COMPREHENSIVE UTILIZATION OF TAMARINDUS INDICA LINN.

Tamarind ( Tamarindus indica Linn.) fruits can be widely used as fruit, medicine, beverage or food. The extract of tamarind seed contains polysaccharide and antioxidative components. The tree can be used for landscape afforestation. The status of comprehensive utilizations of tamarind at home and abroad during the recent twenty years were reviewed, which pointed out that its utilizations are focused on processing and utilization of tamarind fruit flesh and extract of tamarind seed polysaccharide (TSP). Some proposals on future exploitation were put forward according to the existing problems in the utilization of tamarind. Further utilizations of the plant are also involved in this article.