Star fruit and its health benefits

Star fruit and its health benefits

Scientific name: Averrhoa carambola 
Family: Oxalidaceae
Origin: Southeast Asia

The star fruit tree (Averrhoa carambola) is a small, shrub-like ornamental tree with eatable fruit, rich in vitamins, phosphorus and oxalic acid. The plant belongs to the Oxalidaceae family and is native to India.  It is used topically on poisonous bites and stings , and its fruit is prescribed against eczemas. It is a diuretic and combats kidney and bladder diseases.

The star fruit or carambola (Averrhoa carambola) is a unique tropical fruit that is gaining popularity in the United States. This fruit acquired its name from the five pointed star shape when cut across the middle of the fruit (occasionally 4 or 6 ribbed fruit may occur). The 3 to 5 inch long fruit has a paper-thin thin, translucent, waxy, yellow-orange to green skin with tart crisp flesh.

Star fruit range in taste from pleasantly tart and sour to slightly sweet with a complicated flavor combination that includes plums, pineapples, and lemons. The fruit is juicy and crunchy, and may be eaten skin, seeds and all or used as a garnish, in salads and in relishes and preserves. When used in cooking, green fruit are frequently used for their sourness. The juicy flesh is mostly water and does not hold up well when heated.

Fruits are refreshing eaten fresh, mixed with other fruits, in salads, or processed into drinks. They are also stewed, pickled or used for chutney and jam. The fruit flavour is enhanced by peeling off the ‘wing’ edges, which removes most of the oxalic acid. Because the fruit is extremely perishable it must be consumed locally.

The use of plants as medicine is as old as human civilization. People of all ages in both developing and developed countries use plants in an attempt to cure various diseases and to get relief from physical sufferings. Natural products are a source for bioactive compounds and have potential for developing some novel therapeutic agents. Averrhoa carambola , which is popularly known as the “Star Fruit” or “Kamrakh”, has various medicinal uses viz. antipruritic, antipyretic, anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer,antimicrobial etc. Over the past decades,  many reports have appeared in mainstream scientific journals describing its nutritional and medicinal properties. Fruits of A. carambola  are a very good source of natural antioxidants. It is also very rich in dietary fibers, especially insoluble fibers.