Amazing benefits of eating kokum fruit

Kokum fruit, also known as Garcinia Indica actually originated in India and is known by many different names in different parts of India. It is also sometimes called kokum butter tree or Goan butter tree, Bheranda in Marathi language and vrikshamla in Sanskrit, also by different names in many other languages. It mainly grows on the western ghats of India, but it can also be found in some eastern and northeastern states of Indian Territory.

What is Kokum?

Kokum is a summer fruit which also bears the name of Indian Butter Tree and is also a fruit tree. All parts of this Kokum tree, namely its seeds, fruits, and peels, have many health benefits. Even the dried skin of this kokum fruit is used as a flavoring agent in many Indian curries.

As mentioned, this kokum fruit is widely used for many culinary purposes like for collecting fish which is called Colombo salting, for making kinds of drinks, even for making cosmetics, etc. but especially the fruit of kokum, is used in many Ayurvedic medicine for its many health uses.

Kokum fruit has been used for centuries due to its richness in nutrients such as:

• It is used as an antacid.
• It may also help improve cardiac well-being.
• It may also help protect your liver against several diseases
• It can also be used as an analgesic to relieve pain.
• It also has anti-inflammatory properties to relieve swelling
• It may also have anti-dermatitis properties which can help you with allergic skin rashes.
• It may also have an antiperspirant feature to reduce sweating
• It can be used as an astringent
• It is also used to relieve irritation of the mucous membranes present in the mouth.

5 Benefits of Kokum Fruit

Here are the main uses of kokum fruit for health:

Kokum fruits could help protect your liver. Therefore, it can be used as an excellent liver tonic. Also, Kokum could help digest your food. It also acts as an effective natural antacid. When kokum is combined with yogurt and salt, it can help you treat gastric ulcer and heart burning sensation.

Kokum proves useful in your weight management system as it may help reduce your hunger and may also help increase the expenditure of your energy level. It can also strengthen your system by suppressing the production of fatty acids in your body and helping their easy conversion into glycogen, which is stored in your liver.

Kokum when consumed in the form of butter has great potential moisturizing properties. Therefore kokum is widely used in the cosmetics industry for the preparation of many cosmetic products such as lip balms, soaps and body lotions.

In many clinical researches, it has been found that garcinol, which is one of the three main components of kokum fruit, could help you fight cancer by inhibiting the activity of an enzyme known to be the major cause of cancer and also facilitating the total destruction of cancerous cells.

Kokum fruit is very effective against bacteria growth and therefore also has potential efficacy as an antibiotic in some special cases. When it is known that many conventional antibiotics have side effects when used regularly, one of the active components of kokum fruit, Garcinol, can be used as an excellent alternative.

Is kokum good for health?

• Kokum fruit can help treat your gastric ulcer as well as other skin and mouth ulcers.
• Kokum fruit has anti-inflammatory properties and also has many effective potential uses for relieving rheumatic pain.
• It also helps protect your brain from any injury.
• The excellent antioxidant properties of Kokum fruit could help you maintain the protein level which prevents your skin from sagging after some time and in the development of facial wrinkles.

Although there are many clinical studies that show the potential uses of kokum fruit in certain conditions, these fall short when more facts are needed to treat other conditions. Therefore, further in-depth studies are needed to establish the major extent of benefits of kokum fruit on various aspects of human health.

Can we drink kokum daily?

Although there is no specific bar or time limit for drinking Kokum juice daily, it is still recommended to drink Kokum in moderation. Kokum is more commonly used in the hot season of summer as a cool and refreshing drink to protect your body from sunburn and dehydration.

Kokum fruit juice is prepared from Kokum fruits which can be consumed at any time of the season as they are found to be very good for digestive issues. According to Ayurvedic theory, kokum fruit in dried form consumed as kokum juice is an effective natural remedy to improve your digestive fire and also improve your body’s pachan shakti which is digestive power.

Is kokum hot or cold?

Kokum fruit naturally cools your body. Kokum has been used for ages to treat the problem of dehydration due to its natural cooling properties. It acts as a refreshing drink to be consumed during the summer season and gives you instant relief from the scorching heat of the sun.

Side effects of Kokum

Kokum fruit may have some side effects when someone exceeds their consumption of the moderation limit, but there are not enough clinical reports that show the side effects of kokum consumption. Therefore, more studies need to be conducted to determine the side effects of consuming kokum.

It is therefore just the level of consumption in moderation and due to its cooling tendency, it should be avoided to be consumed during the winter season. Also, if you experience any other side effects, you should immediately consult your doctor before continuing to consume kokum.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does kokum increase blood pressure?

Kokum fruit is quite low in calories but also high in fiber. It has no cholesterol content and is a powerful antioxidant to be preferred. It helps in controlling our blood pressure due to the presence of some important minerals like potassium, magnesium and manganese. All of these factors help protect our hearts.

2. How many kokum per day?

It is recommended to take 1-2 teaspoons of kokum syrup once a day.

3. Can we eat kokum directly?

Kokum juice is consumed as a delicious, tasty and refreshing summer drink. All parts of the kokum fruit like its seeds are quite rich in nutritional content and overall benefit your body in many known ways to boost your natural immunity.

References

1. Kokum (Garcinia indica) Fruit: A review