The pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a small tree bearing fruits with several hundred edible seeds with sweet red flesh (arils). They are native to the Middle East and are cultivated in southern Europe, throughout the Mediterranean, Africa, and South America, and California. In addition to the popular fruit, Pomegranate seeds have centuries of safe food use history.

Pomegranate seeds are edible and are often consumed along with the sweet red arils. As “anardana” they are used as a spice in Indian, Persian, and Pakistani cuisine, for example in Aloo Anardana (potatoes with pomegranate seed). They are used in Western cuisine in many dishes * .

Pomegranate seeds are rich in punicic acid and contain other actives such as ellagic acid, other fatty acids and sterols. Punicic acid is a linolenic acid, one of the healthful unsaturated fatty acids. The oil pressed from pomegranate seeds is usually 65% punicic acid. Xanthigen contains cold-pressed pomegranate seed oil standardized to 80% punicic acid.

* For some tasty recipe examples, try epicurious.com’s Guacamole with Pear and Pomegranate Seeds, Stuffed Poblano Chiles with Walnut Sauce and Pomegranate Seeds, and Dandelion Salad with Pomegranate Seeds Pine Nuts and Roasted Delicata Squash.