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Mabolo
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Mabolo (Diospyros blancoi)

Velvet Apple

A member of the Ebenaceae family, mabolo is known for its value as an ornament, rather than for its fruit. Its wood is commonly known in the Philippines as kamagong, and it is the fruit that goes by the name of mabolo. It is an evergreen forest tree that is medium-sized, and has an oval or conical-shaped crown. Depending on the way it was planted, a mabolo tree may have long, straight stems or short trunks. Its leaves are oblong-shaped, which are big and rounded but are pointed and narrow at the top. The mabolo fruit has a round, velvety outer cover which contains the seed in a pulp. From green, it becomes light brown and eventually, turns to magenta as this fruit berry ages and ripens. It is somewhat unpopular because of the strong cheesy odor that it emits, once the fruit is opened. When eaten, though, the mobolo fruit has an edible and sweet taste. The concern about its smell may be remedied by peeling its outside cover, and storing it in the refrigerator for several hours, so that the smell will already dissipate. Studies have shown that it is worthy to endure the odor of the fruit, because it has been found to contain several vitamins and nutrients. It is known to be an ideal source of calcium, vitamin B, iron, and protein. Thus, several ways of preparing the mabolo fruit has been constantly discovered. It is served as dessert, by mixing the fruit with lemon juice or lime. It is also used in salad preparations, by dicing the fruit. In the same manner, it is used as ingredients in soups, where it changes texture and becomes tough when stewed. This is ideal especially when served with ham and other meats that have a spicy quality in it.

Mabolo is grown commercially, but at a small scale only, as it can be found along the seashores by the locals in the Philippines. There are several uses for the mabolo plant and fruits, because of its commercial value. It is a very useful plant, in such a way that not only does it have ornamentation significance; but it also contains nutritional benefits and medicinal functions as well. The parts that are being utilized for this purpose are the leaves, bark, and the roots. Its bark is being utilized in such a manner that it is being decocted and prepared to address skin ailments like eczema, fever and cough. Now, some of the uses vary depending on the country. For instance, in countries in the Southeast Asia, diarrhea and dysentery are being remedied extracting the juice of the unripe mabolo fruit. In Bangladesh, preparations of the mabolo leaves and bark are being used as cleanser, particularly as eyewash and also used as an antidote for snakebites. In the Guianas, besides the already mentioned uses, mabolo preparations also function to address heart ailment and hypertension. Spider bites, stomach aches and diabetes are also three of the other health issues that mabolo has been found to help remedy.

Mabolo Health Benefits:

• Cough, stomach pains, fever, and skin ailments are treated by preparations of the mobolo leaves and bark.
• Used as medicine for diarrhea, dysentery, heart ailments, hypertension and diabetes.

Preparation & Use:

• Decoctions of the bark and leaves of mabolo are used for all the health concerns that have been listed on the left.

Other Herbal & Non-Herbal Medicine: Philippine Plants, Fruits & Trees

Abaca Plant | Avocado | Atis Fruit | Banana Plant | Barako Coffee | Coconut Palm Tree | Durian Fruit | Guyabano Fruit | Mango Tree | Mangosteen | Papaya Fruit | Pineapple | Rubber Tree | Tomato | Tuba-Tuba Plant - Jatropha

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