Mangosteen is a tropical fruit that is grown primarily in hot, humid climates of southeast Asia such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Mangosteen is a dark purple fruit about 2 to 3 inches in diameter – the size of a small peach or apple. Mangosteens are unrelated to mangos. Instead of peeling it like an orange, a mangosteen is typically opened by pressing firmly or twisting the outside until it breaks apart.  The hard rind can be nearly one inch thick. At the center is the soft opaque white fruit, which resembles a head of garlic but tastes slightly sweet and tart.

In North America, fresh mangosteens can be found in Canada and Hawaii but they cannot legally be imported into continental United States due to concerns that they transport insects into the country.

Alternate names for mangosteen are Garcinia mangostana L., mangostan, manggis, mangis, and mang cut.

What’s in mangosteen fruit
Several compounds in mangosteen appear to be active, particularly xanthones. Some of these include mangostin, mangostenol, mangostenone A, mangostenone B, trapezifolixanthone, tovophyllin B, alpha- and beta-mangostins, garcinone B, mangostinone, mangostanol, mangosharin, and the flavonoid epicatechin.

Xanthones in Mangosteen

Xanthones are a class of polyphenolic compounds that commonly occur in plants and have been shown to have extensive biological and pharmacological activities. The pharmacological properties as it relates to the cardiovascular system and potential anti-tumor benefits have attracted great interest. Mangosteen is a fruit grown in Thailand and Myanmar whose rind (the pericarp) have some medicinal properties, probably due the high amount of xanthones. There are other plants besides mangosteen that also have these substances.

Benefit and research studies, review
Xanthones and derivatives have been shown to have beneficial effects on some cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic heart disease, atherosclerosis, hypertension and thrombosis. The protective effects in the cardiovascular system may be due to their antioxidant, antiinflammatory, platelet aggregation inhibitory, antithrombotic and/or vasorelaxant activities. In particular, the antagonism of endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitors by xanthones may represent the basis for improved endothelial function and for reduction of events associated with atherosclerosis. They may also have anti-tumor activity thus potentially having an influence in the prevention or treatment of certain cancers.

To sum it all up, here’s a partial list of the 200-plus, mind-boggling Mangosteen medicinal benefits and properties from the catalog of prominent ethnobotanist, Dr. James Duke.

• Anti-aging – helps prevent aging
• Anti-allergenic – helps prevent allergic reactions
• Anti-arthritic – helps prevent arthritis
• Anti-atherosclerotic – helps prevent the hardening of the arteries
• Antibiotic – prevents or modulates bacterial infections
• Anti-calculitic – helps prevent kidney stones
• Anti-cataract – helps prevent cataracts
• Antidepressant – helps with depression
• Anti-diarrheal – helps with diarrhea
• Anti-fatigue – helps relieve fatigue
• Antifungal – prevents or modulates fungal infections
• Anti-glaucomic – helps prevent glaucoma
• Anti-Inflammatory – helps with inflammation
• Anti-lipidemic – helps lower blood fat
• Anti-neuralgic – helps in nerve pain
• Anti-obesity – helps in weight loss
• Anti-osteoporosis – helps prevent the loss of bone mass
• Antioxidant-rich – rich in antioxidants
• Anti-oxolytic – anti-anxiety
• Anti-Parkinson – helps with Parkinson’s disease
• Anti-periodontic – helps prevent gum disease
• Antipyretic – helps lower fever
• Anti-tumor and cancer-preventive
• Anti-vertigo – helps prevent dizziness
• Antiviral – prevents or modulates viral infections
• Cardio-protective – helps in the protection of the heart
• Hypoglycemic – helps stabilize blood sugar
• Hypotensive – helps lower blood pressure
• Immunostimulant – helps the immune system fight infection

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