Health Benefits Of Karonda (Carissa carandas), Nutrition And Recipe

Karonda, scientifically termed as Carissa carandas, is a flowering shrub belonging to the family Apocynaceae. Known by different names such as kerenda in Malaya, Bengal currant or Christ's thorn in South India, namdaeng in Thailand, caramba, caranda, caraunda and perunkila in the Philippines, the entire plant has medicinal values ^[1] .

The leaves, flower and fruit of the shrub are used for treating various ailments. The berry-sized fruits from the plant have increasingly more health benefits when compared to that of the bark or the leaves. You may consume it like fruits, or avail supplements and dried forms available in the market ^[2] . The seeds of the fruit have to be removed before consumption.

Having a sour and acidic taste, the fruit tends to get a sweet taste in its ripest state. The fruit has been used in Indian folk medicine since ages. Read on to know the nutrition, health benefits and the ways to add this super berry into your diet.

Nutritional Value Of Karonda

100 grams of the berry has 0.2 mg manganese and 0.4 g soluble fibre. The remaining nutrients present in karonda are as follows ^[3] :

• 1.6 g total dietary fibre
• 80.17 g water
• 10.33 mg iron
• 81.26 mg potassium
• 3.26 mg zinc
• 1.92 mg copper
• 51.27 mg vitamin C

Health Benefits Of Karonda

From treating asthma to skin diseases, the fruits of karonda possess a plethora of benefits for your body. Let's take a look.

1. Treats abdominal pain

Rich in fibre, the fruit is extremely beneficial for treating abdominal problems. Dried fruit powder can be mixed with water and consumed to ease your stomach and help eliminate indigestion, gas, and bloating ^[4] .

2. Improves digestion

The presence of pectin in the fruit makes it beneficial for improving your digestion. The soluble fibre improves the functioning of your digestive system, thereby improving your appetite as well ^[5] .

3. Reduces fever

With an ample amount of vitamin C present in the fruit, it has been used since ages for treating fever ^[6] . Being an antioxidant, the nutrient helps in bringing down the fever by fighting off the infections. You may consume 10 mg of the dried fruit to manage your fever.

4. Improves mental health

Regular consumption of karonda fruit is asserted to be beneficial for improving one's mental health. The presence of magnesium along with the vitamins and tryptophan help stimulate the production of serotonin - which works towards bettering your overall mental well-being ^[7] .

5. Strengthens cardiac muscles

Drinking the juice of karonda fruit is extremely beneficial for your cardiac health. Consume 15 to 20 ml of the fruit juice daily to strengthen your cardiac muscles^[4] .

6. Treats inflammation

According to studies, karonda fruit can help reduce and treat inflammation. Being inflammatory in nature, consuming the fruit can help suppress the formation of the inflammation-causing agents in your body ^[8] .

Apart from these, the fruit is also beneficial for treating Ascaris, biliousness, bleeding gums and internal bleeding. Although more studies have to be conducted to essentially point out the health benefits, the fruit is said to possess the ability to reduce excessive thirst and treat anorexia ^[9] .

Karonda may be beneficial in treating skin disorders, itching, ulcer and epilepsy.

Healthy Karonda Juice Recipe

Ingredients ^[10]

• 10 karonda fruits
• 1 cup water
• salt and sugar for taste

Directions

• Cut the fruits and remove the seeds.
• Blend the karonda and filter it.
• Add sugar and salt.

Precautions

• Avoid consuming the fruit in large quantities for a longer period as it may affect one's sexual health by reducing the production of semen and leads to low libido ^[11] .
• Excessive consumption can cause hyper-acidity.
• Unripe fruit can cause a burning sensation.
• It may worsen bleeding disorders ^[12] .