What is mangosteen? I hear you cry, I have never heard of it or have the slightest idea what it looks like! Well yes that was me too not too long ago but boy am I happy I know now ☺
Upon further research, the mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) is a tropical evergreen tree, believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas. The tree grows from 7 to 25 metres tall. The edible fruit is deep reddish purple when ripe. In Asia, the mangosteen fruit is known as the "Queen of Fruits," while the durian (Durio spp.) is known as the "King of Fruits." It is closely related to other edible tropical fruits such as button mangosteen and lemon drop mangosteen.
The outer shell of the fruit is rather hard, typically 4-6 cm in diameter. Cutting through the shell, one finds a white, fleshy fruit 3-5 cm in diameter. Depending on the size and ripeness, there may or may not be pits in the segments of the fruit. The number of fruit pods is directly related to the number of petals on the bottom of the shell. On average a mangosteen has 5 fruits (round up figure).
I have eaten a lot of exotic fruits in my life, including the King Of Fruits - durian, but I had never seen or tasted this Queen of Fruits. I bought a bottle of juice from my co-worker and never looked back.
Here are 22 great reasons why you should try it. It is said that it may..
1. prevent hardening of the arteries
2. protect the heart muscle
3. be anti-Parkinson, anti-Alzheimer and other forms of dementia
4. be an anti-depressant
5. prevent and arrest fungus
6. prevent bacterial infections
7. be a viral fighter and prevent infections
8. prevent gum disease
9. be anti-diarrheal
10. lower fevers
11. help eye care - prevents glaucoma and cataracts
12. be pan systemic - a synergistic effect on the whole body
13. boost energy - anti-fatique
14. be anti-aging
15. help weight loss (wooo, I'll drink to this!)
16. lower blood fat (what the heck, I didn't know there is fat in our blood!)
17. have anti-tumour benefits
18. prevent cancer: Mangosteen helps in the prevention of cancer with its powerful anti-oxidants.
19. lower blood pressure
20. stimulate immunity- numerous references to "Immunostimulants"
21. be blood sugar lowering
22. taste good – well in my opinion this is for sure☺
Sarah xx
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