Rosaceae - Rosaceae. Pharmacy name: sweet almond seeds - Amygdali dulcis semen (formerly: Semen Amygdali dulcis).
Botanical description.
A small tree, almost no different in appearance from bitter almond trees; its cultural forms vary even more. Sweet almond fruits are slightly larger. Its homeland is the subtropics of China and Asia Minor; bred in many countries (especially in the Mediterranean).
Active ingredients: fatty oil, protein, mucus, enzymes, choline, asparagine and vitamin C.
Application. Galenic preparations from sweet almonds were previously used for coughs in children.
Almond oil (a fatty oil from the seeds) acts as a mild laxative. The almond cake remaining after squeezing out the oil is used as a gentle skin cleanser.