What if I told you that one powerful little fruit had the ability to completely destroy tumor cells in the body? Mangosteen is just one of those fruits (among the soursop, and herbs like lei gong teng). Mangosteen for cancer prevention is one of the poorly over-looked methods of returning the body to a state of vibrant health. Â Although the research is in its early years, it is clear that this fruit has major potential in eradicating cancer cells without the damaging effects often portrayed by chemotherapy and radiation.
Many fruits and vegetables are overlooked for their healing potential. People almost always turn to prescription drugs before they even consider modifying what they are consuming in terms of food and drink. Chemotherapy, for example, is an incredibly toxic drug that leaves patients feeling incredibly ill and in a horrible state of health. Some individuals choose not to go the chemotherapy route and change their eating habits – for example, going 100% organic raw vegan has proven incredible cancer-curing success for some individuals. Today I will talk about the power of the cancer and disease healing properties of the Mangosteen fruit.
The mangosteen fruit is a tropical evergreen tree that grows 7-25 metres tall. The fruit of the mangosteen is juicy, sweet and slightly tangy. The rind is inedible, however, it can be ground into a fine powder – or, the entire fruit can be juiced (rind included) in order to extract the beneficial polyphenols this fruit has to offer.
The variety of phytonutrients in mangosteen are plenty. In fact, the mangosteen is one of the only fruits that contain high levels of xanthones (xanthones are found in small amounts throughout nature, however it is most concentrated in the mangosteen rind). What are xanthones? They are a class of plant derived nutrients that hold tremendous nutritional value – there are over 20 varieties of them, however, the most widely studied are Alpha Mangostin and Gamma Mangostin.
Many Laboratory studies have conclusively found the ability of xanthones to eradicate and destroy cancer cells. Xanthones both destroy cancer and stop tumour development at each stage of the cancer forming process.
Anti-Cancer Effects of Mangosteen
Below are some of the few studies that have been performed on this fruit’s amazing cancer curing abilities:
1. Aisha and colleagues (1) extracted alpha mangostin and gamma mangostin from an extract of the mangosteen fruit rind. It’s effects were studied on colon cancer on the HCT 116 human colorectal carcinoma cells including apoptosis, cytotoxicity, anti-tumorigenicity, and how it affects cell signalling pathways. These extracts showed strong cytotoxicity due to the induction of the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. Cell migration, cell invasion and clonogenicity, three major steps in tumour metastasis were also inhibited. When xanthone extracts were fed to mice with subcutaneous tumours, tumour growth was inhibited.
2. Kurose and colleagues (2) studied how alpha-mangostin (extracted from pericarp of the mangosteen) influenced the cell cycle in the human breast cell cancer line MDA-MB231 (carrying a p53 mutation). In cells that were treated with alpha-mangostin, mitochondria-mediated apoptosis was observed. There were also decreases in cyclins, cdc(s), CDKs and PCNA, along with G1-phase arrest and increased p21 expression. This suggested that alpha-mangostin could be used as a useful therapeutic agent for breast cancers carrying a p53 mutation.
3. *This study demonstrates not only how xanthones exhibit anticancer activity, but also how they are able to destroy resistant cancer cell lines* Khonkarn and colleagues (3) found that xanthone-loaded polymeric micelles inhibited cancer cell growth via induction of apoptosis. In vitro assays revealed that xanthone in both free form and when loaded in polymeric micelles had high cytotoxicity towards BOTH doxorubicin sensitive and resistant cancer cells! They concluded that mPEG-b-p(HPMAm-Lac(2)) micelles are a good delivery method of xanthones for cancer treatments.
4. The anti-proliferative and cytotoxic activities of mangosteen xanthones both in vitro and in mice were analyzed in a study by Watanapokasin and colleagues (4) in which they treated human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines (COLO 205) and mice with subcutaneous tumours (COLO 205) with mangosteen xanthones. They found that the xanthones inhibited the proliferation of target cells and also induced their death via apoptosis which involves activation of the caspase cascade. Even at relatively low doses, tumour growth was inhibited when the xanthones were administered. Given higher xanthone doses resulted in significant tumour reduction, and in some mice, tumours has disappeared. Thus, mangosteen xanthones have the ability to serve as anti-cancer agents for the chemotherapy of cancer!
