Punica granatum L. comes from the Middle East, spread across the subtropics to the tropics, from the lowlands to below 1,000 m asl. These plants prefer loose soil that is not submerged in water, ground water is not deep. Pomegranates are often planted in gardens as ornamental plants, medicinal plants, or as an edible fruit. The form of shrubs or small trees with a height of 2-5 m. Woody stems, twigs sided, branching much, weak, spiny, brown when young, and old ksetelah green. Single leaf, short-stemmed, located in groups. Leaf blade is oval shaped, base tapering, blunt edge, flat edge, shiny surfaces, the length of 1-9 cm, width 0.5 to 2, 5 cm, green color. Single short-stemmed flowers, out at the very top end of the branch. Typically, there are one to five flowers, the colors red, white, or purple. Flowering throughout the year. Fruits are round with a diameter of 5-12 cm, color variety, such as the green-purple, white, reddish brown or blackish purple.
Skin of the fruit contains alkaloids pelletierene, granatin, betulic acid, ursolic acid, isoquercitrin, elligatanin, resin, triterpenoid, calcium oxalate, and starch. Root bark and bark contains about 20% elligatanin and 0.5 - 1% alkaloid compounds, including alkaloids pelletierine (C8H14N0), pseudopelletierine (C9H15N0), metilpelletierine (C8H14NO.CH3), isopelletierine (C8H15N0), and metilisopellettierine (C9H1 , N0). The leaves contain alkaloids, tannins, calcium oxalate, fat, sulfur, peroxidase. Fruit juice contains citric acid, malic acid, glucose, fructose, maltose, vitamins (A, C), minerals (calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, sodium, and potassium), and tannins. Pelletierine highly toxic alkaloid and causes paralysis of the tapeworm, roundworm, pinworm, and worms. Skin of the fruit and bark are astringent too strong it is used for treatment of diarrhea.
During harvest, fruits were collected. Seeds removed, then dried in the sun to dry skin. Prior to use, can be stored in well sealed containers. Skin of the fruit taste sour, bitter, warm nature, astringent, poisonous (toxic). Efficacious stop the bleeding (hemostatis), laxative intestinal worms (vermifuga), antidiarrheal, and antivirus. Skin of fruit and flowers is a powerful astringent. Decoction of them can stop the bleeding. Bark and root bark has a weak odor and sour taste. Efficacious as a laxative sputum, vermifuga, laxative, astringent and intestines. The leaves are efficacious for a laxative period. Fruit flesh (meat packing seeds) efficacious conditioning, laxative fart. Seeds of its cool, not berracun, efficacious fever reliever, antitoksik, lubricate the lung and relieve cough. Root bark efficacious laxative intestinal worms. Skin of the fruit inhibited the growth of typhoid bacilli. Fruit skin can control the spread of polio virus infection, herpes simplex virus, HIV virus clan.