Grown throughout the tropics, mangosteen, known scientifically as Garcinia mangostana, is a tasty, somewhat acidic fruit that varies in color from dark purple to reddish purple. Long used by traditional healers in China and India, mangosteen appears to have a variety of medicinal properties that medical researchers are actively investigating. Consult a medical professional before embarking on a regimen of self-treatment with mangosteen or any other herbal remedy.
Antibacterial Properties
Alpha-mangostin, an active chemical ingredient derived from the stem bark of the mangosteen tree, shows promise in countering the spread of infections caused by bacteria that resist conventional antibiotic therapies. A team of Japanese public health researchers found the mangosteen derivative to be active against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci, or VRE. Because of these bacteria's resistance to conventional antibiotic therapies, mangosteen's effects, if confirmed in further studies, gives medicine additional weapons to fight infections for which the bacteria are responsible. In an article published in the March 2005 issue of "Phytomedicine," the researchers also reported that alpha-mangostin appears to work synergistically with some commercially available antibiotics, such as ampicillin, gentamicin and minocycline.
Anti-Acne Properties
Thai researchers found further evidence of mangosteen's antibacterial properties when they tested alpha-mangostin -- this time extracted from the fruit's rinds -- against the bacteria responsible for acne. Researchers also sought to determine the extraction method that produced the most potent form of alpha-mangostin. Writing in the May 2010 issue of "Medical Principles and Practice," researchers reported that the alpha-mangostin extracted using dichloromethane "exhibited the strongest anti-acne-inducing bacterial effect and this extract yielded the highest amount of alpha-mangostin."
Anti-Carcinogenic Properties
Researchers in the Chemistry Department of Universiti Putra Malaysia found that xanthones extracted from the stem and roots of the mangosteen tree were effective in inhibiting the growth and spread of cancer cells. Xanthones are biologically active compounds that have strong antioxidant properties. Another goal of the Malaysian study was to pinpoint the extraction method that produced the most potent xanthones. In an article that appeared in the May 2008 issue of the "Journal of Asian Natural Products Research," researchers reported that the hexane extracts of stem and root bark and the chloroform extract of the root bark all seem to have potent anti-carcinogenic properties.
Other Benefits
In "Superfoods for Dummies," authors Brent Agin, M.D., and Shereen Jegtvig identify some other medical applications for which mangosteen shows promise. Tannins in the rind of the mangosteen tighten the skin and mucous membranes when applied topically, and xanthones from the fruit have antihistaminic and anti-inflammatory properties that make them useful in treating allergies. Agin and Jegtvig write that the rind, when dried and then ground into a powder, combats various forms of diarrheal illness and may be useful for other gastrointestinal ailments as well. The xanthones in mangosteen also appear to be effective in keeping low-density lipoproteins -- the so-called bad cholesterol -- from sticking to the lining of blood vessels.
References
- Purdue Agriculture: Mangosteen; J. Morton, 1987
- "Phytomedicine"; Antibacterial Activity of Alpha-Mangostin Against Vancomycin Resisitant Enterococci (VRE) and Synergism with Antibiotics; Y. Sakagami et al.; March 2005
- "Medical Principles and Practice"; Anti-Acne-Inducing Bacterial Activity of Mangosteen Fruit Rind Extracts; Werayut Pothitirat, Mullika Traidej Chomnawang and Wandee Gritsanapan; May 2010
- "Journal of Asian Natural Products Research"; Garcinia Mangostana: A Source of Potential Anti-Cancer Lead Compounds Against CEM-SS Cell Line; Gwendoline Cheng Lian Ee et al.; May 2008
- "Superfoods for Dummies"; Brent Agin and Shereen Jegtvig; 2009
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