Badam Nut

Botanical Name: Prunus Amygdalus
Common Names: Almond, Mandel, Sweet Almond
Origin: Native to South West Asia and North Africa

Badam or almond is a small deciduous tree. It bears fruit with a leathery coat containing the edible kernel, which is often called a nut. The leaves are lanceolate and serrated at the edges and it flowers early in spring. There are two forms of the plant, one producing sweet almonds and the other producing bitter almonds. The kernel of the former contains a fixed oil and emulsion. Bitter almonds are broader and shorter and contains half the percentage of oil.

Drying
Almonds are harvested when the hulls have cracked open. Shaking the tree is a sound and oft practiced method. Traditional practice is to remove the hulls and dry the nuts in sun until the kernels rattle in the shells. These days it is also dried by placing it in a desiccating material for few days.

Uses
Sweet almond oil is obtained from the dried kernels of almond. The oil has no scent and is a great emollient, softening and conditioning skin and also helps skin to balance its loss and absorption of moisture. The oil is well known to relieve itchy, dry and inflamed skin. Dried badam nut are imported from India. These are used to decorate. They are placed in their natural color with approximately 19" long on stems in a vase. They can also be made more beautiful by painting them gold or silver.