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.

---

Sports Nutrition Made Simple

Following these simple nutrition guidelines will allow you to lose... Read More

Are Your Cells Talking To Each Other?

Are Your Cells Talking To Each Other?Communication! It permeates our... Read More

What To Eat When You Are Sick

Did you know that the food you eat when you... Read More

What is Organic Food?

"Organic" has some quite specific legal definitions in most developed... Read More

Ayurvedic Nutrition: Let Your Food Be Your Medicine

It is ironic how something as obvious as nutrition has... Read More

Organic Food ? The Benefits of Natural and Organic Produce

Having spent most of my life living off of junk... Read More

Four Important Nutrients - Vitamin E, Selenium, Sodium and Potassium ? For Good Health

Vitamin EThere has been a lot of controversy about vitamin... Read More

Benefits of a Variety of Fruits and Vegetables

We know we need to eat a minimum of 5... Read More

Preventing Heart Disease: What to Eat

About 12.6 million Americans currently have heart disease.1.1 million Americans... Read More

Debunking the Myth About Bottled Water: Is It Really Safer for Your Kids?

When you actually sit down and think about it, bottled... Read More

Is It Possible to Improve Your Health by Simply Drinking More Water?

To many people, this may seem a simplistic answer to... Read More

Copping Out the Positive Effects of Copper

One must always keep in mind that copper is not... Read More

Blood Type and Diet

Eating right to suit your blood type" is a subject... Read More

Aggressive Behaviour Seems To Be Triggered By Early Age Diet

The fact that diet directly affects behaviour is no news,... Read More

Fibromyalgia: How Simple Sugars Turned Fatigue into Energy

Several years ago, Marilyn M. couldn't even spell fibromyalgia.Now she... Read More

Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil -- Why Is It Different?

A flood of scientific evidence about fish oil points to... Read More

You Dont Have to be Wealthy to Eat Well: The Truth about Your Grocery Budget

Many people complain that organic foods are more costly than... Read More

Milk Soy Protein Intolerance: A Mothers Perspective

I first learned of Milk Soy Protein Intolerance (MSPI) in... Read More

The Virtues of Water

Did you know that much of our dry skin comes... Read More

The Isometric Diet and Balanced Health

The concept isometric has been a part of the health... Read More

How to Have Great Sex - Nutrition and Foods That Create Passion

Is the thrill gone? Has the thrill gone out of... Read More

The Worshipful Company of Bakers

Bread is one of the oldest known recipes to man.... Read More

Its Not That Bad - The Biggest Lie We Tell Ourselves

Some people say to themselves, junk food is not that... Read More

Nuts To You... Just One Way to a Healthy Heart

Nuts are readily available and provide a highly nutritious food.... Read More

What About Potassium?

Information on potassiumWhen you read about potassium and senate document... Read More

Vitamin and Mineral Facts

Vitamins & Minerals are essential to sustain life. Its what... Read More

What is the Cause?

The question most people think they need an answer to... Read More

What is Organic Farming?

Organic farming is the production of food using all natural... Read More

The Myths Associated with Human Growth Hormone

I would like to dispel some of the myths and... Read More

Nutritional Support in Critically Ill Patients

The nutritional support in critically ill patients can be explained... Read More

Why Fad Diets Don?t Work

Fad diets have been around for more than 50 years... Read More

The Danger of Curbing Hunger Artificially

Unhealthy eating is a harmful problem in America, and contrary... Read More

Fish Oil Data-some new facts about Fish Oil

According to the renowned research scientist and inventor of the... Read More