We’ve all heard the news for years about how important it is to get the right amount of antioxidants in order to keep our bodies healthy and ward of disease. Now there’s a new classification of antioxidants called xanthones, first discovered in the mangosteen fruit, which are poised to be one of the biggest discoveries of modern science in terms of health benefits.

While the concept of antioxidants may seem even more confusing when adding in another aspect, xanthones are fairly easy to understand, given their clear-cut, scientifically-proven benefits.

What are Xanthones?

Technically put, xanthones are a set of chemical compounds that can be synthetically produced, but are more often found and more potent in their natural settings. Xanthones are powerful antioxidants in a family of phytonutrients.

To date, researchers have discovered and classified approximately 200 xanthones, 40 of which are found in the mangosteen fruit. As a matter of fact, xanthones were first discovered when scientists began studying the health benefits of mangosteen based on its traditional indigenous medical uses.

Research into the medicinal properties of xanthones found in the mangosteen began in the 1970s, and gradually picked up pace as scientists began finding more exciting nutritional properties. Between 1996 and 2005, an exponential amount of research has been done in regards to mangosteen and its xanthones, and even more studies are in the works.

Xanthones in Mangosteen

To recap, xanthones are powerful antioxidants, and out of the 200 xanthones known to science, 40 of them are found in mangosteen.

But what do the antioxidant properties of the xanthones in mangosteen do for you? Antioxidants function as a balance for free radicals in the body. Free radicals are potentially harmful, yet oftentimes natural substances in your body that, when left free reign, build up and cause diseases like cancer, heart disease, and more.

The xanthones function to travel through your body, literally mopping up the free radicals on their way, leaving your body cleaner and healthier than before.

Some of the most important xanthones found in mangosteen include:

Alpha-mangostin Beta-mangostin Gamma-mangostin Garcinone Garcinone A Garcinone C Garcinone D Mangostanol Gartanin

These, among other xanthones, have been touted by independent researchers to have properties to include antiinflammatory, anticonvulsant, antiallergic, antitumor, and antiplatelet, to name just a few.

Known Benefits of Xanthones

Scientific research has made it abundantly clear that no other fruit compares in its health benefits to mangosteen, due to its xanthones and other nutritional properties.

Helping to fight cancer is just one of the many properties that different xanthones perform. For instance, one study performed in Japan showed that the xanthone alpha-mangostin had apparent properties that suppressed the development of tumors. Another, performed in China, found the xanthone garcinone E to show significant anticancer effects in terms of liver, lung, and gastric cancer cells.

In addition, some xanthones have shown significant antimicrobial effects in terms of fighting MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), which is a bacterial strain known for its tenacious resistance to pharmacologic antibiotics. One scientific study also showed that alpha-mangostin, beta-mangostin, and garcinone B to have pronounced inhibition effects on a strain of tuberculosis.

As if that isn’t enough, xanthones have also been scientifically proven to help lower LDL, the bad cholesterol, by protecting the LDL from coming into contact with free radicals, thus leaving it unable to oxidize and attach to arterial walls and cause atherosclerosis.

Taking into account the anticancer, antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, and cholesterol-lowering effects of the xanthones found in mangosteen, here is just a sampling of the other many benefits that science has either researched or is in the process of discovering:

Antiviral Helps lower blood pressure Helps fight fatigue Antidepressant Prevents stomach ulcers Aids with weight loss Antiaging Combats diarrhea Pain reducer Heart protective Analgesic Anti-parkinsonian and anti-Alzheimer Lowers fevers Builds immunity to disease Antiallergen Antifungal Antiparasitic

Indeed, even now some health practitioners are suggesting drinking mangosteen juice for relief to people who suffer from the following diseases:

Infections Skin ailments like psoriasis, seborrhea, or eczema Joint problems and arthritis Dementia Anxiety and depression Cancer Chronic pain Chronic fatigue syndrome Ulcers Diabetes

The Fruit with Xanthone Power

As time goes by, it’s becoming less and less uncanny how traditional and folk medicine seems to have a grasp on the nutritional properties of food better than modern science has in the past. Indeed, it seems in some cases, especially in that of the mangosteen, science is working to catch up.

The mangosteen fruit is believed to have originated in the Moluccas and the Sunda Islands. It’s been used for decades upon decades by people from Thailand, the Philippines, and China in folk medicine to treat dysentery, skin disorders like eczema, diarrhea and cystitis, among other ailments.

One of the reasons why mangosteen is only now gaining notoriety and popularity is because, for many years, direct importation of the fruit from other countries has been illegal, based on governmental regulations to help quarantine the Asian fruit fly. Unfortunately, the mangosteen tree doesn’t grow well in most or all climates in the United States, so attempts to grow the fruit here have been relatively unsuccessful.

However, as science has begun proving the unsurpassed medical value of the rare mangosteen fruit and its xanthones, juices and preserves are becoming more and more readily available.

In terms of taste, the mangosteen itself is considered one of the most exquisitely delicious fruits nature has to offer. Often called the “Queen of Fruits,” the taste of mangosteen is unique, but is often described as sweet and tangy with hints of pear, ripe strawberry, and grape.

