Surinam Cherry

(Pitanga, Brazilian Cherry)

Eugenia uniflora

Surinam Cherry


Pitanga is an exotic fruit from South America. It is tart, sweet and highly flavored fruit that is high in nutritents and comes in different flesh colors ... green when young, turning to orange then to a bright red or dark purple-black. Surinam cherry contains vitamin C, phosphorus, calcium, iron, riboflavin and niacin, as well as being an excellent source of vitamin A.


The Surinam cherry fruit is also rich in the antioxidants lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, gamma-carotene and rubixanthin. The fruit readily releases its juices when sprinkled with sugar, and is used in jams and jellies, ice cream and fruit cups; as well as fermented into wine, vinegar and liqueurs. Typically, 100 grams of the fruit contains up to 93 grams of water, making this fruit ideal to eat as a way of keeping yourself hydrated.


The medicinal parts of the surinam cherry are the bark of the plant's main stem, the leaves, and its fruit. Surinam cherry is an exotic fruit from Brazil and extracts from its leaves have been used against many diseases in Brazilian folk medicine for years.


The leaves yield essential oil containing citronellal, geranyl acetate, geraniol, cineole, terpinene, sesquiterpenes and polyterpenes.  When crushed, the leaves from the tree emit a pungent agreeable odor, for which reason they are sometimes thrown all over the floors of  homes in the amazon region.The fragrance they emit when trampled under foot is doubly appreciated as being thought efficacious in driving away flies.


Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/275240-the-benefits-of-surinam-cherry-fruit/#ixzz2B5TLpNSb

Health Benefits - Surinam Cherry


Traditionally the benefits of Surinam cherry fruit come from its astringent and antiseptic qualities, clearing symptoms of diarrhea and other gastro-intestinal upsets. It is also thought to be effective in clearing respiratory symptoms. The fruit has also been used regularly to keep colds at bay. The Surinam cherry fruit may be an effective source of antioxidants with such a high quantity of vitamins A, C and some of the B complex vitamins.


Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/275240-the-benefits-of-surinam-cherry-fruit/#ixzz2B5TLpNSb







Anti-Inflammatory - Anti-Microbial - Surinam Cherry Leaves


The leaves of the surinam cherry / pitanga bush (Eugenia uniflora L.) are considered to be effective against many diseases. Extracts from Pitanga leaves have been found to show pronounced anti-inflammatory action and to have anti-microbial and antif-ungal activities, among other properties. Thirty-nine compounds were found in the extracts and twenty-six were identified.


The main components identified in the extracts in decreasing quantitative order were: curzerene, germacrene B, C15H2O2 and beta-elemene for hydrodistillation; C15H2O2 and curzerene for SC-CO2 extracts and 3-hexen-1-ol, curzerene, C15H2O2,beta-elemene and germacrene B for SC-CO2 extracts captured in Porapak-Q.


The natural extracts are a potential source of compounds possessing biological activities. They can be used in foods, pharmaceutics and cosmetics.  


Source: http://scienceindex.com/stories/119288/Composition_of_supercritical_carbon_dioxide_extracts_of_pitanga_eugenia_uniflora_l_leaves.html#.UJQLVZsr21c







Scientific Research - Anti-Oxidant Properties - Surinam Cherry


This study was carried out to obtain more information about the physicochemical properties, composition, and antioxidant activity of the surinam cherry / pitanga fruits (Eugenia uniflora L.).


The extracts from purple-fleshed pitanga had the highest total phenolic and anthocyanin contents along with the highest antioxidant capacity. The antioxidant capacity (DPPH and FRAP assays) of methanolic pitanga extracts was highly correlated with the total phenolic content, but in ethanolic extracts, the anthocyanin content was correlated only with the FRAP antioxidant capacity. The extracts from orange-fleshed pitanga had higher β-cryptoxanthin and β-carotene levels than those of the red fruit, which had higher lycopene content.


