In the Sundra Islands and the Moluccas of Indonesia, an 80-foot tropical evergreen tree has grown for thousands of years… At least that is where researchers say the Mangosteen tree most likely originated. This tree produces a an edible fruit that is sometimes very sweet and other times a bit tangy, but it’s always full of healthy nutrients. It has an outer skin that is usually pretty tough, but softens up as the fruit ripens. It is purple in color and about the size of a tangerine, and more recently, the mangosteen has been categorized as an official ’super Fruit.’

‘Superfruits’ are becoming more and more common each day. New fruits are being found in many countries and are now being cultivated in some of our states. Mangosteen’s unique nutrients allow it to fall under the category of being a ’superfruit.’ Although the nutritional value seems to below the FDA daily allowance, and it seems to be made up more of water than anything else, it does have some hidden attributes that make it a great choice for your health.

So if nothing else, it is very low in calories and would be perfect for those on a diet or trying to just control their weight. However research does show that it might have some of the world’s best antioxidant properties for any fruit. It is supposed to contain at least 40 different Xanthones, which are a powerful form of antioxidants. There are currently 200 Xanthones identified, all beneficial to humans.

Xanthones go through our body destroying free radicals that can make us very unhealthy. Alpha-mangostin, gama-mangostin, garcinone, beta-mangostin, garcinone, Gardiner-d and a, garcinone-c, mangostanol and gartanin are just a sampling of the Xanthones that mangosteen contains. All of these Xanthones have properties that prevent inflammation, tumors, allergies, convulsions and platelet balancing problems. The other antioxidants not listed can contain the same properties as these, among other beneficial properties.

Oddly, some health officials are concerned about consuming too much of this fruit juice. There have been reported cases in Thailand of severe acidosis in relation to consuming large quantities of mangosteen juice. More studies are ongoing.

Western countries can carry the product in a few different ways. You can find mangosteen in frozen or canned and sometimes liquid form in a few western markets. Mangosteen and other Southeast-Asian fruits have been banned from being imported to North America, (Because of harmful insects) but a few years ago the Puerto Rican farmers have started growing them for us so you might expect to see some in your local produce section and perhaps health food stores soon.