Garcinia mangostana

Garcinia mangostana

Biggest Plant Dictionary | Garcinia mangostana | Native to Southeast Asia. Cultivated throughout the tropics, but primarily in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brazil, Honduras, Panama, and in the USA, in Hawaii.

The purple mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), colloquially known simply as mangosteen, is a tropical evergreen tree believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas of Indonesia.

Garcinia mangostana

Medium tree, to 30-60 feet (9-18 m) tall, with a straight trunk and a rounded, dense crown. The new bark is bright green and smooth, becoming dark brown and rough with age. All parts of the plant exude yellow latex when wounded. The thick leaves are opposite, elliptical and bright green, from 3-6 inches (8-15 cm) in length. The flowers are solitary or in pairs at the branch apex, 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) in diameter, with 4 pinkish white petals and 4 persistent sepals. The fruit is round, 2-3 inches (5-8 cm) in diameter, with a thick purple rind surrounding 4-8 fruit segments. The pulp is aromatic and has a delightful sweet sour taste.  Usually only one enlarged segment has a viable seed, which is flattened and about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) long. 

Garcinia mangostana

Common Names
English: mangosteen
Spanish: mangostán, mangostín
French: mangoustan
Indonesia, Malaysia: manggis
Philippines: manggustan, manggis
Cambodia: mongkhut
Laos: mangkhud
Thailand: mangkhut
Vietnam: cay mang cut

Garcinia mangostana

Nutritional composition per 100 g mangosteen fruit     
Carbohydrate     6-20 g
Fat                     0.1-1 g
Protein               0.6 g
Calcium              7-11 mg
Phosphorous      4-17 mg
Potassium          19 mg
Iron                   0.2-1 mg
Vitamin A          14 IU
Vitamin B1         0.03 mg
Vitamin B2         0.03 mg
Niacin                0.3 mg
Vitamin C           4.2-66 mg

Garcinia mangostana

The fruit rind is ground and used in the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery, and for skin diseases. A tea made from the leaves and bark is used to lower fever and for urinary disorders. The tree, with its glossy green leaves and symmetrical shape, is also a beautiful ornamental. 

Uses in folk medicine

Various parts of the plant have a history of use in folk medicine, mostly in Southeast Asia.It is reputed to have possible anti-inflammatory properties, and may have been used to treat skin infections or wounds, dysentery or urinary tract infections.Research on the phytochemistry of the plant is still inadequate to assure the safety or scientific certainty of any of these effects.