Mangosteen Fruit - Health Benefits

Ever wonder why you always feel fatigue and depressed? According to experts, there are many factors that can increase the likelihood of developing symptoms such as these. It includes environment and social factors. Environment factors can be work related stress. Social factors can be marital or family problems. However, fatigue and depression can also bring about by physiologic factors like the free radicals in the body.

The appropriate word here is damage. This is what happens to the body's healthy cells when free radicals enter the body. When cellular damage infiltrates the body, it begins a domino effect that leads to aging, cancer, stress or other life-threatening diseases. Free radicals are harmful elements in the body that are unpaired atoms or molecules that damages and destroys essential cellular parts.

To combat these free radicals, nature has provided a solution in the form of Antioxidants. Antioxidants are elements that can handle these harmful elements and can prevent further cellular damage to the body. Certain vitamins are known to be antioxidants - vitamin E and C and Beta-carotene. Vitamin E (medically known as d-alpha tocopherol) is commonly found in fortified cereals, vegetables, seeds, whole grains and nuts. Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is mainly presently in citrus, and in green and leafy vegetables. Beta-carotene is a precursor to Vitamin A which can be consumed in egg, milk products, liver and carrots.

One fruit however is the ultimate source of antioxidants the body needs. Mangosteen is a wonder fruit that has recently gotten the attention of medical practitioners and health enthusiast worldwide. The cause of such an attention is attributed the fact that the mangosteen has been discovered to have the presence of forty xanthones, or a group of molecules that are biologically active and antioxidants. Aside from being a natural antioxidant, mangosteen can treat a number of diseases, which include dysentery and several types of infectious diarrhea. In addition, because of its anti-inflammatory properties, the fruit can effectively treat other skin infection like eczema, hyperkeratosis, seborrhoea and psoriasis.

According to renowned physician, J. Frederic Templeman, "In the mid-20th century, over 75 percent of medications came from plants, and in the '90s it was the time of synthetically-made designer drugs, such as anti-depressants. Now high-powered chromatography machines break down molecules of plants, and I find out what works. God is better than men at making things, and centuries of evolution have done a better job," as he revealed in his book "Mangosteen, The X-factor: A comprehensive Look at the Health Benefits, Science and Xanthones of Garcinia Mangostana".

Dr. Templeton adds, "One study indicated that xanthones have pharmacological properties such as anti-depressant, anti-tubercoloric, anti-microbial, bacteria and fungus, anti-viral, anti-leukemic, anti-ulcer and anti-diabetic". Aside from these discovered xanthones, mangosteen has been found to contain a valuable number of catechins and polyphenols, proven effective antioxidants.

Xanthones are considered to be the most powerful and reliable source of antioxidants which is part of the phytonutrients family. There are about two hundred scientifically recognized xanthones in nature, forty of which is exclusively found in the fantastic mangosteen fruit. That is why the mangosteen has been considered a main and crucial ingredient in many antioxidant foods and beverages in the market today. Mangosteen are often grown in tropical areas particularly in Malaysia where it is said to originate from.

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