Typically, fruits are a superb supply of important nutritional vitamins and minerals, and they’re excessive in fiber.
Fruits additionally present a variety of health-boosting antioxidants, together with flavonoids. Flavonoids are a gaggle of plant metabolites thought to supply well being advantages by means of cell signaling pathways and antioxidant results.
These molecules are present in a wide range of vegatables and fruits. Scientific research have proven that consuming a weight loss program excessive in vegatables and fruits can cut back an individual’s threat of growing coronary heart illness, most cancers, irritation, diabetes and plenty of different illness situations. One such fruit is the yellow mombin fruit whose well being advantages are explored on this piece.
Yellow Mombin
Yellow mombin is a plant species and a flowering plum therefore it is usually referred to as hog plum. Nonetheless, its botanical identify is Spondias mombin. Biologically, yellow mombin belongs to the Anacardiaceae household throughout the plantae kingdom.
Yellow mombin is present in Asia, Africa, tropical Americas together with West Indies. It’s believed that yellow mombin was launched by the Portuguese in South Asia at first of the seventeenth century. The plant is never cultivated despite the fact that it propagates by means of seed and stem slicing. The mature fruit has a leathery pores and skin and a skinny layer of pulp, and it’s discovered that the seed has a 31.5% oil content material.
The yellow mombin plant is a small deciduous tree often about 20m excessive and it’s reasonably buttressed. It has a thick bark and the flowers are sweet-scented, in giant, lax terminal panicles of small white flowers.
The fruits principally seem from July to September, and they’re practically lengthy, ovoid yellow, acid and wrinkled when dry. The fruits have a pointy, considerably acid style and are edible. Their flesh surrounds a single spiny kernel. As a consequence of their acidic nature, yellow mombin fruits may cause tooth sensitivity when eaten in giant portions.
Ghanaian Names for Yellow Mombin
To make this dialogue extra significant and helpful, you will need to establish sure native names for yellow mombin in Ghana and different locations in order that readers can relate, methinks.
In Ghana, yellow mombin is known as Akukor in Ewe whereas in Ashanti Area, it’s referred to as atoa or Ashanti plum. Fantes and Gasoline check with yellow mombin as ataaba and aadon respectively. In French, nevertheless, yellow mombin is known as prunier mombin.
In Nigeria, yellow mombin is known as Yeye within the Yoruba language while the Igbo talking folks name it Ngulungwu and in Hausa, the identical plant or fruit is known as Isada.
![Medicinal and Health Benefits of Yellow Mombin Medicinal and Health Benefits of Yellow Mombin](https://www.myjoyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/akorto-e1665312553123.jpg)
Yellow Mombin Fruits
The ripe fruits or pulps are often eaten contemporary, or their juice is extracted for ingesting. In view of its sweetness, yellow mombin ferments therefore some folks use it to distillate akpeteshie. My father, the late Torgbe Dedzi Ngorgbier Korto used to brew alcohol out of yellow mombin at Mepe in Volta Area’s North Tongu District.
Medicinal Values and Well being Advantages
In recorded historical past, medicinal crops have been in use for the therapy of human and animal ailments (Osai, 1998; Ibewike et al, 1997). A plant turns into a medicinal plant solely when its organic exercise has been ethnobotanically reported or scientifically established (Elujoba, 1997).
In 1978, the World Well being Group (WHO) emphasised the significance of scientific analysis into natural medication. Since then, many international locations of the world look upon native medicinal crops as doable addition to the WHO’s record of “important medicine” as soon as the values the previous have been clinically confirmed to be efficacious.
A easy first-principle organic approach within the analysis of plant with no identified organic exercise is to conduct a screening check (Elujoba, 1999). Spondias or yellow mombin has number of medicinal values in conventional medication in international locations the place the plant is indigenous.
In response to Echeme et al (2014), the bark of yellow mombin tree is used each as a purgative and a therapy for leprosy and that the bark decoction (extraction) can also be used within the therapy of extreme cough.
Another researchers (Ayoka et al., 2008) additionally discovered that yellow mombin serves as an emetic (vomitive), a treatment for diarrhoea, dysentery and therapy for gonorrhoea and eucorrhea (vaginal discharge).
In one other research, Nworu et al (2011) discovered that the leaf extract of yellow mombin shows an anti-inflammatory impact and suppresses inducible formation of tumor necrosis factor-α and nitric oxide (NO). Within the conventional medication of Africa and Latin America for instance, yellow mombin extracts are used to deal with many inflammatory situations, with repeated claims of efficacy.
Fairly generally, a tea (comprised of the flowers and leaves) is taken to relieve abdomen aches, biliousness, urethritis, cystitis, in addition to to ameliorate irritation of the attention and/or throat (Ayoka et al., 2008). For ease of reference concerning medicinal or well being advantages of yellow mombin, I culled the desk beneath from Ayoka et al. (2008: 132)
S/N | Morphological Half | Medicinal Makes use of |
1 | Root | Decoction as purgative |
2 | Bark | Ornament as emetic, a treatment for diarrhea, dysentery, haemorrhoids and a therapy for gonorrhoea. In Mexico, it’s used to expel calcification from the bladder, powder for therapeutic wounds |
3 | Gums | Expectorant and to expel tapeworm |
4 | Leaves | Tea with flower relieves abdomen ache, biliousness, irritation. Decoction of the younger leaves is a treatment for diarrhea and dysentery. Juice of crushed leaves and powder of dried leaves on wounds and inflammations and abortifacients |
5 | Fruit | Juice drink as diuretic and febrifuge |
6 | Flowers | Tea with flower relieves stomachache, biliousness, urethritis, cystitis and eye and throat irritation |
Conclusion
Arguably, human survival and continued existence in flip depends upon the effectivity with which we, with all of the assets and expertise obtainable to us, harness, develop and make the most of crops and plant merchandise. This piece depicts varied empirical findings that demonstrates that yellow mombin (Akukor) is a medicinal plant with lots of potential, priceless, untapped useful resource of lively medicine for treating ailments. I dare problem Ghanaian plant medicinal researchers to discover the medicinal potentials of this plant, yellow mombin.
~Asante Sana ~
The creator is a Well being Service Administrator at Ga South Minicipal Hopsital- afetikorto@yahoo.com
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