Lansium domesticum, also known as langsat, buahluku or lanzones, is a species of tree in the Mahogany family. The tree bears edible fruits.
The lanzones, which originates from western Southeast Asia and Southern India (it is the provincial flower for the Indonesian province of South Sumatra), besides being a very delicious treat, is also a significantly healthy fruit. It grows in clusters (similar to grapes) and has an oval shape, with a yellow to light brown peel.
The fruit can be elliptical, oval, or round, measuring 2 to 7 centimeters (0.79 to 2.8 in) by 1.5 to 5 centimeters (0.59 to 2.0 in) in size. Fruits look much like small potatoes.
The larger fruits are in the variety known as duku. It is covered with thin, yellow hair giving it a slightly fuzzy appearance. The skin thickness varies with the varieties, from 2 millimeters (0.079 in) to approximately 6 millimeters (0.24 in).
The fruit contains 1 to 3 seeds, flat, and bitter tasting. The seeds are covered with a thick, clear-white aril that tastes sweet and sour. The taste has been likened to a combination of grape and grapefruit and is considered excellent by most tasters. The sweet juicy flesh contains sucrose, fructose, and glucose. For consumption are preferred cultivars with small or undeveloped seeds and thick aril.
Lanzones is cultivated mainly for its fruit, which can be eaten raw. The fruit can also be bottled in syrup. The wood is hard, thick, heavy, and resilient, allowing it to be used in the construction of rural houses. Some parts of the plant are used in making traditional medicine.
The bitter seeds can be pounded and mixed with water to make a deworming and ulcer medication. The bark is used to treat dysentery and malaria; the powdered bark can also be used to treat scorpion stings.
The fruit’s skin is used to treat diarrhea, and in the Philippines the dried peel is burned and used as a mosquito repellent. The skin, especially of the langsat variety, can be dried and burned as incense.
Lanzones can be consumed through syrup, as a candy, or can be cooked, but local people consume it fresh and raw. One serving of lanzones contains approximately 100 g of the edible portion of the fruit.
Lanzones per 1 serving contain 86.5 g of moisture, 0.8 g of protein, 9.5 g of carbohydrates and 2.3 g of fiber. Additionally, this fruit contains 20 g of calcium, 30 g of phosphorus, 13 IU of vitamin A, 89 mcg of thiamine, 124 mcg of riboflavin, 1 g of ascorbic acid and 1.1 mg of phytin per 1 serving.
The greatest producers of lanzones are Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. The production is mostly for internal consumption, although some is exported to Singapore and Hong Kong.
However you consume lanzones, it`s important to know that this exotic fruit has a plenty of positive effects on your health.
Lanzones are rich in fiber
A portion of one hundred grams of lanzones has more than 2 grams of fiber, which meets almost 6% of the recommended daily value (RDV) of fiber for men and almost 8% for women. Foods that contain fiber have a bunch of positive effects for the body, such as lowering the risk of heart disease, avoiding constipation and so on.
Tip: the seeds and the peel of the lanzones shouldn’t be consumed- only its flesh.
Lanzones are rich in riboflavin
Consumption of lanzones provides you with riboflavin- a vitamin known as a vitamin B2. A portion of one 100 grams of lanzones contains 124 micrograms of riboflavin which fulfills almost 8% of the recommended daily dose of the vitamin for both women and men.
Riboflavin, as all the other B group vitamins, helps in the process of transforming carbohydrates into energy. As a water-soluble vitamin, the riboflavin needs to be consumed on an everyday basis because the human body can`t store it.
Lanzones are rich in antioxidants
The natural antioxidants, named polyphenols, can help in prevention of diseases such as diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure or heart diseases. Other antioxidants found in the lanzones clean the body from free radicals which might cause serious diseases and quicken the process of aging.
Lanzones are much recommended to be consumed fresh and raw in order for you to feel all their benefits.
Lanzones have multiple health benefits:
1. The bark from the tree that grows the lanzone fruit can function as an astringent to treat diarrhea.
2. Powder from the bark can also help to treat scorpion stings.
3. The lanzone fruit can serve as a febrifuge, meaning it lowers your body temperature.
4. Lanzones contain riboflavin and thiamine, that is vitamin B-2 and B-1 respectively. Riboflavin supports body growth and red blood cell production. Additionally, riboflavin helps your body to release energy from carbohydrates. Our body uses thiamine to break down sugars. Additionally, thiamine can help to treat several nerve and heart conditions.
5. Lanzones also contain vitamin A, also known as retinol or carotenoids. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a fundamental role in maintaining healthy skin, teeth, soft and skeletal tissue and mucous membranes. Vitamin A also functions as an eye pigment fundamental in night or low light situations.
6. Lanzones contain carotene, a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants play a fundamental role in protecting cells from free radicals, associated with many medical disorders.
7. The resin from the bark of Lansium domesticum tree was prescribed for flatulence (a state of excessive gas in the alimentary canal), for swellings and as an antispasmodic (a drug used to relieve or prevent spasms).
8. The resin may also be useful in the treatment of inflammation and colic (acute abdominal pain) of the gastro-intestinal tract.
Source: Diet of Life
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