The mango – a divine fruit

The homeland of the mango is India, its Latin name “Magnifera indica”, the great fruit bearer. For the Indians, the mango has always been the “food of the Gods”, and for thousands of years they know the mango as a plant to cultivate. It is mentioned in the old Indian mythology and in the Indish Vedas, the most ancient scripture of mankind, created 4000 years b.C. Buddha praised the mango tree because its longevity, when he rested in its shadow. In religious ceremonies all over India, the initiations are called “Pujas”, especially the mango blossoms have a special holy meaning, they symbolize abundance and divine sweetness, and in many Indian temples, you find mangoes as a gift for the Gods. The Indians apreciate the mango as the most delicious among all tropical fruit.

Our “cradle” stood in tropical zones, where apples and pears cannot grow because of missing night frosts. Perhaps the “apple” that Eve picked from the tree of recognition, was a mango or a papaya? (A durian would have been too heavy and thorny to seduce Adam, I guess.) Anyway, we are still more adapted to sweet, tropical fruit than to our home-grown fruit species in colder climate zones. I tried it out by holding my children, only one and two days old, a ripe mango in front of their little noses.

Especially with tropical fruit, we need to look for organically grown ones. In countries of the Third World, poisons like DDT are still in use that are already forbidden in the States and in Europe. Through importing food from these countries, we get this stuff back on our table. Also, keep in mind that many people in Third World countries cannot read, and therefore cannot put the instructions on the label of artificial fertilizer, herbicids and pesticids into practice. Every year, one million people in underdevelopped countries die of contamination by poisons used for chemical-based farming!

From India, the mango has conquered the whole tropical and subtropical world of America, Australia, South- and Middle America, South- and Central Africa and the Philippines. The mango grows even in Mediterranean climate and on the Canary Islands that belong to Spain and therewith to the European Market. India alone produces two third of the world production, that are 14 million tons per year. The mango is the fruit for the almost 1 billion Indians and for them as usual as for us Germans the apple.

Meanwhile, there are more than a thousend mango species. The “Manga” is interesting, because it is missing all the fibre. The fibrous material can otherwise cling between your teeth, and tooth brushing may not be sufficient to get rid of it! But I find the wild mangoes much more delicious, that grow wild for instance on the Canary islands or the north of Maui, a Hawaiian island. They are much more aromatic. While hiking the mountains, they are a wonderful refreshment. On Haiti, I planted hundreds of fruit trees together with “my” women, among them are many mangoes. There, in Jacmel, there grow so many mangoes during the mango season, that the local people are fed up with them at the end, though they are very poor and suffer from malnutrition. The “Oevre bienfaisance d´Haiti” (a non for profit organization to help people in Haiti) I am working for built a solar energy equipment for drying mangoes, and the dried fruit are sold to the inhabitants of the semi-arid, dry Northwest of the country.

The mango tree grows up to 40 meters hight, and the top gets up to 10 meters wide. The tree is very beautiful with shining, dark green leaves, apreciated in the tropics for creating shadow. Mangoes grow quickly and can reach 10 meters hight in only six years. The little white blossoms emanate a pleasent sweet odour, like lilies of the valley. From blossoming till harvest of the fruit it takes about 3 to 6 months, depending on the species and on the climate.

The mangoes hang on long handles, the fruit irregular shaped like a kidney. They grow up to 25 centimeters and get up to 2 kilos weight. They have a green, green-yellow, yellow-red or yellow-red-green color. For export, fruit that are 8 to 12 centimeters long are preferred. You can smell, when a mango is ripe. Don´t let the mango deceive you by its green color, there are species that don´t turn yellow or red when ripe! Overripe mangoes have an intensive, unpleaseant odour and taste like turpentine.

The mango has a hard, big stone or kernel. Some call the mango “bath tup fruit”, since it´s a good idea to eat them naked, since the juicy fruit flesh can cause spots you cannot get rid of again. In the tropics, mangoes are therefore usually handed to children when they are naked. It´s a great sensual feeling to sit at a tropical beach – or in your home garden – and eat a mangoe just naked, as Frederic described in a later issue of JEAA. It feels like paradise!

The mango is packed with powerful and healthy ingredients. It is easy to digest, and if you have stomach problems or indigestion, try a mango. The mango contains a lot of vitamin C and P in combination with Calcium. In India, the mango is used to stop bleeding, to strengthen the heart and to benefit the brain.

Since the sugar content of the mango is very low, between 0.1 and 0.5%, it is the ideal fruit for diabetics. Because of its high content of iron, it builds the blood and can help people suffering from anaemia, women during pregnancy and menstruation. Its high percentage of Potassium and Magnesium helps to relax muscle cramps, and to fight acidosis. Potassium strengthens the heart muscle and is therefore beneficial for people with heart problems.

The mango contains a lot of vitamin A, B3, B5, B6, C and E. Vitamin A or Beta-Carotin protects the skin, the mucus membrans and eyes and stimulates metabolism. Beta-Carotin is a very effective and powerful anti-oxidans that fights Free Radicals and prevents degenerative diseases. The mango is one of the richest natural sources of vitamin A available. One fruit covers more than your daily need. Among the Beta-Carotenes in the mango there are rare ones like Luteocanthin and Violoaxanthin. The B-vitamins strengthen our nervous system, prevent us from suffering from stress and are responsible for pigmentating skin and hair. Vitamin E is an anti-oxidans as well and is called “vitamin for fertility”.

The mango is not only relaxating because of Magnesium and Potassium, but also elevating the mood because it contains enzymes and Tryptophan, precursor of the “happiness hormone” Serotonin. There are a lot of healthy enzymes in the mango, like Magneferin and Katechol Oxidase and Laccase, that the fruit developped to defend it against insects. These enzymes stimulate our metabolism and purify the intestines. Hartwell claims in his book “Plants against cancer”, that the phenols in the mango like Quercetin, Isoquercitrin, Astragalin, Fisetin, gall acid and Methylgallat as well as the abundant enzymes have cancer preventing and healing capacities.

The content of amino acids in the mango is noteworthy. Among these proteins is 13,5% Glutamin acid, the ideal nourishment for the brain and important for concentration and memory. Like the avocado and khaki, the mango contains a whole and balanced amino acid profile with Arginin, Asparagin acid, Histidin, Isoleucin, Lysin, Phenylalalin, Prolin, Threonin, Tyrosin and Valin. These amino acids are used by the body to build up the blood and tissue and for diminishing stress.

We get nourished by the mango not only physically, but also emotionally and spiritually. By eating mangoes, we feel loved, centered and in tune with the energy of motherhood and caring. Don´t believe me – just try it out! In India, the mango is regarded as a symbol of divine, uncoditional love. It feeds and satisfies you on all levels of your being. You become generous and gain abundance consciousness. Just eat mangoes only for some days or a week, and then you´ll experience it!

You can eat mangoes alone, mix it with papayas and pineapples for a delicious fruit salad, create ice-cream with your Champion Juicer or juice it, together with kiwis or pineapples. Dried mangoes are delicious. You can also soak dried mangoes overnight, mix them with grated almonds and form “bliss balls” out of this, rolled in grinded coconuts or sesam seeds. Let your phantasy blossom!

I wish every reader to travel to “mango countries” where mango trees grow wild and abundantly. When you eat such a sun-ripe mango, you taste heaven and feel like paradise. The mango is indeed a divine fruit. Enjoy it as often as you can!

Much love and Peace

The Hipster Guru