Ever Hear of This Fruit?

I want to tell you about the most healthful and most delicious tropical fruit that you'd ever want to taste. It's called the mangosteen, and the reason you've probably never heard of it is because you can't buy it in the United States. However, you can buy the juice of the fruit and I'll tell you how you can do that at the end of this article.

The Mystique
The mangosteen is a lovely tropical fruit that grows well in SE Asia. It cannot be imported into the U.S. because of laws that prohibit the importation of untreated plants that might harbor agricultural pests. The good news is that Hawaii is starting to grow and harvest the mangosteen, so there is hope that one day we will be able to buy the fruit at local markets.

The mangosteen has been nicknamed the "Queen of Fruits." It received its nickname because Queen Victoria of England loved the fruit and declared it to be her favorite fruit. As the story goes she offered a knighthood to anyone who could bring her some.

The taste of the mangosteen has been described in glowing terms. The July, 2003, issue of Gourmet magazine featured an article about the fruit. The author, David Karp, declared "the flavor was almost unbearably exquisite." Further, he states that "many people consider mangosteen the finest fruit in the world." Needless to say, the fruit is sweet and delicious. I'll tell you further on how you can taste the juice, which is legally available.

The Facts
Mantosteen fruit grows on an evergreen broad leafed tree that grows well in SE Asia. The fruit is a red-purple orb about the size of a large plum or small orange. The rind is thick and contains some remarkable healthful phytonutrients that have been used successfully for many generations in SE Asia. The 5 to 7 lobed fruit inside has a wonderful taste, as described earlier, and yields an excellent juice.

The tree grows patiently and will not yield fruit until it is 7 to 12 years old. At that age the tree may produce 60 fruits. The tree will mature after about 22 years and at that time may yield 1600 fruits and may be harvested twice a year. Such a tree is a living gold mine.

The Science
The benefits of vitamins B, C, E and certain minerals as antioxidants are well studied and widely known. However, not so widely known, according to Fred Templeman, M.D., is that "there exist other antioxidants even more potent than vitamins." One of these substances, called xanthones, provides important nutrition and is a substance used by every system in the body.

The importance of the mangosteen is that of all the known fruits, tropical or otherwise, it contains the single greatest known supply of xanthones, about 20 different ones in all. These phytonutrients are found in the rind of the fruit. In order to receive the healthful benefits of xanthones, one must utilize the whole fruit, a practice that has been ongoing in SE Asia for many generations. A whole food puree is now available in the United States that combines the amazing phytonutrients of the rind with the rich, delicious juice of the inner pulp.

In case you are curious, as I was, about the scientific evidence found in the professional life science publications, go to the internet location www.pubmed.com. That website is a service of the National Library of Medicine and provides access to over 12 million professional articles dating back to the mid-1960's. A search in their library recently yielded 234 articles regarding the keyword, "xanthone," and 11 articles regarding the keyword "mangosteen."

The Juice
Unfortunately the mangosteen fruit itself cannot currently be imported into the U.S., but fortunately a puree of the whole fruit and the juice can be made in the U.S. and is available under the brand name Xango. The name itself combines the nutritional substance, xanthone, with the fruit, mangosteen. It is readily available by phone order or from local direct marketers.

*****************************

Garry Gamber is a public school teacher and entrepreneur. He writes articles about real estate, health and nutrition, and internet dating services. He is the owner of http://www.Anchorage-Homes.com and http://www.TheDatingAdvisor.com.

Latest News


CORRECTING and REPLACING Metabolic Research, Inc. Signs Contract ...
Stockhouse, Canada - 8 hours ago
Metabolic Research, Inc. (OTC:MTBR) announced that it has entered into an agreement with General Nutrition Distribution, LP, for storefront retail sales of ...

DC Brands Takes a Big Step in the Right Direction
MarketWatch - 1 hour ago
DC Brands then purchased the assets of HARD Nutrition and began its quest to produce a new health line of products. DC Brands is now proud to announce the ...

Black-bean soup is loaded with nutrition
Houston Chronicle, United States - 5 hours ago
When paired with vegetables, it’sa bowl brimming with nutrition. Red peppers add color, texture, flavor and powerful antioxidants, including beta-carotene, ...

Nutrition As You Age
Boston Channel.com,  USA - 6 hours ago
As we age, we need to follow a healthy diet for optimal nutrition. We need to consume a balanced diet containing carbohydrates (choose mainly whole grains), ...

Experts Discuss Applying Systematic Review to Nutrition Field
Newswise (press release) - 9 hours ago
Newswise — Performing systematic reviews of nutrition related topics raises unique challenges not often encountered in the field of medicine. ...

On Nutrition: 'Blenderized' food has same nutritional content as whole
Inside Bay Area, CA - 15 hours ago
By Ed Blonz DEAR DR. BLONZ: I recently injured my jaw in an accident, and, for the time being, have to eat food that is largely blenderized. ...

Give the Gift of Health to Your Pets for the Holidays with Dog-Wa ...
MarketWatch - 14 hours ago
Good nutrition and frequent exercise are the most rewarding presents pet owners can give their dogs. "Feeding dogs a healthy diet is a gift that keeps on ...

Examiner.com

Nutrigenomics - the genetics of nutrition
Examiner.com - 10 hours ago
by Annie Kay, Nutrition Examiner Philadelphia Health Examiner Thomas Hartmann recently shared some of his exploration into the nutrition systems of Ayruveda ...

Trouw Nutrition and Aimco sign cooperation agreement
Feedstuffs, MN - 8 hours ago
Trouw Nutrition Int., the leading global animal nutrition company and Arabian Integral Ministration Company (Aimco) and its branches, an important players ...

Dr. William Sears to Talk on Child Nutrition & Parenting
Honolulu Advertiser, HI - 6 minutes ago
... by many to be the ultimate "how to" guide to raising your child, is flying to Hawaii to discuss his latest research on nutrition and parenting. ...

Resources