Thousands of years ago, our ancestors picked up a once-in- a-year in season fruit on their way to the farm for the start of the farming year. This round orangey fruit could be sour, and sometimes sweet. It is called Agbalumo in the west, Udara in the east and parts of the middle belt and Cherry in the south of Nigeria. The fruit and its variants can also be found in various countries in West Africa, the Caribbean, and Austrila where it grows freely. In English, it is called the African Star Apple and it is back in season!
Apart from the taste of this little fruit, scientists have found many health and nutritional benefits gotten from the fruit, see all the reasons why you should indulge in this fruit while it is in season.
Vitamin C: This fruit is backed with Vitamin C, some say more than oranges and guavas. It also contains a good amount of calcium, iron potassium, which makes it a natural remedy for diseases such as scurvy, toothache, weak bones and sore throat.
For people who suffer from indigestion, the agbalumo juice is very helpful. It aids smooth digestion of food and also cures constipation
Like most fruits, agbalumo is contained fibre which makes it useful for weight loss. Scientists say one of this little fruit contains 3kg of the recommended 25kg of fibre required daily. Because of the high fibre content, Agbalumo is very filling, so it feels up the stomach and prevents you from eating too much.
Because Agbalumo is rich in calcium it can lessen symptoms of premenstrual syndromes, such as cramping and abdominal bloating.
Researchers recently found that the juice of this super fruit helps in lowering cholesterol and blood sugar. It is an antioxidant and has cancer-fighting chemicals
In some parts of Nigeria, the bark of the Agbalumo tree and leaves, when boiled are used for curing fevers and other sicknesses.