Khmer Fruits

JUBE (PUTREA)

Jujube fruit benefits are well known since ancient times. Jujube fruit is used as herbal medicine for thousands of years in China and other Asian countries. As this fruit is highly nutritious and packed with various vitamins and minerals, it helps in the formation and maintenance of the blood stream, body hormones, bones, muscles, skin, hair, body enzymes and neurotransmitters.

Jujube fruit has potent health benefits. It has calming properties and is a good source of natural antioxidants.

Consumption and dosage of the jujube fruit entirely depends on the severity of the medical condition which is being treated. However, 10 gm to 30 gm is the ideal amount of jujube fruit extract which must be consumed by the patient.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF JUJUBE (PUTREA)

Jujube fruit benefits are mainly offered by the nutrients present in it.

1. The unripe fruit increases thirst, lessens expectoration and biliousness.

2. Because of mucilaginous property of the fruit, it acts as herbal medicine to treat sore throat. 3. As this fruit is high in vitamin A, C and potassium, it strengthens the immune system of the body. Thus it helps in prevention of common colds and cough.

4. It helps in the formation and maintenance of the blood stream, body hormones, bones, muscles, skin, hair, body enzymes and neurotransmitters.

5. It is also loaded with 18 out of the 24 important amino acids. It helps in the formation of more than 50,000 proteins of the body. All this, actually triggers the wound healing process.

6. It has soothing effect on the nervous system and acts as a natural sedative.

7. It relieves stress and anxiety.

8. Jujube fruit helps lower blood pressure.

9. Jujube fruit boosts your immune system.

10. Jujube helps cure some of the liver diseases. It is found that the jujube offers protection against liver injury by acting as an antioxidant.

11. Jujube fruit is used to treat anemia and purpura.

12. It has anti-oxidant properties. So it helps in delaying the process of skin aging.

13. One of the most important jujube fruit benefits is that it inhibits the growth and movement of free radicals. Vitamin C is a good antioxidant and helps to control the growth of the tumor causing cells and cells that can lead to cancers.

14. The berries are blood purifier and an aid to digestion.

15. The ripe fruit is sweet, sour, and has flavor, not good for digestion; causes diarrhea in large doses.

16. When jujube extract is combined with certain herbs like ginger, licorice, and mint, it soothes achy throat muscles.

17. The jujube extract is useful in control of cold and flu (fever).

18. It has anti-carcinogenic properties.

19. According to the recent study, water extract of the jujube fruit was found effective for inhibiting the tumor causing cells and cells that can lead to leukemia.

20. Jujube extracts are also used to manufacture skin care products to reduce wrinkles, dryness, redness, swelling and for relief from sunburn.

Longan (Mean)

Closely allied to the lychee, the longan has been referred to as the 'little brother of the lychee'. Longan is slightly smaller than lychee, and with a dull brown skin which is smoother than that of the lychee. The fruit taste is similar, and the value of longan on the market is due to the fact that its season follows that of the lychee, extending the period when this type of fruit is available. According to the esteemed scholar, Prof. G. Weidman Groff, the longan is less important to the Chinese as an edible fruit, more widely used than the lychee in Oriental medicine. 

The fruit grows in drooping clusters. Fruit is globose, 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter, with thin, brittle, yellow-brown to light reddish-brown rind. The flesh is whitish, translucent, somewhat musky, sweet, but not as sweet as that of the lychee and with less "bouquet". The seed is round, jet-black, shining, with a circular white spot at the base, giving it the aspect of an eye.

Health Benefits of Longan

- Longan is used as remedy for stomach ache, insomnia, amnesia, and dropsy. 

- The fruit is said to invigorate the heart and spleen, nourish the blood and have a calming effect on the nervous system. 

- A spoonful of longan tonic made of equal quantities of longan flesh and sugar simmered in water till it is reduced to a syrup consistency is recommended twice a day. 

- A decoction of the dried flesh is taken as a tonic and treatment for insomnia and neurasthenic neurosis. 

- In Vietnam, the "eye" of the longan seed is pressed against snakebite in the belief that it will absorb the venom. 

- The seeds are administered to counteract heavy sweating, the pulverized kernel, which contains saponin, tannin and fat, serves as a styptic (substance that draws together or constricts body tissues and is effective in stopping the flow of blood or other secretions).

