രുചിയും ഗുണവുമുള്ള മാങ്കോസ്‌റ്റിൻ

രുചിയും ഗുണവുമുള്ള 

മാങ്കോസ്‌റ്റിൻ

                 The Mangosteen plant is a tropical evergreen tree, believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas. It was first discovered in Burma and Siam (now known as Thailand). The tree grows from 7 to 25 meters tall. This exotic edible Mangosteen fruit is a deep reddish purple when ripe. In Asia, the Mangosteen fruit is known as the "Queen of Fruits".

The Mangosteen tree requires a warm, very humid, equatorial climate all year round. Many people have tried to grow Garcinia mangostana in warm places such as California and Florida or in special greenhouses outside South East Asia, but they experienced little success because of the different environmental factors. The Mangosteen tree requires abundant moisture and only grows well in a tropical environment.

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നമ്മുടെ വിപണിയിൽ മാങ്കോസ്‌റ്റിൻ എത്തിത്തുടങ്ങി. രുചിയുടെ കാര്യത്തിലെന്ന പോലെ  പോഷകമൂല്യത്തിന്റെ കാര്യത്തിലും മുൻപന്തിയിൽ തന്നെയാണ് ഈ ഫലം.  മാംസ്യം, അന്നജം, നാരുകൾ, കാത്സ്യം ഫോസ്ഫറസ്, ഇരുമ്പ്, വിറ്റാമിൻ -എ തുടങ്ങിയ പോഷകങ്ങൾ ധാരാളമായി ഈ പഴത്തിൽ അടങ്ങിയിട്ടുണ്ട്.  ഉദരരോഗങ്ങൾ, കരൾ രോഗങ്ങൾ എന്നിവയ്‌ക്ക് ശമനം നൽകും. മറ്റ് ഔഷധഗുണത്തിന്റെ കാര്യത്തിലും സമ്പന്നമാണ്.  മാങ്കോസ്‌റ്റിന്റെ പുറന്തോട് ഉണക്കിപ്പൊടിച്ച്  കഴിക്കുന്നത് ഉദരസംബന്‌ധമായ പ്രശ്‌നങ്ങൾ പരിഹരിക്കും. ക്ലസിയേസിയേ കുടുംബത്തിൽ പെട്ടതാണ് മാങ്കോസ്‌റ്റിൻ. ഗാർസിനിയ മാംഗോസ്റ്റാന എന്നാണ്  മാങ്കോസ്‌റ്റിന്റെ ശാസ്ത്രനാമം

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            The Mangosteen fruit grown in Thailand is harvested in the season of optimum ripeness for maximum efficacy. The xanthone rich pericarp (the outer rind) is then separated from the pulp and freeze-dried.The outer shell or rind of the Mangosteen fruit (called the pericarp) is rather hard, typically 4 to 6 centimeters in diameter, resembling a spherical, reddish-black, cartoon-style bomb. By cutting through the shell, one finds a very pale and fleshy fruit 3 to 5 centimeters in diameter. Depending on its size and ripeness, there may or may not be pits in the segments of the fruit. The number of fruit pods is directly related to the number of petals on the bottom of the shell. Commonly, the average Mangosteen will have 5 fruit pods.

The shell of the Mangosteen fruit looks tough and hard, but is easy to open. Care must be taken when opening the fruit, as the reddish-black husk outside produces a purplish, inky juice that stains fabric and can be almost impossible to remove (the reason why they are banned from some hotels in countries where they are available). To open a Mangosteen, the shell is usually broken apart, not cut. Holding the fruit in both hands, press it gently (thumbs on one side, the other fingers on the other) until the shell cracks. It is then very easy to pull the halves apart along the crack and remove the fruit without staining.

One of the most-praised of tropical fruits, and certainly the most-esteemed fruit in the family Guttiferae, the Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana in Latin) is almost universally known or heard of by this name. But there are numerous variations in nomenclature: among Spanish-speaking people the fruit is called mangostan; to the French it is mangostanier, mangoustanier, mangouste or mangostier; in Portuguese it is mangostao, mangosta or mangusta; in Dutch it is manggis or manggistan; in Vietnamese it is mang cut; in Malaya it may be referred to in any of these languages or by the local terms mesetor, semetah, or sementah; and in the Philippines it is mangis or mangostan. Throughout the Malay Archipelago of Malaysia, there are many different spellings of names for Mangosteen similar to most of those mentioned above.

                                               Prof. John Kurakar