Mangosteen Facts

Often confused with mango, mangosteen is a tropical fruit found most commonly in the South East Asian countries. Mangosteen belongs to the family Guttiferae that also includes St. John's Wort. It is borne on trees that can grow upto 80 feet in height and take ten years to become fully mature to bear fruits. The fruit itself is small, about the size of tangerine and roughly about 2 to 3 inches round. It has a purple color rind that encloses the white color fruit which has 4 to 8 segments. Its sweet, tangy taste is so liked in certain parts of the world that it is also known as 'queen of fruits' or 'food of the gods'. Besides its taste, its popularity stems from the fact that it has numerous health benefits.

History
The origin of mangosteen is not clearly known. However, it is believed to be a native of the Sunda Islands of South East Asia. Historical records suggest that the tree may have first been domesticated in Thailand where it designated as the national fruit. Mangosteen gets its scientific name Garcinia mangostana from the French physician and explorer Jacques Garcin, who wrote the first article on the medicinal properties of the fruit in 1697. Mangosteen was hailed by the Asians and Europeans alike. While the Europeans who settled in the Asian colonies loved the fruit for its flavor, at the same time they lamented the fact that it could not be transported to their homeland. The initial efforts to transport this fruit required elaborate preparations, and success rate of such endeavors were very low.

In Folk Medicine
The medicinal properties of mangosteen have got it an important place in the folk medicines of the South East Asian countries. The fruit finds mention in traditional Chinese medicine that dates back to 1368 AD - 1644 AD, during the reign of the Ming dynasty. Its rind has been used for centuries by the South East Asian populations to cure infections. Poultices were used to treat skin problems and extract of the white pulp was used to bring down fever.

Mangosteen and Health
Mangosteen gets its health benefits from the biologically active polyphenolic compounds called xanthones, that are rare in nature. Out of the the 200 xanthones that have been identified, mangosteen contains almost 40. It is these xanthones that allow us to use mangosteen as anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic agents. Besides xanthones, the exotic fruit gets its medicinal properties from other compounds like polysaccharides, proanthocyanidins, sterols and catechins. Although not as beneficial as xanthones, most of these are very useful as they are excellent antioxidants, that work as antiaging agents.

Mangosteen also helps in promoting the lymphatic system which plays an important role in strengthening the immune system. The fruit achieves this with the help of flavones and flavonoids that boost antioxidants in the body and hence improves general health.

As in the olden times, mangosteen is still used in a number of South East Asian countries specially in China to provide relief to a wide spectrum of diseases. For example, the rind is consumed in dried and powdered form to treat diarrhea and dysentery. Ointment made from the rind is used as a cure for eczema and other skin diseases. Despite its varied uses, it is interesting to note that it is not the fruit (which gives the fruit its taste), but the rind that contains most of the useful compounds. The rind is an excellent astringent and contains tannins that repel insects from spoiling the fruit. However, if the skin is also processed with the fruit, it gives the whole preparation an unpleasant taste. Hence most of the mangosteen juice that is commercially available is mixed with other fruit juices that are rich in antioxidants and also improve the taste of the juice.

Known to have been a favorite fruit of Queen Victoria, mangosteen is still very popular with people all over the world. Due to the difficulty associated with shipping it outside Asia until recent years, mangosteen was considered an exotic fruit of the distant lands. However, now it is readily available in frozen and canned form in the West.