MANGOSTEEN - skin
Known as 'The queen of fruits', the mangosteen is one of the slowest growing fruit trees on earth and while it's one of the most delicious (well worth the wait!), it's everything else that lays some fabulous health claims
Mangosteen ( Garcinia mangostana) has been used in traditional medicine for centuries. The rind, seeds, and leaves are used to treat various ailments while the fruit flesh (while also healthy), is enjoyed by millions for its sweet flavour (it is my favourite fruit on earth!)
Mangosteen originates from the Sunda Islands and Moluccas (remote islands whose closest neighbour is Indonesia) and it is the national fruit of Thailand. Because mangosteen produces fruit of best quality in areas with temperatures between 25 and 35C, in fertile, well-drained soil, the growing region for this amazing tree is latitudinally limited and so the majority of globally consumed mangosteen originates from southeast Asia, tropical parts of South America, Puerto Rico and India.
Furthermore, young trees need to grow in the partial shade, while mature trees require plenty of sun for the proper development of fruit - truly a very fussy queen indeed!
Mangosteen is a tree who keeps on giving and is a perennial plant who can survive more than 100 years in the wild.
Health benefits:
• Cancer: especially colon and skin, with compounds like β-mangostin showing strong potential as chemotherapeutic agents
• Anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy
• Healthy skin: anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-allergy and anti-oxidant for inflammation, aging, eczema, allergies and bacterial infections
• Healthy immune system: rich in various nutrients, minerals and vitamins
• Antioxidant: contains powerful antioxidants which contain cell boosters called xanthones (which contain various properties that can be used to reverse to the effects of disease)
• Anti-bacterial: wound healing
• Diarrhea and dysentery
• Heart: cardioprotective (reducing the risk of stroke or myocardial infarction)
• Diabetes: managing and maintaining blood sugar levels in the body
• Weight loss