Nutrition Facts

 Longan Longan, dried 

Amount Per  1 fruit without refuse (3 g) 100 grams 100 grams

Calories 60

                                                                                                                                 %Daily Value*

Total Fat 0.1 g	0%
Cholesterol 0 mg	0%
Sodium 0 mg	0%
Potassium 266 mg	7%
Total Carbohydrate 15 g	5%
Dietary fiber 1.1 g	4%
Protein 1.3 g	2%

Vitamin A	0%	Vitamin C	140%
Calcium	0%	Iron	0%
Vitamin B-12	0%	Magnesium	2%

Banana

Bananas are a great food for all round health benefits, for the average person, dieter or even athletes bananas may provide greater benefits than most fruits. The combination of carbohydrates and B vitamins present in a banana helps provide an energy boost which makes them great to eat 30 minutes before a workout, or even at breakfast to help boost energy at the start of every day.

Health Benefits of Banana

• Bananas are good for your heart and nerves: Bananas contain a high dose of potassium - an essential ingredient to keep your heart and nervous system in good shape. Potassium is essential for proper muscle contraction and hence plays an important role in muscle-influenced activities including: the normal rhythmic pumping of the heart, digestion, muscular movements, etc., Some studies have also linked low potassium intake to high blood pressure and increased risk of stroke. Most Americans don’t get enough potassium in their diet (recommended dose is about 4 g per day) - blame it on our fast food culture. Including a banana (or two) in your diet everyday would take you a step closer towards getting your daily recommended dose of potassium.
• Bananas are good for your kidneys and bones: Benefits to the kidneys and the bones are again due to the high potassium content of bananas. A normal intake of potassium suppresses calcium excretion in the urine and minimizes the risk of kidney stones. Also, for the same reason (suppressing of calcium excretion), it minimizes the loss of calcium from the body and thereby reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
• Bananas can act as mood enhancers or mild sedatives: Bananas contain tryptophan (although it’s not one of the major sources, a medium still contains about 10.6 mg of tryptophan). Tryptophan is one of the 20 amino acids which are building blocks of proteins (btw, an incredible number of articles on the internet call tryptophan as a “mood-enhancing protein” and that is technically not correct). Tryptophan helps the body to produce serotonin - which has a calming effect on the brain (creates a stable mood) and acts as a mild sedative. It should be noted that the only way our our body gets it’s dose of tryptophan is through our diet - it does not produce tryptophan naturally; bananas is one of the easiest ways to get it.
• Bananas are good for your blood: Bananas are one of the highest sources of naturally available vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 plays an important role in converting tryptophan to serotonin (read #3 above), and also helps the body to make hemoglobin - a crucial ingredient of your blood. Vitamin B6 is also essential for antibody production and to maintain a healthy immune response. It also helps to convert carbohydrates to glucose and thereby maintains proper blood sugar levels. A medium banana can take care of 1/5th of your daily recommended intake of vitamin B6 and is one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to increase your dietary intake of the vitamin.
• Bananas are good for kids:  Bananas are part of the BRAT diet, a diet many physicians and nurses recommend for children recovering from gastrointestinal problems, particularly diarrhea. BRAT stands for the different components that make up the diet: Bananas, Rice cereal, Applesauce, Toast. These are binding foods that make the stools harder.
• Bananas are good source of dietary fiber: A single serving (one medium-sized banana) contains 16% of the daily recommended dietary fiber intake for a normal adult - that’s substantial for a single serving of any food. Fiber improves laxation (smooth bowel movements). Fiber-rich diets have also been linked to lower risk of coronary heart disease and of type 2 diabetes.

Papaya

Papayas are spherical or pear-shaped fruits that can be as long as 20 inches. The ones commonly found in the market usually average about 7 inches and weigh about one pound. Their flesh is a rich orange color with either yellow or pink hues. 

Papaya has a wonderfully soft, butter-like consistency and a deliciously sweet, musky taste. Inside the inner cavity of the fruit are black, round seeds encased in a gelatinous-like substance. Papaya's seeds are edible, although their peppery flavor is somewhat bitter. 
The fruit, as well as the other parts of the papaya tree, contain papain, an enzyme that helps digest proteins. This enzyme is especially concentrated in the fruit when it is unripe. Papain is extracted to make digestive enzyme dietary supplements and is also used as an ingredient in some chewing gums.

Health Benefits of Papaya

• Papayas offer not only the luscious taste and sunlit color of the tropics, but are rich sources of antioxidant nutrients such as carotenes, vitamin C and flavonoids; the B vitamins, folate and pantothenic acid; and the minerals, potassium and magnesium; and fiber. Together, these nutrients promote the health of the cardiovascular system and also provide protection against colon cancer. In addition, papaya contains the digestive enzyme, papain, which is used like bromelain, a similar enzyme found in pineapple, to treat sports injuries, other causes of trauma, and allergies.