There are a lot of exotic fruits which health benefits are not really well known. Among those exotic fruits is sky fruit. Have you heard about this kind of fruit? Is it fruit that falling from the sky? Well, the name sky fruit is actually coming from how the fruit is growing on the tree, unlike other fruits that are growing downward, sky fruit is the opposite; it is hanging upward rightly to the sky.
What is Sky Fruits?
Sky fruit is fruit that is growing in mahogany tree. Surely you have been familiar with mahogany but not all of you must have heard about the health benefits of sky fruit, the mahogany’s fruit. Though in modern medication, the reputation of sky fruits are still new but this fruit has been used as part of home remedy in some Asia regions. The fruits could be used as medication by consuming it in the form of herbal tea or used it externally.
Nutritional Value of Sky Fruits
Though mahogany is one of the popular trees in the world due to its high quality wood, the fruits are left behind and not until 1996 when a studies conducted to find out more information about sky fruits. Surprisingly, the humble sky fruits contain quite high amount of Saponins and Flavonoids along with some vitamins and minerals. To find out more about the health benefits of sky fruits, below is the list.
- Sky Fruits Excellent Source of Flavonoids
What do you know about flavonoids? Flavonoid is one of the potent antioxidants that could provide protection to human body from the worst effects of free radicals. As mentioned above, flavonoids found in sky fruits are quite high. The benefits that you could get from flavonoids found in sky fruits are such as:
- Preventing oxidation and reduce the risk LDL buildup. It means, sky fruit is one of the foods that lower cholesterol level because it could help you controlling your cholesterol level effectively.
- Not only reducing the production of bad cholesterol, flavonoids also responsible in clearing the blood vessel from unwanted blood clot.
- Some studies also stated that flavonoids could help regulating the blood pressure by smoothing the circulation.
- Flavonoids are not only potent antioxidants but also could act as super potent anti-inflammatory to prevent inflammation in the tissue.
- As potent anti-inflammation, the flavonoids contained in sky fruits also used as pain killer in traditional medication.
- Sky fruits also have been used by women to reduce the symptoms of PMS and perhaps it is because the flavonoids content found in sky fruits could act as potent anti-inflammation to help women enduring the pain caused by PMS.
- Antioxidant is one of the compounds that are effective to fight macular degeneration diseases including how to prevent Alzheimer and Dementia. Some studies also stated that sky fruit is not only effective in preventing Alzheimer but also effective to treat patients that have been diagnosed with this condition.
- Sky Fruits Excellent Source of Saponins
Saponin is one of the active compounds found in sky fruit which is well known to have hypoglycemic properties. Though saponin is a glucoside that will produce soapy foam but it is not poisonous, moreover the saponins found in sky fruits considered to be potent to treat conditions as below:
- As mentioned above, saponins contain hypoglycemic properties that make this fruit excellent and natural treatment to all types of diabetes by controlling the blood sugar level.
- Ekiti State University of Nigeria has published a journal about the possibility of saponins founds in sky fruit is even higher compared to anti-diabetic drug like metformin.
- A journal published by National Institutes of Health stated that saponins found in sky high is enough to treat allergy-related conditions like treating the symptoms of asthma because it could act as anti-histamine and anti-allergenic.
- Among Asian people, saponins found in sky fruits have been used to treat insomnia.
- Sky Fruits Excellent Source of Alkaloids
Alkaloids are one of the active compounds that are essential to alkalize your body. Do you know that when your current pH level is low, the chance of your body suffering from various diseases is also higher? That’s why maintaining your pH level is very important and alkaloids are one of the compounds that could make sure that and prevent conditions as mentioned below:
- Alkaloids are one of the compounds used to detoxify human body by eliminating all the harmful compounds and at the same time freshens your body and makes it healthier.
- When your pH level is in good level is a bad news for cancerous cells. It means, taking fruit rich of alkaloids could prevent the development of cancerous cells in your body.
- Alkaloids also responsible to provide protection to your immunity system so your body will be fully protected not only from free radicals but also from viral properties like viruses and bacteria.
- As potent detoxifier, alkaloids found in sky fruits could promote healthy liver as well by lowering the risk of infection that may occurs in the liver. So, sky fruit is one of the best fast way to detox liver after several years of drinking due to its alkaloids properties.
Cautions of Sky Fruits
Actually, even some scientific studies stated that sky fruits are quite safe to be consumed as part of home remedy or herbal medication as long as in moderate amount because excessive consumption could lead to problems as below:
- As mentioned above, sky fruits are excellent source of flavonoids. Though that active compound brings a lot of health benefits but in excessive amount could lead to several health problems such as mutagenic tendency which could be really fatal.
- Until right now there is no report recorded about the side effects of sky fruits but still consuming it with caution is necessary.
When it comes to herbal remedy, you must be surprised that something like sky fruit contains a lot of health benefits to human health. As one of the Asian fruits, sky fruit is in essential lists of Asian fruits and its health benefits have been well known and widely used as herbal remedies and there are a lot of people out there who have proven them to be effective in dealing with several health conditions. That’s why the health benefits of sky fruits are supposed to get any more attention in medical world.