Unleashing The Many Healing Benefits of Mangosteen Juice

We all know that herbs, spices and other natural nutritional substances are the oldest form of medicine known to man. Over many centuries, man's experiments with plants have yielded a vast treasure of natural medicines to help us heal many ailments. And the wonderful thing is almost always without harmful side effects. As such many pharmaceuticals are also derived from the extracts of wild plants. But there are still many thousand of plant species that have yet to be studied for their medicinal properties!

It is said that foods have the power to heal. As Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, who compiled a list of over hundred herbs and their uses, said:

“Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food“

So it is important that we eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Eating a diet of high in fruits and vegetables can lower our risk of chronic disease. The question is are we doing just that? If not there is a more simple answer – drinking one to two ounces of mangosteen juice a day may just fulfill our daily fruit requirements needs. Taking mangosteen juice daily can help to maintain our good health and vitality besides boosting our immume system to prevent many diseases.

Mangosteen has such a strong antioxidant power deriving from the biological active substance known as xanthones. Over 40 xanthones are found in mangosteen alone! As such this fruit offers potential benefits to almost every system in the body. Research has shown that xanthones and other active substances found in the mangosteen fruit may help with the following:
- Against numerous infections including viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites
- Support microbiological balance
- Maintain immune system
- Overall body health and well-being
- Reduces inflammation (helps prevent tissue swelling which can lead to many debilitating diseases & conditions)
- Fatigue (may boost energy level)
- Aging due to free radical exposure
- Counteract allergies
- Promote joint flexibility
- Arthritis and joint health (may reduce inflammation, pain and joint damage associated with arthritis because of mangosteen anti-infllamatory properties)
- Headaches and migraines
- Fibromyalgia (may relieve muscle pain, body inflammation)
- Sports health (may relieve pain and inflammation following sports workout and minor injuries)
- Diarrhea and stomach ailments
- Crohn’s disease
- Colitis
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) – may reduce stomach acid output and stabilizes stomach lining
- Diabetes (may lower blood sugar levels)
- Lowers cholesterol level
- Protection of heart muscle
- Hypertension (may lower high blood pressure)
- Atherosclerosis prevention (may promote blood vessel health by decreasing free radical damage and inflammatory build up)
- Nerve damage (may reduce free radical damage)
- Helps prevent Alzheimer disease (may reduce inflammatory response to damaged neurons)
- Helps prevent Parkinson’s disease
- Help thwart cancer (help prevent free radical damage leading to cell mutation and reduce tumor growth)
- Good for skin health
- Bladder infections (may reduce inflammation)
- Endometriosis (relieve pain due to its anti-inflammatory properties)
- Menstrual pain
- Asthma

I’m sure everyone of us wants to have better nutrition and achieve optimal health. Well it is then time for us to check our daily diet. Learning to add more fruits to our daily diet may be the answer.

Dr. Bruce Wilkin said, "I predict that mangosteen will be recognized in years to come as one of the great medical discoveries of all time".

What Makes Mangosteen More Than Unique?

For centuries, mangosteen has been used for its health benefits by the traditional healers of Southeast Asia and India. In Thailand, mangosteen has been used for its antimicrobial and antiseptic properties to treat infected wounds, tuberculosis, malaria and urinary tract infections. In India and China, preparations made from the rind are used as antimicrobial and antiparasitic treatments for dysentery and other stomach ailments. The rind is steeped in water overnight and the liquid drunk the next morning.

It has long been known that mangosteen has powerful anti-inflammatory properties and is effective in treating eczema problem and skin condition such as psoriasis. To treat skin problems, the rind cut, dried, ground and applied directly onto the skin. Mangosteen has also been used as a tonic for lethargy and fatigue or low energy.

There are many studies done to demonstrate the health benefits of mangosteen and these can be found in most known scientific journals namely:
 Biochemical Pharmacology
 British Journal of Pharmacolgy
 Medicinal Plants of Thailand
 Journal of the Science Society of Thailand
 Phytochemistry
 Journal of Pharmacology
 Journal of Enzyme Inhibition
 Free Radical Research
 Planta Medica
 Journal of Natural Products and many more

It wasn’t until more than three decades of scientific studies that a brand new group of phytonutrients have been discovered – known as “xanthones”. Xanthones are antioxidants and is the subject of the majority of the research on the mangosteen. There are over 200 known xanthones in nature, and more than 40 xanthones are found in the mangosteen! The many healing properties of the fruit is because of this variety of xanthones.. These xanthones have unique chemical formulas that allow each one to perform a specific function. For example, alpha-mangostin serves as an antioxidant, gamma-mangostin as an anti-inflammatory and garcinone E as an antitumor agent.

What makes the mangosteen so unique is that the entire mangosteen fruit contains xanthones. And the pericarp (rind) of the fruit contains the highest concentrations of xanthones. And xanthones are not the only active substances that are found in the mangosteen. The mangosteen also contains a large number catechins (potent antioxidants), polysaccharides, stilbenes, and certain vitamins and minerals as well. And so It is not the fruit that is used for medicinal purposes, but often the rind itself is used.

In the booklet “The Xanthone Effect” Dr. David A. Morton tried to explain how scientific progression has eventually led to a clearer understanding of certain health conditions and better ways to treat them. In short, the following model as applied to the folk use of mangosteen:

Problem : Diarrhea, dysentery, infection and inflammatory skin conditions in Southeast Asian peoples
Solution : Mangosteen fruit
Active Ingredients : Xanthones
Properties of Active Ingredients :Mangosteen xanthones possess antibacterial, antioxidant,anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antiviral, and antitumor properties

Coping With Endometriosis

I was diagnosed with endometriosis more than 12 years ago. I have never heard of it, and none of the doctors I had seen had ever mentioned that having severe painful periods could be a symptom of a medical condition. My worst symptom was excruciating pain during the cycle and continues to progress to a mild or moderate pain after that. This prolonged chronic pain has really zapped my energy and affected my moods and total well-being. At times the pain may subside a little but there was always a terror that it may return.

