Monkey Fruit Benefits – Monkey fruit is also known as Artocarpus lacucha. Monkey Jack fruit is a species of pine-shaped tree in the tropics and belongs to the Moraceae family. This monkey tree is widespread throughout the Indian and Asian subcontinent such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Basically, this tree is appreciated because the wood is taken, but the fruit which is called a monkey can also be consumed as a cure for disease.
This tree has several popular names such as Monkey jack, Monkey fruit, Monkey jack tree, and Monkey jack fruit. The generic name comes from the Greek word “Artos” which means “bread” and the word “karpos” which means “fruit”. The fruit is very nutritious and includes fruit that is good enough in human consumption to get additional nutrients for the body. Monkey fruit contains many vitamins and some of them are antioxidants namely vitamin C and beta-carotene.
Description of Monkey Fruit Plant
This is a tree with medium to large leaves and can grow from 10 to 15 minutes. The monkey tree grows in lowland hill forests, sometimes in villages and open areas with a height of up to 300 meters above sea level. This plant grows locally along Mandai Road, in the Nee Soon Swamp Forest, and Ubin island.
Monkey trees prefer areas with deep soil and good drainage and humidity. The skin is gray with oblique striped skin and the sap is milky white. Branchlets are 3-6 mm thick, this tree is also called Arthashastra.
Leaves description
The leaves are large, usually 25-30 cm long, and 15-20 cm wide. Sometimes the shape of the leaves are curved wedge-shaped, with the tips of the leaves obtuse. The edges of the leaves are entirely jagged.
Flower and Fruit
The monkey tree has unisexual flowers, female flowers and male flowers are separate but in the same tree. Male flowers are yellow orange and female flowers are reddish. All female flowers form fruit, almost round and irregular. The width can be 2 to 5 inches. The color of the fruit is green to greenish yellow. The color will turn brownish yellow when the fruit is ripe perfectly, sweet and sour taste and can be eaten immediately but usually made curries or chutney. The size can be 5 to 10 cm with a weight of 200-350 grams per fruit. The seeds are varied, some are 10 and even the seeds are up to 30. The size of the seeds also varies and is irregular. The seeds contain white gum which is very sticky like jackfruit sap.
The texture of the monkey fruit like jackfruit with a fibrous, fibrous consistency, and it is rather springy. Lakucha fruit is very rich in nutrients with antioxidants from beta carotene and vitamin C. These antioxidants are very good for maintaining general health, preventing heart disease, and coronary disease and preventing cancer, it can also treat cancer that has already occurred.
Benefits of Monkey Fruit Prevents a Host of Diseases
This nutrient-rich fruit has captured the attention of many scientists and Ayurveda experts to look in more detail and explore how it is used in various medical interests. However, based on research, consuming monkey fruit regularly can prevent dangerous diseases such as cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative and prevent coronary heart diseases. Monkey fruit is also rich in anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and cytotoxic, this is an important fruit in Ayurveda medicine.
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Lakucha or monkey jack fruit has a unique and unusual taste, maybe the taste will be difficult to find in a number of other fruits. The taste of the fruit is sweet mixed with sour and sharp. Monkey fruit or lakucha is a source of vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, and fiber that provides a number of health benefits if consumed in the right amount.
Benefits of Consuming Monkey Fruit
Lakucha or monkey fruit is reported to be beneficial for health. It is beneficial for refreshing the heart, and refreshing the grains. While the fruit sap is used as a laxative. The skin and seeds of the Lakucha plant are also often used as a stomach and liver medicine. its use in the context of anti-inflammatory therapy and works very well for rejuvenation and anti-aging by providing the additional effect of whitening the skin.
The benefits of monkey or lakucha are also felt by hair loss, and it is able to strengthen hair follicles so that they can overcome and prevent hair loss. This is the benefit of lakucha in treating skin diseases so that the scalp can also be treated so that the hair follicles become strong. It can also eradicate skin darkening and make skin glow and whiter. Monkey fruit is also useful for treating dysentery and rheumatic diseases, swelling and wound disease.
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The amount of drug content in lakucha or monkey fruit makes this fruit able to treat many diseases at once, but must be consumed with the right amount. Below we see what are the benefits of monkey or lakucha for human health.
Benefits of Consuming Monkey Fruit and Traditional Uses
- Lakucha fruit extract can stimulate hair growth, reduce hair loss, skin diseases, herpes and can fade dark skin.
- Monkey fruit can also treat rheumatism, swelling, dysentery and can clean wounds.
- The monkey porridge is useful as a medicine for the liver, refreshing the liver, the seeds and the sap act as a laxative.
- The bark consists of 8.5% tannins and this is useful for treating skin lesions.
- The skin powder can be used as medicine to heal wounds and remove purulent substances from various abscesses.
- The seeds and bark of a monkey tree are useful for liver disease and stomach ailments.
- The sweet sour fruit becomes a tonic on the liver
- The juice and seeds of the monkey plant are used as a laxative
- Its roots are used as a refresher in treating friable pain.
- This wood extract has been used as a traditional treatment for inflammatory drugs and as an anti-aging skin.
- Lakocha is also widely used as a traditional medicine for several types of diseases in India.
- The extract has also been used as a drug in the treatment of tapeworms.
- Lakocha tree root is acting as an astringent and as a laxative.
- Saturated extracts from the lakocha tree are used as a poultice in skin diseases and are also used as a headache medicine.
- The sap and juice are used as medicine for boils and zits and wounds.