The results indicate that the purple-fleshed pitanga, is a rich source of phenolic compounds and has high antioxidant capacity. The red and orange-fleshed pitanga, on the other hand, are rich sources of carotenoid.


Source: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/cta/v31n1/21.pdf

Source: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0101-20612011000100021&script=sci_arttext







Anti-Inflammatory - Mucolytic - Cineole - Surinam Cherry


The researchers in this study, Heinrich Worth, Christian Schacher, and Uwe Dethlefsen took the hypothesis that cineole was effective as an anti-inflammatory and mucolytic and suggested its anti-inflammatory properties would be effective in treating patients with COPD, improving their pulmonary function with its bronchodilating properties.


The study concluded that cineole, used in concomitant therapy assisted patients' dyspnea and improved their lung functions. Furthermore, this research revealed that cineole was an active ingredient in reducing inflammation of the mucus membrane, making it easier for patients with COPD to breathe.


Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/275240-the-benefits-of-surinam-cherry-fruit/#ixzz2B5TLpNSb







Lung Health - COPD - Mucolytic - Cineole - Surinam Cherry


A placebo-controlled clinical study undertaken by the University Erlangen-Nürnberg in collaboration with MKL Institute of Clinical Research in Germany involved patients with COPD. The research looked at the evidence of mucolytics (an agent which dissolves thick mucus and is usually used to help relieve respiratory difficulties) such as cineole, one of the ingredients in Surinam cherry fruit oils. Apart from cineole being found naturally in Surinam cherry fruits, it is the main ingredient of eucalyptus oil.


Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/275240-the-benefits-of-surinam-cherry-fruit/#ixzz2B5TLpNSb








Medical Uses - Surinam Cherry


The medicinal parts of the surinam cherry are the bark of the plant's main stem, the leaves, and its fruit. Surinam cherry is an exotic fruit from Brazil and extracts from its leaves have been used against many diseases in Brazilian folk medicine for many years. For example, in Brazil the leaf infusion is taken as a stomachic, febrifuge and astringent.


In Surinam, the leaf decoction is drunk as a cold remedy and, in combination with lemongrass, as a febrifuge. The leaves yield essential oil containing citronellal, geranyl acetate, geraniol, cineole, terpinene, sesquiterpenes and polyterpenes. 

Learn more: http://nutrionomics.com/

"The Bait and Switch" ... How Big Pharma Repackages Vitamins as Expensive Drugs !!!

The latest prescription medicine called Niaspan, which targeted to men and women with coronary artery disease and high cholesterol:

“...works to raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels in people with abnormal cholesterol levels ... also works to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides.”
Plus, Niaspan can "reduce the risk of another heart attack in people who have high cholesterol and a history of heart attacks."

Now, here's the thing about Niaspan... it isn't really a drug! ... it's nothing more than time-released niacin (vitamin B3)!

You can get a month's supply (without a doctor's order) from most vitamin shops for under $7. Without a doubt, you're much better off going that route... because Abbott Labs will charge you a heck of a lot more ... this profitable hoax, earning hundreds of millions of dollars for the drug giant Abbott Labs!

Source: Dr. Allan Spreen - Nationally acclaimed as America’s “Nutrition Physician” - www.healthiertalk.com

"The Bait and Switch" ... How Big Pharma Repackages Fish Oil as Expensive Drugs !!!

You've probably heard of a prescription drug called Lovaza, right? I chuckled when I first heard about it, because it's nothing more than refined fish oil.
But it sounds snazzy and you need a doctor's prescription for it ... so it must work better than regular fish oil, right?

Wrong. It doesn't. It contains the same active ingredients you find in fish oil: EPA and DHA.
But Big Pharma managed to fool many, many Americans with this hoax.

In fact, this kind of con is hugely profitable for Big Pharma ... earning billions of dollars for the drug giant Abbott Labs.
For this reason alone, we will see more and more vitamins magically "repackaged" and sold as drugs.

Source: Dr. Allan Spreen - Nationally acclaimed as America’s “Nutrition Physician” - www.healthiertalk.com

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