Tamarind
© 1996 - 2004 PFPC

Tamarind is known to have high levels of fluoride and it is as of yet bewildering how it can be beneficial. Tamarind pulp has shown to contain 3.8 ppm fluoride. It is therefore likely that the increased fluoride in urine shown in the studies below is partly due to the high fluoride concentration in Tamarind itself. - Vishal

Khandare AL, Rao GS, Lakshmaiah N - “Effect of tamarind ingestion on fluoride excretion in humans” Eur J Clin Nutr 56(1):82-5 (2002)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retr ieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11840184

National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad, India. alkhandare@yahoo.com

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of tamarind (Tamarindus indicus) ingestion on excretion of fluoride in school children. DESIGN: Randomized, diet-control study. SUBJECT: Twenty healthy boys were included and 18 of them completed the study. INTERVENTIONS: Each subject consumed 10 g tamarind daily with lunch for 18 days at the social welfare boys' hostel. The nutrient composition of the daily diet was constant throughout the experimental period. RESULTS: Tamarind intake led to significant increase (P<0.001) in the excretion of fluoride in 24 h urine (4.8+/-0.22 mg/day) as compared to excretion on control diet (3.5+/-0.22 mg/day). However, excretion of magnesium and zinc decreased significantly (7.11+/-1.48 mg of Mg and 252.88+/-12.84 microg of Zn per day on tamarind diet as compared to 23.39+/-3.68 mg of Mg and 331.78+/-35.31 microg Zn per day on control diet). Excretion of calcium and phosphorous were not significantly different while creatinine excretion decreased with tamarind intake (225.66+/-81 mg creatinine/day with tamarind and 294.5+/-78.76 mg creatinine/day without tamarind). CONCLUSION: Tamarind intake is likely to help in delaying progression of fluorosis by enhancing urinary excretion of fluoride.

Khandare AL, Kumar P U, Shanker RG, Venkaiah K, Lakshmaiah N - “Additional beneficial effect of tamarind ingestion over defluoridated water supply to adolescent boys in a fluorotic area”  Nutrition 20(5):433-6 (2004)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retr ieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=151050303

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the effect of tamarind (Tamarindus indicus) on ingestion and whether it provides additional beneficial effects on mobilization of fluoride from the bone after children are provided defluoridated water. METHODS: A randomized, diet control study was conducted in 30 subjects from a fluoride endemic area after significantly decreasing urinary fluoride excretion by supplying defluoridated water for 2 wk. Subjects were then assigned to one of two groups, with 15 in each group. One group was supplemented with tamarind (experimental group) for 3 wk and the other (control) group was given only defluoridated water for the same period. RESULTS: The mean changes in urinary components after tamarind ingestion (volume, pH, fluoride calcium, copper, and magnesium) in the control and experimental groups were compared. There was a significant increase (P < 0.01) in fluoride excretion and urinary pH and a significant decrease in urinary calcium (P < 0.01) and copper (P < 0.05) excretion in the experimental group as compared with the control group. There was no change in urinary volume between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Tamarind intake appears to have an additional beneficial effect on the mobilization of deposited fluoride from bone, by enhancing urinary excretion of fluoride.

Khandare AL, Kumar PU, Lakshmaiah N - “Beneficial effect of tamarind ingestion on fluoride toxicity in dogs” Fluoride 33(1):331-333
http://www.fluoride-journal.com/00-33-1/331-33.pdf

Maruthamuthu m, Reddy JV - “Binding of fluoride with tamarind gel” Fluoride 20(3):109-112 (1987)

Summary: The binding of fluoride with tamarind gel has been studied by adopting equibrium dialysis technique. Application of Klotz method to this heterogeneous system with r values, i.e., moles of bound fluoride per 105 g of tamaind gel, ranging from 15-22, yielded the first binding constant (inK) 1 x 104. Protein constituent of tamarind has been concluded to be the active component interacting with fluoride.