Mighty Mangosteen
Mangosteen (no relation to the mango) is a tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia where is has been used in folk medicine for centuries. It’s about the size of a tangerine with a dark purple rind encasing a snow-white fruit, the mangosteen is so revered in the Orient it’s known as the “Queen of Fruits.” While its healing properties and delightful taste are no mystery in the East, the mangosteen is far less known in the West.
Recently, this exotic fruit has been praised for its naturally occurring compounds, the most prominent being xanthones, that may have medicinal properties. Found primarily in the rind (or pericarp) of the fruit, xanthones are chemical substances that may possess potent antioxidative properties including anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-histamine activities.
If you want to check out the mighty mangosteen, pick up a bottle of Xango, a liquid drink that incorporates the rind and the sweet and mild pulp into a tasty juice, or try Mango Xan, comprised of whole mangosteen fruit puree.
—H. K. Jones
