Hope Fruit - Mango
Mango is also known as "Wangguo," meaning "Hope Fruit." Its oval, smooth fruit has a lemon-yellow skin and sweet, mellow flavor. With beautiful shape and color, it evokes warmth and intimacy, full of poetic charm.
Mango is highly nutritious. Vitamin A content reaches 3.8%, double that of apricots. Vitamin C exceeds that of oranges and strawberries. Mango contains sugars, proteins, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and other essential nutrients.
Traditional Chinese medicine considers mango sweet and sour, cool in nature, non-toxic. It clears heat, generates body fluids, quenches thirst, benefits the stomach, and stops vomiting. According to *Shi Xing Ben Cao*, "Mango treats 'women’s menstrual obstruction' and 'men’s stagnation of blood and qi in the nutritive and defensive systems.'" Mango is especially suitable for those with insufficient stomach yin, dry mouth and throat, weak stomach qi, vomiting, and seasickness. Its sweet-sour nature nourishes the stomach, which is why ancient seafarers often carried mangoes for travel—eating them prevents seasickness and nausea, truly a divine fruit among fruits.
Beyond eating, mango has great medicinal value. Its peel can be used medicinally as a diuretic and purgative. The kernel is large, containing 6% protein, 16% fat, and 69% carbohydrates. Both kernel and mango leaves are medicinal. For chronic pharyngitis and hoarseness, boiling mango and drinking as tea can reduce inflammation and restore voice clarity. Taking 2–3 mangoes boiled in water orally treats hernia. Consuming 1–2 mango pieces twice daily cures multiple warts; applying the peel directly to affected areas enhances effect.
With diversified diets, more mangoes are now made into juice. However, some commercial juices contain excessive additives, potentially harming health. Yale University research indicates mice fed additives showed hyperactivity 168% higher than those without. Thus, long-term consumption of additive-laden juices is detrimental to health—choose carefully when selecting juice.
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