catkins, at the base of the branches of the previous year, they have a small perigonium of 3-4 pieces, 10-40 stamens and the remains of an atrophied pistil; the female ones are solitary or grouped in 2- 4, have a perigonium of 4 tepals welded to the bracts and bracts, forming an envelope which in the fruit becomes fleshy wrapping it, bicarpellar and unilocular inferior ovary, are inserted at the end of the branches of the same year. It blooms from April to May.

See also:

• nux vomica
• kola nut
• walnut oil
• nuts calories

FRUIT: the fruit of the walnut is a drupe, composed of a fleshy and fragrant outer shell (the husk), an internal woody and ovoid core divided into two valves, containing the seed formed by 2 edible cotyledons, folded, irregularly lobed, cerebriform, called kernels. The two cotyledons are sunken into four compartments of the shell which are incompletely distinguished by a lignified and resistant false septum. The walnut seed has an excellent flavor, the more delicate the fresher it is, being rich in excellent quality oil, but which tends to turn rancid in a short time. They ripen in autumn; already in September, however, the shell reached a definitive solidity.

Areal

The walnut is believed to originate in central and south-western Asia, in the warm-temperate climate regions of Asia Minor, subsequently naturalized in Europe, in the rest of Asia and in central-southern America. In Italy it is widespread throughout the territory up to 1200m above sea level In Italy, cultivation is especially important in Campania.

Culture

The walnut grows on deep soil, from moderately dry to humid, moderately loose and well ventilated, rather rich in nutrients, with a good fraction of humus; it can also vegetate on slightly acid soils, but preferably basic ones. Exposure in full sun, but does not cancel the half shade. The walnut should not be associated with other species, due to the secretion, by its roots, of toxic substances. The substances that pervade the dense network of roots, as well as leaves and fruits, are in fact unwelcome to other vegetables, but very useful to man.

DRUG: The walnut drug consists of the leaves and the husk. The leaves are harvested in the months of May-June, before the total development, detaching them without the petiole. The husk is harvested from August to September when fully ripe. The drug must be dried quickly in a cool and ventilated place, to avoid premature blackening of the parts.

The leaves and the husk are rich in tannins, vitamin C, citric and malic acid, essential oils, juglone, caffeic acid, quercetin.

Uses

In cosmetics: From the maceration of the walnut husk, a valuable oil is extracted, required by the cosmetic-soap industry. In the husk there are large quantities of juglone which is antiseptic and keratinizing, that is, it promotes the renewal of skin cells. It can be used as a bronzer. as it is capable of stimulating the production of melanin. It also has a quantity of unsaturated fatty acids and vitamins that make it a sort of natural filter against the sun's rays, comparable to a protection factor 2-3, therefore suitable for skins that are already The decoction of leaves is used to darken the hair and counteract its fall.

In herbal medicine, walnut is traditionally recognized as astringent, tonic, antiseptic and healing properties. It has bitter-tonic, digestive, decongestant and intestinal astringent properties, advantageous in the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery. Good results have been obtained in countering intestinal parasites mainly due to Taenia solium. It has also been used to treat, albeit with questionable results, lymphoglandular inflammations of tuberculous origin. It is useful for dermatosis, eczema, chilblains, ocular inflammations, in some disorders of the genital sphere: leucorrhoea in women and orchitis in men. diuresis stimulates pancreatic and hepatic function and is therefore useful for reducing the sense of heaviness. The extract of the leaves was also used in the past in the treatment of diabetes, in fact the walnut also has a hypoglycemic action.

In dietetics it is mainly used as fruit (kernels are eaten) and in the liqueur industry to produce the popular "nocino". Walnuts are a highly energetic food as they contain high quantities of lipids, most of which are polyunsaturated. In particular walnut it is quite rich in alpha-linolenic acid, which is attributed to the property of decreasing bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides.

Furthermore, being rich in antioxidants, walnuts can help reduce oxidative stress and counteract skin and cellular aging.

The proteins contained in it also hide therapeutic properties. In fact, they are particularly rich in an amino acid, arginine, which is transformed by the cells of the vessel wall into nitroxide, a substance capable of preventing and counteracting the phenomena of arteriosclerosis.

They are also rich in mineral salts (copper, zinc, iron and phosphorus), B vitamins and vitamin E.

The panels made up of the residues of the pressed kernels are destined to feed the cattle.

In organic farming it is used as a repellent plant

OTHER USES: the fatty oil obtained from walnut is used as a lubricant and given its high drying coefficient, by the paint industry.
Walnut wood is also highly sought after for the production of furniture and floors thanks to its easy workability and long life.

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