King of Fruits, Mango

•    Mango is known as the ‘king of fruits’ throughout the world.

•    Mango is a member of the Anachardiaceae family. Other distant relatives include the cashew, pistachio, Jamaica plum, poison ivy and poison oak.

•    The name ‘mango’ is derived from the Tamil word ‘mangkay’ or ‘man-gay’. When the Portuguese traders settled in western India they adopted the name as ‘manga’.

•    Mangos originated in East India, Myanmar and the Andaman Islands bordering the Bay of Bengal. Persian traders took mango to the Middle East and Africa, from there the Portuguese brought it to Brazil and the West Indies. Mango cultivars arrived in Florida in the 1830s and in California in the 1880s.

•    Many Southeast Asian kings and nobles had their own mango groves; with private cultivars being sources of great pride and social standing, hence began the custom of sending gifts of the choicest mangoes.

•    Burning mango wood and leaves is not advised — toxic fumes can cause serious irritation to eyes and lungs.

•    Mango leaves are considered toxic and can kill cattle or other grazing livestock.

•    Mangos are bursting with protective nutrients. The vitamin content depends upon the variety and maturity of the fruit, when the mango is green the amount of vitamin C is higher, as it ripens the amount of beta carotene (vitamin A) increases.

•    Every part of mango is beneficial and has been utilised in folk remedies in some form or another. Here are some of the many medicinal properties and purported uses attributed to the mango tree: anti-viral, anti-parasitic, anti-septic, anti-tussive (cough), anti-asthmatic, expectorant, cardiotonic, contraceptive, aphrodisiac, hypotensive, laxative, stomachic (beneficial to digestion).

•    Mangiferin — rich in splenocytes, found in the stem bark of the mango tree has purported potent immunomodulatory characteristics — believed to inhibit tumour growth in early and late stages.

•    A mango contains as much vitamin C as an orange.

•    A mango stored at 55 degrees will last for up to two weeks. Do not refrigerate.

•    Mangoes are some of the best sources of beta carotene; they contain 20 per cent more than cantaloupe and 50 per cent more than apricots. — Compiled by The Surfer

Source: Dawn News - Inpaper Magazines