"Mangosteen, the Queen of tropical fruit."
David Fairchild, Exploring for Plants, 1930

Believed to have originated in the Moluccas (Spice Islands) and the Sunda Islands of Indonesia, Mangosteen has been used for hundreds of years by people from Thailand, the Philippines, and China to treat dysentery, skin disorders, cystitis, and other ailments.

But Mangosteen has been used for much more than just folk medicine. Mangosteen rind contains tannin and rosin, and has been used for tanning leather in China. The rind also yields a black dye. In Ghana, Mangosteen twigs have been used for chewsticks in dental care. Wood from the Mangosteen tree has been used for handles for spears in Thailand. Mangosteen wood has also been used in construction and cabinetwork.

In the 1880's, researchers discovered that Mangosteen contained the xanthone “mangostin.”  But the fruit did not draw the attention of serious medical research until the 1970's when scientists found that Mangosteen extracts demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity in rats.  Since that time, it has been the focus of various research studies. 

But it is not the research, or results of the research, that has made Mangosteen one of the hot new “novel foods.”  Mangosteen’s fame as a popular selling fruit juice can be traced primarily to network marketers who claim the juice can cure everything from cancer to heart disease. For more on Mangosteen benefits and research, click here.

Mangosteen trees do not grow well in most of the world, so the majority of us have never seen a fresh Mangosteen.  However, that is likely to change in the near future.  Although direct importation of this rare fruit was illegal for many years, for fear that the Asian fruit fly would endanger US crops, recent changes in the law should reverse that trend. Soon you may find this exotic fruit in the produce section of your neighborhood grocery store.

In the meantime, juices and extracts are readily available in many forms. Local health food stores and internet stores carry hundreds of Mangosteen related products.

For more on Mangosteen juice and other products, click here!

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The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or health care provider. You should not use information from this web site for the treatment of any health problem. As with any herbal or dietary supplement, talk to a heath care professional before making Mangosteen a part of your regular diet.

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