After sampling mangosteen, it’s easy to see why this fruit is so popular in Thailand due to its taste. And after learning 1ff8 about the benefits of the xanthones found in mangosteen, it’s even more clear how nutritionally beneficial this amazing fruit is.

Author: Leslie Martin

The Mangosteen Scam | Kitchen Table Medicine

I cannot discount that the xanthones in mangosteen likely have therapeutic properties, but I have to take a minute to be the nature cure voice of reason about this ridiculously overpriced juice. ….. Look at my hand in the last picture compared to my face…my hand was only blistered but I decided to do what the hospital told me to do but ONLY ON MY HAND. All I used on my face was mangosteen juice soaked on a cloth, 2 -3 times per day for 10 minutes at a time. …

Xango – The Sensational Juice? Better Than Efusjon?

The xanthones in mangosteen fruits are believed to: promote a microbiological balance of the cells; maintain and improve the strength of the immune system; promote the flexibility of joints; enhance mental ability; promote healthier cholesterol levels; … You can also look at a new healthy energy drink known as Efusjon made with acai berries. Acai Berry supplements are one of the hottest things on the market today because of all of their unique health benefits. …

The Food & Drink Innovation Network

One Healthy Habit is claimed to be one of the best natural sources of antioxidants known in the UK and makes all the current health drinks look like a McDonald’s milkshake. This is because it contains 75% whole natural mangosteen whose pericarp (skin and rind) contain the densely packed xanthones (antioxidants) which help protect our body cells from the damage caused by naturally occurring free radicals. The mangosteen fruit itself is known as ‘The Queen of Fruit’ a …

Mangosteen, the Queen of Fruits!

If you look up the history of the mangosteen, you can learn all sorts of interesting things about its many traditional uses. More recently, university scientists around the globe became curious about these traditional uses and began …

The Goods: XanGo Single Mangosteen Juice

Somehow “a shot of mangosteen a day keeps the doctor away” just doesn’t have the same ring to it…let’s take a look. When the hype started up about the wonders of pomegranates, in true Stasia style, I resisted. …

Technorati Tags: mangosteen, mangosteen drink, mangosteen fruit, Mangosteen Juice, mangosteen research, mangosteen tree, mangosteen xanthones, mangosteens

The mangosteen is a small purple colored fruit that contains several white fruit segments that have a delicious taste. The fruit is not legally available in the U.S.A. due to fresh fruit import regulations. The fruit’s rind has reportedly been used for centuries as a local folk medicine remedy. The rind was dried and a crude extract was made to treat a variety of ailments.

The purported health benefits of the fruit has not exactly been established by the western medical researchers. Researchers in Asia, however have performed decades of research on the fruit and these studies seem to show promising potential for this fruit. Right now, the western world has not conducted any significant clinical research involving humans. The general consensus is that the fruit warrants further studies to determine the potential beneficial properties. Some research abstracts have reported that the mangosteen could be used as treatments for a variety of diseases and conditions.

One current debate among people is whether the mangosteen fruit can be used as a natural dietary supplement. Products are available that incorporate the whole entire fruit – rind and all – to attempt to harness the beneficial properties of the xanthones. To date, over 40 unique xanthones have been identified in the fruit, and it is considered to be the most xanthone rich food on earth. Research is continuing to try to identify more xanthones in the fruit.

Most die-hard skeptics want actual clinical studies involving humans to see if scientific evidence can validate the use as a supplement. Others are comfortable using the product based on the research abstracts currently available. I firmly believe that human clinical studies are very near. This would seem to be the next logical step since some of the research done has shown some promising results with human diseases. If the mangosteen can provide health benefits, then those benefits come in the form of a food…a natural product that is not a drug.

Currently the interest in the mangosteen continues and some have already attempted to capitalize on cultivating the fruit. The market is there due to the taste, and the interest in the mangosteen as a naturally beneficial botanical may well keep the medical interest in this fruit alive and well.

Author: Kerry Thomas

mangosteen – it’s a hell of a fruit but i don’t think it’ll cure

i did some googling and i found a great article the mangosteen myth. here’s a quote. i investigated mangosteen earlier this year.there is a teensy bit of basic science (test tube studies finding that mangosteen, like ten thousand plants …

La Gringa’s Blogicito: Mangosteen Revisited

If you are so lucky as to have an excess of mangosteen (not bloody likely!), I suggest juicing the white pulp and freezing the juice for another day. Mangosteen juice. The prepared “miracle” juices that are on the market at exorbitant prices advertise that …. It is a myth when one says “Irradiation destroys the nutritional content of the food. Irradiated foods taste different”. This is simply a false statement. All food preservation processes affect nutritional content . …

graphic design – is xango another scam on the internet?

steve schuitt 508-714-0667 xango go xango goji juice mangosteen juice natures sunshine www xango net xango business xango juice andy willoughby bob schmidt xango buy xango buy xango juice purchase xango right down the line three step …

mangosteen – it’s a hell of a fruit but i don’t think it’ll cure …

holy crap! everybody is trying to make a buck of these things. they’re flogging the juice and dried mangosteen as some kind of miracle elixar. i did some googling and i found a great article the mangosteen myth. here’s a quote …

Technorati Tags: mangosteen, mangosteen drink, mangosteen fruit, Mangosteen Juice, mangosteen research, mangosteen tree, mangosteen xanthones, mangosteens