What Exactly Is The Cempedak?
The Cempedak, also known as Artocarpus integer according to its scientific name, is a member of the same genus as Jackfruit and Breadfruit. Cempedak is a plant indigenous to Southeast Asia that grows abundantly in Indonesia, Thailand, and the Malay Peninsula.
In India, the southern states of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu are the primary growing regions for this plant. Cempedak is a plant that thrives in humid climates where there is an abundant supply of water. The climate and soil conditions required for their production are best found in coastal areas.
Cempedak trees are evergreen and can grow to a height of several meters or more. The fruit is similar in appearance to Jackfruit but is considerably smaller in size. Its flesh is tender, juicy, and sweet, and it covers numerous seeds.
When it is ripe, Cempedak has a yellow color and a sweetness that surpasses that of Jackfruit. It has an unforgettable flavor that is reminiscent of both durian and mango, which is musky, fragrant, and savory.
Because of its high nutritional content, it has a wide range of therapeutic applications. It contains a significant amount of ascorbic acid, enzymes, bioflavonoids, minerals, and vitamins.
Health Benefits of Cempedak
The Cempedak fruit is known to have a number of positive effects on one’s health, some of which are listed below.
Good for the Heart
Cempedak has a variety of nutrients that are beneficial to heart health, including antioxidants, dietary fiber, and vitamin C.
The high potassium content contributes to the beneficial reduction in blood pressure. It brings cholesterol levels down and lowers blood pressure, both of which contribute to a healthy cardiovascular system.
Anti-Malaria Properties
The bark and fruit of the Cempedak tree contain a number of antimalarial chemicals, including Artioindonesianidin and Heteriflavon C, which can be used to cure and prevent malaria, respectively. It has the potential to completely eradicate the parasites that cause malaria.
Maintain Digestion
Cempedak fruit can also help and maintain the healthy functioning of our bodies’ digestive systems. Because of the high vitamin C content of this fruit, we won’t have to worry about constipation or having trouble passing stool.
Get Rid of the Parasite
The human body is home to a wide variety of parasites, every one of which has the potential to impede the function of an organ. In addition, these parasites can create diseases that come out of nowhere.
The Cempedak fruit has characteristics that can aid in the elimination of parasites from the body.
Vision’s Health
The fruit of the Cempedak tree has a significant quantity of vitamin A, which is beneficial to the overall health of our eyes.
Although there are a variety of fruits and vegetables that contain vitamin A, the Cempedak fruit stands out as one of the tastiest and most flavorful options for getting vitamin A into the body through fruit consumption.
Provides Water
Because of the huge amount of water that is necessary for the Cempedak fruit’s growth, it cannot be grown in any climate other than a tropical one.
Because this fruit requires a significant amount of water intake while it is developing, Cempedak fruit also has a significant amount of water intake when it is ingested.
This adds to the fruit’s extensive list of health benefits. And this contributes to the water that is taken into our bodies.
Reduces Cholesterol in the Blood
The Cempedak fruit is beneficial to our body in several ways, including its ability to decrease cholesterol levels.
The presence of vitamin C can inhibit the flow of bad cholesterol in the bloodstream, which in turn helps good cholesterol flow more freely. The presence of harmful cholesterol can lead to a variety of dangerous ailments, including heart disease.
Relieves Tumor
Many health professionals feel that the Cempedak fruit has the potential to help in the treatment of tumor-related illnesses.
Nevertheless, up to this moment, there has been no information that can be considered definitive. Due to the fact that it contains bioflavonoids, it is quite likely that it can aid in the reduction of tumors.
Slimming Body
The consumption of Cempedak fruit will result in a feeling of fullness. As a result, Cempedak fruit is a fantastic alternative for individuals trying to lose weight.
The quantity of nutrients present is sufficient to both satisfy one’s hunger and contribute to the formation of one’s body.
It is far more challenging to locate Cempedak fruit than fruit like Jackfruit. This fruit is only sold in a few locations, so in order to locate it, you will need to be familiar with those locations.
