Star fruit or star fruit is preferred because of its distinctive and refreshing tropical flavor. Not only that, you can also take the benefits of star fruit, especially for the health of your body. Come on, recognize the contents and benefits of the following star fruit!
Star fruit or Averrhoa carambola is a golden yellow tropical fruit with a distinctive taste and shape like a star. To eat this fruit, you don't need to peel it. Simply washed and cut according to taste, then you can enjoy it as a fruit salad dish, pickles, or fruit juice. Not only enjoyed as a dessert, you also need to know a variety of ingredients and benefits of star fruit for health.
Ingredients and Benefits of Carambola for Health
Before you know the benefits of star fruit for health, you need to know what ingredients are found in fruit with this unique shape. Some of the ingredients are very beneficial for health, but there are also content of star fruit that you should be aware of such as oxalic acid and caramboxin.
Oxalic acid is a poison that is dangerous in people with kidney disorders. When consuming star fruit in excessive amounts, the content of oxalic acid will accumulate in the body because the affected kidney cannot remove it from the body. This condition can cause poisoning which can be fatal in patients with kidney disorders with high urea levels in the blood. Symptoms of starfruit poisoning in patients with kidney failure can include hiccups, mental confusion, disturbance of consciousness, and vomiting.
Excessive consumption of star fruit in patients with chronic kidney disorders has also been reported to result in status epilepticus, an emergency condition in the form of seizures that persist for more than 5 minutes, and do not stop after treatment. Conditions that are triggered by starfruit consumption in patients with kidney disorders still need further investigation.
Star fruit is a good source of vitamins and minerals for the body. This fruit is rich in natural antioxidants, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, β-carotene, and L-ascorbic acid or vitamin C, and vitamin A. Here are some of the benefits of star fruit for your body's health:
- Antioxidant properties. Crispy flesh that contains a lot of water is known to have a high antioxidant content which efficiently counteracts free radicals. This content also helps in the treatment of hypoglycemia and hypocholesterolemia. The content of antioxidants such as iron, zinc and manganese in star fruit also strengthens the immune system. Eating this fruit can help eliminate toxins from the body, helping the immune system guard against the risk of getting cancer.
- Source of fiber which is not soluble in water. Star fruit contains about 60% cellulose, 27% hemicellulose, and 13% pectin. This is a fraction of fiber that is not soluble in water. The high amount of fiber in star fruit helps glucose absorption and slows the diffusion of glucose into the bloodstream. This helps control glucose levels in the blood. Fiber also makes it easier to reduce total cholesterol levels in the body besides supporting the hypoglycemic effect. Eating star fruit in the form of juice or smoothies can help eliminate fat through impurities, thereby reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Star fruit extract is also reported to have selective antitumor brain activity.
- Cholesterol-lowering effect. Nutritional intake in this fruit also shows a cholesterol-lowering effect, because it can increase the removal of cholesterol, lipids, and bile acids through impurities.
- Help the healing process. Phytochemical and pharmacological studies show that extracts of leaves, roots, and star fruit contain saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, and tannins as antioxidants that are efficacious for the healing process.
- Anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. The anti-inflammatory activity of the ethanol content in star fruit helps alleviate inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema. Some other ingredients are also known to inhibit the growth of bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus cereus. In addition to food sources, starfruit is considered an herbal plant in many regions of Brazil, China, India, Malaysia, as well as in Taiwan. This fruit is widely used in ayurvedic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine as a remedy for fever, sore throat, cough, asthma, chronic headaches, and inflammation of the skin.
- Anti-ulcer or ulcer. Traditionally, star fruit is used to relieve stomach problems such as ulcers. Star fruit leaf and fruit extracts are known to have anti-ulcer properties because they contain terpenoids, flavonoids and mucus. The content of mucus in star fruit provides a layer on the gastrointestinal mucosa, thus helping to avoid damage due to gastritis.
Ripe star fruit helps to overcome digestive disorders. This fruit also functions as an appetite enhancer, is a diuretic, antidiarrheal, and fever-reducing. Extracts obtained through starfruit plant leaves have also been used in the treatment of diabetes. In addition, the content of star fruit extract has a preventive effect on liver cancer in studies with experiments in animals. Keep in mind, the effects of treatment and efficacy that have been mentioned above are according to herbal medicine. Determination of safe doses and the proper use of starfruit extract to treat the disease still requires further research.
The nutritional content and benefits of starfruit for the health of the body is indeed no doubt, however, there are ingredients in this fruit that you should also be aware of. The high content of oxalic acid and caramboxin in star fruit can have a bad effect on patients with chronic kidney failure. Patients with chronic kidney failure have a high mortality rate after consuming this fruit. For that, for those of you with certain medical conditions, it is recommended to consult a doctor if you will consume star fruit.
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