mango – Around My Table

Mangoes are popularly known as “The King of fruits” and “apple of the tropics”.

Every part of the mango is beneficial and has been utilized in folk remedies in some form or another. A partial list of the many medicinal properties and purported uses attributed to the mango treed as follows: anti-viral, anti-parasitic, anti-septic, anti-tussive (cough), anti-asthmatic, expectorant, cardio tonic, contraceptive, aphrodisiac, hypotensive, and laxative, stomachic. The ripe mango is anti scorbutic, diuretic, laxative, invigorating, fattening and astringent.
Its therapeutic values are:
1. Mango acts as blood cleanser and has fever soothing qualities.
2. Mango juice helps reducing excessive body heat and also throws off body odors.
3. Unripe mango, being good source of vitamin c, helps in collagen synthesis and increases elasticity of blood vessels. It helps prevents scurvy. It promotes absorption of dietary iron. It also increases body resistance.
4. Ripe mango helps prevent night blindness. It also prevents development of refractive errors, dryness of the eyes, softening of the cornea, itching and burning in the eyes.
5. It maintains the integrity of epithelial tissues. Therefore it prevents frequent attacks of common infections such as cold rhinitis and sinusitis.
6. Eating raw mango with salt quenches thirst and prevents the excessive loss of sodium chloride and iron during summer due to excessive sweating.

This month I’m sharing my absolute two favourite mango recipes – mango lassi (via Jamie Oliver) and mango salad.

Mango Lassi

1 cup of plain yogurt

1/2 cup of milk

pulp from 3 fresh mango, stoned and sliced

4 teaspoons sugar, to taste, or feel free to try salt and cardamom seeds

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend for 2 minutes, then pour into individual glasses, and serve. Feel free to try salt and cardamom seeds. The lassi can be kept refrigerated for up to 24 hours