Half of the population is visited every month by them. Teenagers everywhere also suffer from them. No wonder there’s a seemingly endless list of products claiming to help you get rid of them. What if there’s a miracle pill that can wipe them out, those pesky zits? One that isn’t going to peel off your skin such as a chemical exfoliator but will also take care of some other pains? Well, almost – but it isn’t a pill but a fruit. Drumroll for mangosteen.
Popularly known as the queen of fruits, or queen of Thai fruits if you are in Thailand, or queen of Vietnamese fruits if you’re in that country. As it so happens, it’s also the national fruit of Thailand. The popular queen of fruits is used for everything including skin care.
The purple mangosteen has won the favour of many chefs but strangely enough, it was banned (at least the non-fumigated or non-sterilised fruits) until 2007 by the US government for apparently harbouring Asian fruit flies.
Mango and steen?
And no, mangosteen is not related whatsoever to mango, although they both grow in the hot, humid climates of Southeast Asia and both are a fruit. Also, they don’t look or taste anything alike.
Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) is also known as purple mangosteen. It’s a tropical evergreen tree growing in Southeast Asia. It’s not clear where its exact origins are since it’s been grown and cultivated in so many countries in that region and no one quite remembers where it started.
Even though the tree is notoriously slow and finicky to grow, especially when young, you can also find mangosteen in Florida and California, the US as well as Jamaica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Ecuador. The mangosteen loves tropical climates and generally doesn’t do well outside the tropics. The tree can grow to about 25 meters in height. It’s a handsome tropical tree with dark green glossy leaves and beautiful, large, pink flowers.
The edible fruit is purple, hence its name. It measures about 4 – 5 cm – about the size of a small orange with a green leafy cap. Its skin is hard and leathery and can get quite thick, up to 2 cm. Once it’s opened, the juicy and fragrant fruit inside resembles the head of a garlic. There are about 5 segments of snow-white fruit flesh and each of them of surrounds a seed. The seeds resemble almonds in size and form.
The white fruit flesh has a delicate texture. It tastes tart-sweet, sort of a cross between pears, bananas, and lychees topped off with a citrus note. Sounds wild? You bet! It’s super in all senses: the taste and what it can do for you. Mangosteen is a bomb in antioxidants such as vitamin C and xanthines. And there you have the reason why it’s so popular in many skin care products.
Content and uses
Historically, people only ate or processed the white fruit flesh into juices or concentrates. The peel was mostly discarded. But it’s the peel that holds the most potential.
It’s not that the fruit flesh doesn’t contain beneficial phytochemicals such as the antioxidants vitamin C, tannins, and xanthones. It’s just that the rind has a higher concentration, especially of the special kind of antioxidant xanthones. This special antioxidant, is in the focus of cancer research, treatment, and prevention.
Traditionally, various parts of the plants were used to treat a variety of ailments such as wounds, digestive complaints, common cold, and skin conditions.
People have noticed that when you open a mangosteen, the cut rind would ooze a purple juice that stains skin and fabric. So, instead of discarding the peel, it was used as a natural dye for batik. The mangosteen peel extract would give hues from red and purple to dark brown.
Some people also take the rind and make a herbal infusion with it. You don’t even need to try it.
Benefits for your skin
What is most popularly used in skin care products is mangosteen rind extract as well as crude mangosteen extract. Apart from the aforementioned antioxidant xanthones, it contains a range of vitamin Bs, vitamin C, and minerals such as magnesium and manganese.
Probably most notable are xanthones, as it provides the skin with multiple ways with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Mangosteen also improves your complexion by stimulating microcirculation.
Fight zits
Teenagers and probably we all once a month will love skin care infused with mangosteen rind extract. A study has shown that mangosteen peel extract can successfully fight and control inflammation that’s a side effect of breakouts. As well as BHAs work in curbing zits, they tend to be intense, even harsh. Mangosteen rind extract is more balancing and calming.
Ward off environmental stressors
Why are antioxidants so important? That’s because they can neutralise free radicals. These are unstable molecules that can damage various elements in a cell, like the cell membrane (skin of the cell), the DNA, and proteins by stealing electrons from other sources. This triggers a chain reaction resulting in damaged cells. When there are too damaged cells and too many free radicals, your body experiences oxidative stress.
And you want to curb or prevent that kind of stress because it can result in premature ageing, dark spots, and inflammation (think zits and eczema).
Your body produces free radicals when it’s exposed to the sun (UV rays and infrared rays), pollution, and smoking.
Thanks to the antioxidants including xanthones and tannins present in mangosteen, your skin can neutralise free radicals which are the number one skin ageing root causes.
Repair skin cells
Containing a combination of antioxidants, mangosteen not only lowers inflammation but also repairs and speed up the renewal of damaged skin cells.
Where to find
As a tropical fruit, it may not be easy to find depending on where you live. Peak season is in summer and it’s relatively short. It’s probably easiest to find it in Asian food markets, although they can be quite expensive. Not only are they difficult to grow but also fragile and need special care during transport.
Choose fruits with a dark purple colour, firm rind, and with a green leafy cap. At home, thoroughly wash the fruit in water to remove surface dust. Use a knife and cut along the “equator” taking care not to cut too deep and slice the fruit flesh. Twist off one peel section and voila, you’ll see the snow-white fruit flesh segments. Take caution to not splash the rind juice on your clothes because it will stain.
Don’t throw out the peel as it’s where the highest concentration of xanthones is. You can make a herbal infusion with it. The beverage has a special flavour just like the fruit flesh. You can also process it into mangosteen peel powder. Cut the rind into thin slices and leave it to dry. When it’s dry, use a food processor and blend it until it becomes a fine powder. Keep this powder in a dark and airtight container. Whenever you want to spruce up your favourite toner or moisturiser, take the appropriate amount onto your palm, sprinkle a bit of this powder over it. Mix it well and apply.
If you like convenience, you’ll find a wide variety of mangosteen-infused products ranging from toners to moisturiser.
