Details :

General description(Size, commonly seen , status of availability etc.)

Manilkara zapota, commonly known as sapodilla or sapote is an evergreen tree native to southern Mexico and Central America and is largely cultivated in tropical Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh. The tree can grow to more than 30 metres in height with a trunk diameter of up to 1.5 metres. The bark is rich in a white, gummy latex called chicle. The leaves are 7–15 cm long, green and glossy. Flowers are white, inconspicuous and bell-like. The fruit is a large berry, which encloses a pale yellow flesh with a grainy texture and has an exceptionally sweet, malty flavor. Each fruit contains one to six seeds which are hard, glossy, and black.   

Medicinal properties

Different parts of the plant have been used for various treatments in traditional medicine. Seeds help to prevent digestive complications and eliminate bladder and kidney stones, by their diuretic and purgative properties. Tree bark has antidiarrheal, antipyretic, antibiotic, and astringent properties. Leaves have been used to treat cold, cough, diarrhea, indigestion, fever, hemorrhages, wounds, and ulcers. Fruits are rich in nutrients, such as sugars, proteins, amino acids, minerals and phytochemical components which provide antioxidant, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, and anti-arthritic properties which help in preventing chronic and degenerative diseases like cancer, diabetes, neurological, infectious, and cardiovascular diseases.

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