Medicinal values of Mango

Who does not like mango? Many of us have fond memories of our childhood like getting to stone the mango tree for fresh raw mangoes, playing in mango groves etc. But how many of us know about the medicinal values of this tasty fruit?

I still remember when we were kids, my parents used to force me and my brother to brush our teeth with tender mango leaf and a pinch of salt granules. This is supposed to clean the germs and keep the mouth fresh and odorless. I did not know any other medicinal values of this fruit apart from this. But when I read one article in the old Kannada weekly, I was amazed. It says, every part of the tree has lot of medicinal values. This may be one of the reasons our elders included mango leaves in all the poojas and festivals.

– Chew tender leaves to avoid bleeding in the gums. This reduces pain in the tooth.
– Soak few tender leaves in water overnight and drink the water. This is supposed to help patients with diabetes.
– Eat a piece of raw sour mango with salt and honey, to overcome loose motion, constipation and indigestion.
– Eat raw mango pieces with black pepper and honey to avoid jaundice and other diseases related to stomach and liver.
– Eat mango with salt to overcome thirst and reduces the effects of sun stroke during summer. This is the reason during season, roasted or raw mango pulp mixed with sugar, water and cardamom is served as a drink (‘panaka’) during the festivals like Ramanavami, HanumaJayanti, Gouri thadige etc. This ‘panaka’ and Kosambir with mango is very famous during the above festivals in spring in North and coastal Karnataka.
– Raw mangoes contain more Vitamin C and B compared to ripe mangoes. It is advisable to eat one raw mango a day for better blood circulation during the mango season. It also helps to overcome nervous disorders and helps in improving memory.
– Mangoes that have ripened on the tree are tasty and improve appetite.
– One bowl of mango juice with a pinch of pepper serves as energy source to the body, increases inner glow of the skin and acts as diuretic. It also improves eye sight and immune power of the body. Mango can be used in pickles, chutney, gojju with daily meals. Kids love the jam that is prepared out of Mangoes and sugar.
– Finely ground Mango seeds mixed with buttermilk taken twice a day helps people with piles and such disorders.
– During the mango season, drink a cup of milk after eating one ripe mango. The sugar of mango and protein in the milk helps improving overall health.

Though I believe this information is fairly accurate (since it has come in the weekly), I haven’t tried and tested all of them. I use mango widely during the season in mango paank, mango lassi, clams gravy, pickle, sasam, amras, ghashi/rosu/udid methi, burfi, rasam etc.

I would be posting more of mango recipes in the coming days (I had missed JFI for mangoes in May). Click here for the JFI-mango roundup.