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Mangosteen is prized by natives of the South Sea islands, not only for its taste but its role as a powerful traditional medicine. Mangosteen’s pericarp contains a class of super-antioxidants called xanthones which support the immune system, structural system, digestive system, brain, and the skin.
Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) - a tropical fruit native to Malaysia and Indonesia, is known for its sweet flavor, which is similar to a mixture of grape and apple. Mangosteen fruit has been used for many years as a medicinal treatment for diarrhea, skin infection and wounds in Southeast Asia. In recent years, scientists have discovered that mangosteen contains a class of naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds known as xanthones, which have been shown to provide beneficial effects on cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic heart disease (caused by decreased blood flow to the heart), atherosclerosis (narrowing and hardening of the arteries), hypertension (high blood pressure) and thrombosis (formation of blood clots). The protective effects of xanthones in the cardiovascular system are likely due to their antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antithrombotic, and/or vasorelaxant (blood vessel relaxing) activities. In addition, laboratory research has shown that various mangosteen xanthones and xanthone derivatives inhibit the growth of human cancer cells, including breast, leukemia, liver, lung and stomach cancer cell lines. These substances have also exhibited strong antibacterial and inhibitory effects against Mycobacterium tuberculosis—the Gram-positive bacterium that causes tuberculosis—and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus—an antibiotic-resistant “superbug“ that can cause skin infections, bone infections, pneumonia or severe life-threatening bloodstream infections, particularly in those with weakened immune systems.
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