Is Mangosteen Appropriately Named “The Queen of Fruits?
Named for the French explorer Jacques Garcin (1673-1751), the mangosteen fruit has been pretty well hidden away from North America and Europe until recently. Its scientific name is “Garcinia Mangostana” and because of it’s excellent flavor. In Asia it is called the “Queen of Fruits”. Is this not-so-well-known fruit deserving of such an auspicious title? In this article I want to explain the health benefits of mangosteen, explain the term xanthone and describe Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) scores. Many health advocates are a strong proponent of mangosteen. It is a dark purple fruit about 2 to 3 inches round. Mangosteen, incidentally, is not related to the mango. Instead of peeling the fruit like a grapefruit or orange, a Mangosteen is typically opened by pressing firmly or twisting the outside until it breaks apart. The rind is fairly hard and nearly an inch thick. On the inside is the soft white fruit, which somewhat resembles a head of garlic but tastes quite different. On