Throughout the years I have taken various prescription medications and undergone two major surgeries. Unfortunately none of the medications have offered complete relief and some have brought on unpleasant side effects. The second surgery that I went through did not help at all. The pain came back after just 3 months of the surgery. I have to suffer in silent physically and emotionally. Friends and colleagues always dismissed pain as being all in the mind. The pain that I suffered daily had become unbearable and I know taking painkillers to be able to function was not a solution. Finally I quit my job and decided to make changes to my lifestyle.

I had a more positive experience with alternative therapies. I did Qi Gong and tried traditional herbal remedies, meditated and do voluntary service work. Certainly all these had help my body to heal slowly. About 8 months ago my friend told me about mangosteen juice. As I’m open to alternative natural healing I gave it a try. There was nothing to loose. At the beginning, I took 60 ml three times a day for 6 days. Voilà! I cannot believe it, my pain was gone. I continue with the juice and guess what – there was no pain even during my cycle!

This juice is a miracle for me. I have been on the mangosteen juice since then and have not felt so great. I have much more energy and a new life. I have not been working for quite awhile and now I have a job. I’m feeling on top of the world and life is great. I have my friend to thank you and I want to share my story especially to those who is suffering from endometriosis and other chronic pain or inflammation. I truly understand your pain. Don't give up! Nutritional supplements, a healthy diet, exercise and a positive outlook on life maybe the answer to your problem.

Mangosteen Fruit - The Story

Discover Mangosteen

Dr. Oz of The Oprah Winfrey Show Fame Recommends Goji Berries and Mangosteen For Vitality, Sexuality and Longevity!

During one part of the Oprah show on "Go Back in Time" which focused on anti-ageing tips, Dr. Oz recommended both the Goji Berries and Mangosteen juice. Dr. Oz says that they can improve vitality. He says these foods are ancient healing tools that have strong antioxidants to promote everything from sexuality to longevity. Also, in another separate show "300 Men Ask Dr. Oz", Dr. Oz recommended more foods with antioxidants to Ben Gordon, leading scorer for the Chicago Bulls, who requested information for his nutritional needs.
He said, "I’m a professional athlete. I train anywhere between two and three times a day. … What kind of foods can I add to my diet to help me maintain high energy levels throughout my diet and not crash after I’m finished working out," he says.
Dr. Oz recommended that Ben eat more foods with antioxidants. "What happens to a lot of great athletes is they are creating so much oxidation in their body from working out all the time, especially if you’re working out for more than two hours a day—you’re doing this for sure—that you don’t have the oxidant stores to keep up with that. So you’ve got to build up those antioxidant stores by taking leafy green vegetables."

Bright colored fruits, like goji berries, are also great, Dr. Oz says. "They grow in the Himalayas. They’re the most potent antioxidant fruit that we know," he says. "Remember, foods are drugs. They work just like that. But especially for an athlete that’s moving fast all over the place, you’ve got to keep the antioxidant stores in your body high and the best way to do it is through the foods you eat."
You are what you eat! Food plays a very important role in our health and we should take food to heal, repair and nourish our active bodies.
Foods like Goji Berries and Mangosteen are rich in antioxidants. Follow the doctors recommendation. Take Goji and Mangosteen for increased immune system , cellular repair, restoring the body to its normal function and for the increased vitality, sexuality and longevity.

Mangosteen - The Fruit

Mangosteen an exotic tropical fruit and indeed a jewel – the leaves are leathery and the fruit a smooth, round ball of deep purple-maroon like the size of a tangerine and is make up of the following:
- pericarp (rind or skin) – smooth, about 0.5-1 cm thick with a deep purple coloration, encloses the pulp and capped by a citrine calyx
- pulp (fruit) - consists of 4 to 8 segments of sweet irresistible juicy tender white-colored flesh and have a simply exquisite taste
- seeds – one fruit usually contains 2 to 3 well-developed seeds

The fruit when ripen can be forced to open with a slight pressure by pressing it firmly with your thumbs. Be careful with the rind once opened. The purple juice is potent, as the stain on clothes is difficult to remove. If the fruit is unripe or overripe, it is it nearly impossible to open. It becomes as hard as a rock!
The fruit has a very unique flavor – sweet and tinge of sour taste, it is bold yet completely delicate. The taste of this fruit is heavenly. You don’t want to stop eating once you have the first taste. It is absolutely a magnificent fruit. If you have not tried it, don’t wait any longer.

The fruit has small and medium-size seeds. If the seeds are small and soft, you can eat them too. To get the full health benefits of this wondrous fruit, try juicing the purple skin (this is where most of the health benefits come from). But a note of caution - the taste of the purple skin is extremely bitter and astringent - you will need to juice lots of carrots and apples along with maybe just one mangosteen fruit to make it drinkable.

Tips for choosing the fruit -
- if you want to know how many segments the fruit have, just simply count the number of sepal remnants at the bottom of the fruit.
- the more segments, the fewer the seeds
- to select the fruit, press very gently on the smooth rind to see if it is soft. Never buy the hard ones.
- mangosteens with brown blotchy-looking skin but soft to press, it’s still okay to buy them.
- Yellowish latex-like thingy on both skin and stem- sign of overripe mangosteens

The mangosteen has been used as a folk remedy in Asia, Africa and South America for its multiple health benefits since hundreds of years. They have used the whole fruit to relieve their pains, to protect themselves from diseases, to increase their energy and to cure various other ailments. Until recently, mangosteen has been one of nature’s best kept secrets!