The Secret Sauce of Mangosteen

Mangosteen looks like most other fruits in that it has a rind with fruit inside. Unlike other fruits, it is expensive and sells for $45 a pound in places like New York City as it grows only in certain parts of the palent. Anciently, the local natives of Southeast Asia used the mangosteen for medicinal purposes by sun-drying the rind. Explorers and scientists quickly picked up on this and the mangosteen was put on the radar screen of the scientific community over 40 years ago.

But let's get back to xanthones. Early scientific research discovered that phytonutrients in the rind called xanthones were most likely the cause of the impressive health benefits reported by local tribes and others who had tried it. Xanthones are part of a family of phytonutrients loaded with health benefits and antioxidant properties.

Fast forward to today. A search in PubMed, a repository of medical research articles, shows over 273,000 research articles on xanthones alone. They found over 40 types of xanthones in the mangosteen, the highest concentration of xanthones in any fruit or natural source for that matter.

What Benefits Does a Xanthone Deliver?

Research shows xanthones influence such areas as support for microbiological balance, maintanence of immune system health, promotion of joint flexibility, and help with positive mental support.

According to professional journal, such as the Indian Journal of Experimental Biology, Journal of Pharmacology, and Free Radical Research, these xanthones have a remarkable effect on overall health and are some of the most powerful antioxidants to be found in nature.

Of the forty xanthones found in mangosteen, the two most beneficial xanthones have been found to be the Alpha-Mangostin and Gamma Mangostin. When isolated and thoroughly tested by researchers, these two xanthones have been found to carry a host of potent health benefits.

Xanthones have been found to be a powerful anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune system booster.

A review of PubMed Research shows the following::

- …" potent chemopreventive effects in our short-term colon carcinogenesis bioassay system suggests that longer exposure might result in suppression of tumor development."

- …" exhibited strong inhibitory effect against Mycobacterium tuberculosis."

- …"can stimulate phagocytic cells and kill intracellular bacteria."

- …"showed good inhibitory activity against the three fungi"

Based on this research and his own experience, Dr. J. Frederic Templeton uses mangosteen extract as a first-line therapy for conditions that include eczema, arthritis, irritable bowel disease, fatigue, depression, and a host of other ailments.

Mangosteen also contains catechins, the same nutrient found in green tea. The mangosteen has 9 times the catechins that green tea brings to the table. Catechins are the most powerful antioxidants known to science.

The mangosteen also has Sterols, scientifically proven to significantly lower LDL Cholesterol. Add to the list Pycnogenol which is 20 times more powerful than Vitamin C and 50 times more powerful than Vitamin E. And we can't forget polysaccharides, the main the main component of Aloe Vera also being found in the mangosteen fruit. There are more polysaccharides in Mangosteen than in Aloe Vera.

Mangosteen may offer the most health benefits of any fruit ever studied. But the secret sauce appears to be in the rind, giving us a little known group of phytonutrients called xanthones and some other powerful properties found in the health heavy weights of green tea and aloe.