Botanical name: Mangifera Indica
Local names: Yoruba – Mangoro; Igbo – Mangolo; Hausa – Mangwaro
Common names: Mango, King of Asiatic fruits
Parts Used: Root, bark, leaf, flower, fruit, seed, kernel
Description/Distribution
Large evergreen tree of botanical family of Anacarchaceae which grows to a height of 25m. Its flowers are small, reddish white or yellow green in panicles. Fruit is covered with a thin yellow, orange or greenish skin. The fruit has a strong seed. The leaves grow from tender brownish to stiff pointed and glossy green. Believed to be indigenous to India and South East Asia. Cultivated in tropical regions of Asia, Africa and America. Brazil and Mexico produce the best mangoes in the world. In Vedas, mango is praised as Heavenly fruit, widely grown in China, Pakistan, West Africa especially Nigeria. A mango tree may live for more than one hundred years and may produce about 2 million pieces.
Constituents:
Pulp – 81.7% water, 15.2g of carbohydrates per 100g portion (glucose, fructose and saccharide), 0.51% protein, and fats 0.27%.
Provitamin A (100g of mango contains 389µg = 1,295u vitamin A), 16 types of carotenoids identified in mango most abundant is beta carotene, vitamin C 27.7mg/mg, vitamin E, significant amount of vitamins B1, B2, B6 and niacin, potassium soluble fibre (pectin), organic acids and tannins.
Medicinal/Health Benefits
· Skin: mango helps to maintain healthy skin (due to vitamin A), consume more in case of eczema or dermatitis
· Good in vision loss – due to vitamin A, C and E
· Arteriosclerosis: Rich in 3 powerful antioxidants A, E & E which improves blood circulation, suitable in angina or heart attack
· Mango have diuretic properties because of potassium which makes it suitable in hypertension.
· Diabetes: good effects on arteries
· Mango has antibacterial, antifungal, cardio-tonic, antipyretic, antioxidant and diuretic properties.
· Ripe mango tones up the heart, stimulates appetite
· Unripe mango is good for bilious disorders. The acid in mango increases secretion of bile and acts as intestinal antiseptics.
· Green mango is valuable in blood disorders because of Vitamin C contents.
· Ripe mango is beneficial in preventing frequent attacks of common infections such as cold, rhinitis. And sinusitis (high contents of vitamin A)
· The tender leaves of the mango tree is useful in diabetes.
Health Tips
Green mango plus honey and pepper cures biliousness, urticarial, jaundice and tones liver.
a. Infusion of fresh tender leaves overnight and taken every morning controls diabetes or
b. Take 1 – 2 teaspoonful of powdered leaves twice daily.
c. Dried powder of seeds, taken 1 ½ gm to 2gm is valuable in diarrhea or juice of fresh flowers with 1-2 tablespoonful of yoghurt.
d. Stem bark + leaves + fallen leaves of pawpaw + neem leaves + guava leaves are boiled for steaming and taken one glass three times daily against malaria
e. Powder of young leaves of mango is used for diarrhea and diabetes.
f. Leaves are chewed to tone up gums.
g. Bark is astringent, used for insomnia, high BP piles.
h. The resinous gum from the tree is suitable dressing for scabies and other parasitic diseases.
i. Indians use the pulp of mango to beautify the skin
j. In Igbo land, stem bark + ugba (locust bean tree) bark is boiled for malaria
k. It is highly nutritious to eat the mango when fully ripe on the tree.