The Cempedak fruit cannot be found anywhere else in the world except in Southeast Asia. And the people of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam are the ones that eat the most of it.
Tradition Utilization and Advantages of the Cempedak Fruit
- The Iban people of Sarawak use a paste made from the inner bark as part of their traditional approach to folk medicine to treat wounds and ward against infection.
- In Peninsular Malaysia, the fever can be treated using the juice that is extracted from the roots.
- As a postpartum preventative medication, an infusion of the root ash combined with the ash of the Selaginella plant is recommended to be taken.
- Poultices made from bark are used for ulcers, as well as sore feet and hands.
- In the Philippines, wounds are treated with hot leaves after being wrapped in banana leaves.
- Abortions have been reportedly caused by the pith, and the wood itself has a sedative effect.
- The unripe fruit has astringent properties, whereas the ripe fruit has laxative properties.
- Consumption of Cempedak fruit reduces the risk of developing obesity and heart disease.
- It controls the body’s cholesterol level and lowers high cholesterol as well as the “bad” cholesterol that’s already there.
- It helps treat high blood pressure and maintains a healthy blood pressure level in the body thanks to the significant quantity of potassium it contains.
- It relieves indigestion and constipation while also helping to avoid digestive illnesses.
- It strengthens the body’s defense mechanisms and contributes to the synthesis of red blood cells.
- It is helpful in lowering the high blood sugar level that is associated with diabetes.
- It protects against osteoporosis by fortifying the bones and making them stronger.
- Cempedak helps treat a variety of skin conditions.
- It moisturizes dry skin.
- It protects against the common cold, cough, flu, piles, impaired vision, and asthma.
- It slows the aging process.
Cempedak Fruit and its Ayurvedic Health Benefits
- If you suffer from infertility, eating roasted Cempedak seeds twice a day is recommended.
- Add a few drops of coconut oil to burned Cempedak leaves and apply them to the infected skin for ulcer treatment. It should be used three times each day.
- If you have a fever, you should make a decoction out of Cempedak root. You should take it twice daily.
- Burn the leaves of Cempedak, corn, and coconut shell together to treat ulcers. Create a paste with the coconut oil by mixing it. Apply the medication to the affected area.
Culinary Uses
- The fruit’s sweet, aromatic, and flavorful fleshy perianth can be eaten fresh or preserved in syrup and used in a hodgepodge of culinary applications.
- In Malaysia, one to two perianth balls are dipped in flour, formed into fritters, and then deeply fried to prepare them for consumption as a sweet or savory snack.
- In Malaysia, ripe and unripe flesh are both salted and used to make a type of pickle known as Jerami.
- Perianths can also be candied or sun-dried to make chips.
- The seeds have a high starch content and may be consumed either by roasting them or by boiling them in salted water for half an hour and then removing the seed coat.
- Seeds have a taste that is described as pleasant and nutty.
- The seeds may be ground into flour with high starch content.
- In Sarawak, certain young, sensitive leaves are also used in the preparation of vegetables.
- Unripe fruit may be cooked and eaten like a vegetable or blended into soups to enhance flavor.
- A delicacy can be made from ripe seeds by roasting or boiling them first.
- Immature fruits can be pickled or boiled and eaten as a vegetable if they are prepared in either of these two ways.
- The seeds that are edible can be prepared by frying, broiling, or grilling and then consumed with a bit of salt.
- Fritters may be prepared by frying arils after first coating them in batter and then frying them in oil.
- Young fruits are typically served as a curried vegetable or blended into the soup after being cooked in coconut milk. Roasting or boiling the seeds makes them more palatable.
Precautions
- If you are pregnant, you should avoid eating Cempedak fruit since it may lead to an abortion.
- Those that are sensitive to birch pollen may get an allergic reaction as a result of eating Cempedak fruit.
- It may cause an increase in the quantity of blood that clots.
- Cempedak fruit has a high concentration of ascorbic acid, which should not be ingested in large quantities since it might cause gas in the stomach.