Review Article

Phytochemicals and Medicinal Properties of Indigenous Tropical Fruits with Potential for Commercial Development

Table 5

The uses of selected indigenous tropical fruits as food and folk medicine.

NumberFruitAs foodFolk medicine

1Averrhoa bilimbi [84]Freshly eaten as salad or pickle, and used in cooking dishes (whole ripe fruit)Ripe fruits combined with pepper for inducing sweating; pickled bilimbi is smeared all over the body to hasten recovery after a fever; fruit conserves for treatment of coughs, beriberi, and biliousness; fruit syrup for reducing fever and inflammation and to alleviate internal hemorrhoids

2Baccaurea macrocarpaFreshly eaten (ripe flesh)No report on usage as folk medicine

3Baccaurea motleyana [84]Freshly eaten and made into jam (ripe flesh)No report on usage as folk medicine

4Bouea macrophylla [84]Freshly eaten as salad or pickle, and used in cooking dishes (whole ripe fruit)No report on usage as folk medicine

5Canarium odontophyllum [84]Freshly eaten and as salad, made into jam, and used in cooking dishes (ripe flesh)No report on usage as folk medicine

6Cynometra caulifloraFreshly eaten as salad and used in cooking dishes (ripe flesh)No report on usage as folk medicine

7Durio kutejensis [84]Freshly eaten (ripe flesh)No report on usage as folk medicine

8Garcinia hombronianaFreshly eaten (ripe flesh)No report on usage as folk medicine

9Garcinia parvifoliaFreshly eaten (ripe flesh), as pickle and used in cooking dishes (unripe flesh) No report on usage as folk medicine

10Mangifera foetida [84]Freshly eaten (ripe flesh), as pickle and used in cooking dishes (unripe flesh)Seeds used against trichophytosis, scabies, and eczema

11Mangifera pajang [84]Freshly eaten (ripe flesh), as pickle and used in cooking dishes (unripe flesh) No report on usage as folk medicine

12Phyllanthus emblica [85]Freshly eaten (ripe flesh), as pickle and used in cooking dishes (unripe flesh) Fruit for treating cough and asthma, and several other health complications

13Syzygium jambos [86]Freshly eaten, made into jam and served as dessert (whole ripe fruit)Ripe fruit is used as a tonic for brain and liver and as a diuretic; seeds for treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, and catarrh

14Syzygium malaccense [86]Freshly eaten (whole ripe fruit), as pickle and used in cooking dishes (unripe fruit) Fruit decoction as a febrifuge

15Ziziphus mauritiana [86, 87] Freshly eaten as salad or pickle, and used in cooking dishes (whole ripe fruit)Ripen fruit for treatment of sore throat and cough; seed for treatment of diarrhea and weakness of stomach