Mangosteen, Anyone?

Hello everyone. This is my first ever post in this community and I hope I can share something of interest and value to the members in particular, and to the Hive Blockchain in general.

Last week my brother in law gave me a few kilos of the mangosteen fruit which he harvested from his farm. Mangosteen (Garcinia Mangostana) is also known as the purple mangosteen because of the deep purple color its rind develops when ripe.

It is an exotic fruit originally from Southeast Asia but can be found in many tropical regions around the world. In direct contrast to its rind, the mangosteen's pulp (which is the edible part) is so pristine white which is altogether sweet and sour in flavor.

Mangosteen is known as the “Queen of Fruits” due mainly to its crown-like shape once sliced or cracked open. They are usually in season and available from October to December when their price is cheap, about USD 2 per kilo. But during the off-season the price goes as high as USD 10 per kilo. They are mostly imported during the off-season from neighboring country Malaysia.

I do not know how popular this fruit is in other parts of the world but here in my country, the Philippines, it is very popular and much sought after. People love its exquisitely sweetish and sourly taste. Some varieties, especially the ones I have tasted from Thailand, are sweeter than they are sour, making them just heavenly to eat.

Mangosteen, however, has also been found to offer many health benefits. It has a rich supply of nutrients, fiber and antioxidants. In fact, the fruit's range of health benefits has made mangosteen to be considered as a superfood. It is now available in coffee, tea and capsule form.

Mangosteen coffee is made by mixing coffee, preferably arabica coffee, and the mangosteen pulp and sweetened by sugar or stevia. Some add other herbal mushrooms like the red reishi from Japan, to make the coffee a really healthy drink. Mangosteen tea is made out of the fruit's peel. They are dried and packed in tea bags. Some actually just boil the peel and drink the water. It has a stronger taste and costs a lot less than buying the tea bags. The capsule form is a food supplement made from dried up peel and encapsulated. In my country, this is popularly known as MX3.

All these are known to have amazing health benefits. Any of these forms are rich with fiber, antioxidants and xanathones and can fight a lot of diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart and cardiovascular problems, rheumatism and high blood pressure. Some say they can even slow down the aging process. What's there to lose?

The Queen of Fruits.

Some trivia about mangosteen. At the bottom of the fruit there can be found a protruding asterisk shaped form. See below.

This actually is an indicator of something. The number of spikes indicates the number of pieces of pulp there is inside. Here's one showing 6 spikes.

And here's what the pulp looks like inside.

Voila!

So guys, the next time you see a mangosteen fruit, try some. It tastes good and it is very healthy. For those interested to know more about the health benefits of mangosteen, may I recommend this link for your consideration. Click here.

And that's it for this post. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did doing it. Until next time please keep safe and may you all have a wonderful week ahead.

(All photos are mine.)