*The list goes on! Go to pubmed.com and type in xanthones+cancer, and hundreds of studies will show up
Mangosteen Dosage Recommendations:
To prevent cancer: 1 oz or more 1-3 times daily
Individuals WITH cancer: drink an entire 25-ounce glass of mangosteen juice every day for 21 days. They should also drink 1 gallon of pure water over the day to flush out bodily toxins. For more aggressive cancers I would drink as much fresh mangosteen juice as I could afford.
Why should the entire mangosteen fruit be consumed in a puree?
The fruit inside the mangosteen is delicious, however the xanthones are present in the rind of the fruit, or the “pericarp” as most would call it. The pericarp, pulp, and seeds of the mangosteen provides full nutritional and healing benefits.
Why should the whole fruit be juiced, and why should you not purchase commercial items containing mangosteen?
Products that contain mangosteen flavouring or mangosteen pulp (and not the pericarp) will not give you the benefits as described above. The best way to consume this fruit is to purchase the fruit in its whole, and use a juicer to juice the entire fruit. Products such as Xango are reputable, however oxidation of this juice is probable. The Xango product does have other fruit juices added to the juice however it is mostly all mangosteen juice (rind included) – look on Ebay to find Xango at a cheaper price. Remember, FRESH juice is best (taking the fruit and juicing it yourself with a juicer), but Xango is second best (in my opinion).
Where can you buy mangosteen?
Mangosteen is commercially available in the US (especially the southern states, and Hawaii) – look for it at your local Asian markets or grocery stores. The fruit is most abundant in Asia, specifically Thailand. You can also find places to order mangosteen online (finally! This option was not available until 2008!). Mangosteen fruits are not cheap either – they are rather expensive – however I would rather take good care of my health than risk cancer any day! Look up “fresh mangosteen+order” on google.
What other benefits does the mangosteen fruit have?
The mangosteen has been shown to include/help the following:
Anti-aging, Anti-biotic, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Anxiety, Antioxidants, Anti-Allergy, Anti-depressant, Periodontal (gum health), Eye health, Migraines, Skin rashes, Hypertension, Pan systemic, Energizer (Energy booster), Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Tumor, Analgesic (Pain reducer), Nerve pain, Anti-pyretic (Lowers fevers), Anti-viral, Stimulates red blood cell growth, Ulcers, Osteoporosis, Immune Modulator (help immune system), Cardio protective (helps protect heart), Cataracts, Irritable bowel syndrome, Anti-fungal, Anti-pathogenic (reduce pathogens), Anti-parasitic, Supports weight loss, Hardening of the arteries, Anti-lipidemic (lowers blood fat), and Anti-diabetic (lowers blood sugar).
*Disclaimer: This natural strategy is not meant to be used as a substitution for any doctor recommended treatments, but instead an addition to them. I can offer you a large measure of hope that this natural treatment will heal you on your way to great health. You must take care of your body and decide what is best for you – thinking critically is key.
Sources:
(1) Aisha, A., Abu-Salah, K., Ismail, Z., & Majid, A. (2012). In vitro and in vivo anti-colon cancer effects of Garcinia mangostana xanthones extract. BMC Complementary Alternative Medicine, 12, 104.
(2) Kurose, H., Shibata, M., Iinuma, M., & Otsuki, Y. (2012). Alterations in cell cycle and induction of apoptotic cell death in breast cancer cells treated with alpha-mangostin extracted from mangosteen pericarp. Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, 2012.
(3) Khonkarn, R., Mankhetkorn, S., Talelli, M., Hennink, W., & Okonogi, S. (2012). Cytostatic effect of xanthone-loaded mPEG-b-p(HPMAm-Lac2) micelles towards doxorubicin sensitive and resistant cancer cells. Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces, 94, 266-273.
(4) Watanapokasin, R., Jarinthanan, F., Jerusalmi, A., Suksamrarn, S., Nakamura, Y., Sukseree, S., Uthaisang-Tanethpongtamb, W., Ratananukul, P., & Sano, T. (2010). Potential of xanthones from tropical fruit mangosteen as anti-cancer agents: caspase-dependent apoptosis induction in vitro and in mice. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 162, 1080-1094.
Additional sources:
http://whatarexanthones.com/
http://fightcancernaturally.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Fight-Cancer-Through-Powerful-Natural-Stategies112.pdf
http://www.cancertutor.com/Cancer/Mangosteen.html
http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/108208/cancer/can_mangosteen_kill_cancer_cells.html
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