To day, we will talk much about Guamuchil Fruit Health Benefits. The guamuchil fruit is unfortunate because it is not well known among humans, but this fruit turns out to have a delicious taste, is rich in vitamins and has a number of extraordinary health benefits. Among the vitamins that dominate is vitamin C, whose benefits as an antioxidant are very necessary for humans to maintain their health.
The Guamuchil plant or tree originates from Mexico, Central America, Northern South America and has now spread to various countries in the world such as the Indies, Cuba, Hawaii, Rico, Jamaica and the Philippines. In fact, many other countries also accept imports of this plant, only they grow it as an ornamental plant and have not yet cultivated it as a profitable plant.
The Guamuchil plant belongs to the Fabaceae family, it is a semi-evergreen plant that replaces its leaves every time it falls and this happens once a year. Guamuchil can grow up to 16 feet or even 49 feet or 4.87 meters to 14.92 meters tall. The fruit is similar to tamarind when seen from the outside, but the inside is 100% different. It is classified as a legume.
Guamuchil trees can be grown in various types of soil such as tropical or sub-tropical soil. It is a plant that survives dry conditions, the flowering period is between December and May, and you will see this plant bearing fruit between February and August. Its drought-resistant conditions, especially in flat landscapes, make the Guamuchil plant able to survive and grow in many environmental conditions.
How Can You Recognize the Guamuchil Fruta?
We mentioned earlier that Guamuchil fruta is similar to tamarind, but the taste is very different. If you are familiar with the sour and bitter taste of tamarind, then Guamuchil fruit has a sweet taste, don’t be mistaken, even though it is sweet, this is a storehouse of vitamin C. The color of the flesh is white like nectarine, and there is a slight floral accent.
Apart from the contrasting taste between Guamuchil vs tamarind, there is another difference, namely in terms of color. Tamarind is light brown to whitish brown while Guamuchil Fruta has a variety of colors, from green to pink. When ripe, Guamuchil fruit will be pink and the fruit will open by itself. You can see it in the picture we show.
What Are the Guamuchil Fruit’s Health Benefits?
One of the important things about Guamuchil is the health benefits it offers. The health benefits are enormous considering that this fruit is rich in antioxidants. Fruit with strong antioxidants will greatly affect our health because the benefit of antioxidants is to fight free radicals which are the cause of various types of disease.
Ok, here we will share some of the health benefits of consuming Guamuchil. But before we get into this discussion, let’s look at the nutritional value of Guamuchil.
Guamuchil Nutrition Facts
One Guamuchil fruit, including the skin and inside, contains the following nutrients:
- 1.3 g of protein,
- 0.5 g of fiber,
- 5 mg of calcium,
- 18 mg of phosphorus,
- 0.2 mg of iron,
- 56 mg of vitamin C (ascorbic acid),
- 93 mg of potassium, and also contains
- 0.10 mg of thiamine.
Apart from the nutritional value above, it also contains several important compounds such as riboflavin and niacin.
Ok, now let’s see what the benefits of Guamuchil Fruta are based on its nutritional value.
1. High Vitamin C That Benefits to Boost Immunity
One of the reasons why guamuchil fruit is considered important is because guamuchil is rich in vitamin C which is useful in increasing the body’s immunity. In fact, this is the only fruit that is capable of providing good immunity.
Viatmin C acts as an antioxidant which will fight harmful substances in the body or what are called free radicals. Antioxidants will fight harmful substances that cause oxidative stress in the body. These free radicals damage cells and they cause premature aging, cancer, cardiovascular disease and others. So, the important benefit of eating guamuchil is to increase antioxidants so that the body has the ability to fight dangerous chemicals called free radicals.
In a study, rats were given salt which caused high blood pressure, and then they were given vitamin C and it turned out that vitamin C could lower blood pressure by changing the response of blood vessels in hypertensive rats.
Vitamin C is also useful in reducing bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol, so it is good for preventing heart disease and reducing the risk. Vitamin C is also useful in reducing uric acid levels in the blood due to inflammation that occurs in the body. So, the benefits of vitamin C not only reduce bad cholesterol but also reduce uric acid levels.
Another benefit of vitamin C is assimilating iron from the food we eat every day. It can also help with anemia or blood cell deficiency disease. So, the benefits of Guamuchil are enormous in providing an iron supply for the body.
2. Contains phosphorus which is useful for increasing energy
Guamuchil also contains sufficient phosphorus for daily needs, where this substance is useful in producing energy and helping the body in managing the body’s energy. Apart from that, phosphorus is also useful for bone health.
The benefits of phosphorus are important for treating muscle pain after exercise, filtering waste in the kidneys, growing, maintaining and repairing body cell tissue. Phosphorus also produces RNA and DNA which are the building blocks of the body’s genetics.
Phosphorus also plays a role in facilitating healthy nerves so they can connect with various organs throughout the body.
3. Contains potassium which is useful for heart protection
The potassium content in guamuchil is very important for heart health because potassium plays a role in maintaining blood stability so that it can maintain a healthy heart.
Potassium also plays a role in maintaining stable blood sugar, so the nutritional content in this fruit is very important for healthy blood. It also maintains muscle contraction and prevents muscle cramps. So, eating guamuchil fruit regularly can prevent muscle-related problems, including treating muscle injuries after exercise.
The health benefits of guamuchil fruta are also important for relieving anxiety and stress and other mental conditions. Potassium plays a role in helping stress-related hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.
In addition, the benefit of potassium is that it regulates the body’s electrolytes. It provides good sugar levels and is also responsible for transmitting electrical charges in the body from the brain to the nervous system.
4. Guamuchil fruit contains riboflavin
Riboflavin is a compound found in fruit and one of the fruits that provides this compound is guamuchil. So, with this content, guamuchil fruit provides great benefits in providing an energy source. Riboflavin is vitamin B2, it works to ensure the body’s energy supply, helps prevent fat, protein and carbohydrates. Another benefit of vitamin B2 is controlling oxygen use properly.
Vitamin B2 is one of the important substances for maintaining healthy B2, so it is important to fulfill foods rich in vitamin B2, such as guamuchil fruta. By consuming this fruit appropriately, we can ensure healthy skin health.
Another benefit of vitamin B2 is for healthy eyes. It works by protecting glutathione. Glutathione is an important antioxidant for eye health. Eating guamuchil regularly can keep your eyes healthy.
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5. Guamuchil contains Niacin which is useful for the heart and diabetes
Guamuchil fruit contains Niacin, this is a compound known as vitamin B3, its benefits are lowering cholesterol, good for brain function, and can relieve joint pain. So, guamuchil fruit can reduce stress and inflammation.
Vitamin B3 is also important for people with type 1 diabetes. Its benefit is to protect insulin-making cells in the pancreas.
Diabetics who take Niacin to control insulin must check and control their blood sugar levels well.
Niacin is also effective in protecting the skin from UV damage, so it is not surprising that vitamin B3 functions in treating skin cancer.
Guamuchil is truly a fruit that is rich in benefits, not only the fruit, but other parts such as the wood, bark, leaves and flowers contain medicine. These are some of the benefits that are known so far, but it is believed that this plant still has many other benefits, so research on guamuchil fruit must continue to be carried out to find out the greater benefits of this plant.
