Have you ever seen, heard, or tried velvet apples before? Do you know how beneficial it is for the health? If no is your answer to these questions, then now is the time for you to learn more about this amazing fruit. Actually, velvet apple is a fruit that is also known as butter fruit. Moreover, velvet apple possesses a lot of essential nutrients in it, which are all beneficial for the overall health. Not only that, but these nutrients are also what make up the necessary health benefits of velvet apples. These include the ability to relive the respiratory distress, lower blood pressure levels, boost the immunity, detoxify the body, build stronger bones, clear the skin irritation, increase blood circulation, and improve the heart health, among others. There are more to velvet apples than meets the eye. If you want to learn more from this article, read on!
Velvet Apple: What is this?
Basically, velvet apple is what people often refer to as the butter fruit, kamagong, or mabolo. This fruit is actually native to the Philippines. Scientifically, they call this fruit as Diospyros blancoi. Furthermore, it is closer in relation to the persimmons and characteristically has a velvety, fine fur on its skin. This is also where the name of the fruit is derived from. It is about the same size and shape of an apple that has a mildly sweet flavor. Even though these red-colored fruits are extremely esteemed in various areas, it is barely known in most areas of the world.
Moreover, the velvet apple is usually reddish-brown in color. Even though it is edible, having soft, creamy flesh, its smell is actually considered by a lot of people as unpleasant. It is usually being compared to the smell of the cat feces or a rotten cheese. This is the main reason for its another name, Caca de chat. This is also available in the country of Sri Lanka, and in fact, grows quite rapidly, yielding the fruit in as faster as 7 years from being a seedling.
There are lots and lots of uses of velvet apple –both plant and the fruit. It is actually beneficial for health as it contains various nutritional or medical properties. Not just that, some parts of velvet apple like the roots, the bark, and the leaves, serve a purpose in the field of medicine.
In addition, nowadays, the use of velvet apple may vary from a country to another. For instance, in Southeast Asian countries, you can treat dysentery and diarrhea using the velvet apple extract. In the country of Bangladesh, various parts of the tree are essential as a cleanser.
Nutritional Content of Velvet Apples
As an addition to the culinary dishes, you may either eat the velvet apples raw, just like the normal apples. However, it can also be a good addition to various dessert dishes, as well as in various beverages. In spite of its unpleasant smell, people still turn to the velvet apples due to its high levels of nutrients, which may be very beneficial for a lot of health conditions. Moreover, the velvet apples are rich in essential organic compounds, minerals, vitamins, vitamin B complex family, vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, iron, potassium, protein, and dietary fiber, among others.
Health Benefits of Velvet Apples
Here are some of the most interesting health benefits of velvet apples:
- Aids in skin care. When you apply it topically on your skin, the velvet apple may show some remarkable ability in reducing the irritation and inflammation on the skin. It is also an alternative medicine, which may treat skin conditions and burns.
- Aids in digestion. The dietary fiber content of the velvet apples is essential in easing the passage of the foods through the digestive tract, thus eliminating constipation and some other gastrointestinal conditions. In the traditional medicines, especially in the Philippines, the velvet apples were beneficial in treating diarrhea and dysentery.
- Helps in treating respiratory conditions. In traditional medicine, the velvet apples are essential in relieving coughs, asthma, and chest congestion. This is possible because of the high levels of essential vitamins and minerals that also act in improving the immunity of the body. This is one of the best health benefits of velvet apples.
- Helps in improving blood circulation. The significant levels of iron in the velvet apples may help in boosting the red blood cells in the body, boosting the metabolic efficiency, speed up the cells’ healing process. As well as stimulate the hair growth, and increase the oxygenation of the important muscle groups and tissues.
- Helps in reducing hypertension. The high levels of potassium in the velvet apples are essential in acting as a vasodilator that relaxes the blood vessels, lower the blood pressure levels, and reduce the stress on the cardiovascular system.
