Health Benefits of Mangoes

Mango, the ‘king of fruits’. Apart from tasting really good and adding that ‘zing’ to any dish, mangoes are known to be a powerhouse of nutrition. According to Ayurveda, every part of a mango tree has medicinal properties -the fruit, the seed, the flowers and the bark. So, before you tuck in that yummy mango smoothed here are a few qualities of this amazing fruit. read Health Benefits of Mangoes.

According physicians, a normal size Mango is more nutritious than butter or almonds. It strengthens and invigorates all the nerves, tissues and muscles in the brain, heart and other parts of the body. It cleans the body from within and helps to improve immunity.

Mangoes are rich in dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals, and poly-phenolic flavonoids (an antioxidant compound). It has been found that mangoes have qualities that can protect against colon, breast and prostate cancers as well as from leukaemia.

Mangoes are an excellent source of Vitamin-A and flavonoids like beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin. Together, these compounds are antioxidants and can help in improving and maintaining good vision. The carotene content in the fruit helps to protect the body from lung cancer.

Fresh mangoes are a good source of potassium. Nutritionists say that 100 g of the fruit provides 156 mg of potassium and just 2 mg of sodium. Potassium is an important component of the cell and body fluids. It also helps to control the heart rate and blood pressure.

Packed with Vitamin A, mangoes help by providing the body with an  essential nutrient  to maintaining healthy skin and complexion as well as the integrity of the mucus membranes.

Mangoes are also a very good source of vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin-C and vitamin-E. Vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infections and scavenges harmful free radicals. Vitamin B-6 or pyridoxine is required for GABA hormone production (a hormone required to maintain muscle tone) within the brain. It also helps to control homocystiene levels within the blood, which in turn helps to protect the heart from CAD (coronary artery disease) and stroke.

The fruit contains moderate amounts of copper. Copper is an essential co-factor for the proper function of many vital enzymes, including cytochrome c-oxidase and superoxide dismutase. Copper is also required for the production of red blood cells.

1. Suffering from hair fall or grey hair? Try mango seed oil. An excellent source of essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, the mango seed kernel has great moisturizing properties. You don’t need to go looking for the oil in the market. Just remove the outer coat of the mango seed and add them to a jar of coconut, till (sesame) or mustard oil.  Place the jar in sunlight for a few days. Use this concoction regularly for long, black and thick hair.  The leaf of the mango plant is known to be very effective in controlling diabetes and blood pressure. Boil three to four mango leaves in water and allow the mixture to ferment overnight. Crush the leaves and drink this infusion first thing in the morning.

2. The leaf of the mango plant is known to be very effective in controlling diabetes and blood pressure. Boil three to four mango leaves in water and allow the mixture to ferment overnight. Crush the leaves and drink this infusion first thing in the morning.