Maja fruit is a unique fruit that grows in dry regions. It is usually found in India and Southeast Asian countries. So, what are the health benefits of maja fruit for the body?
Getting used to eating fruit every day can have a positive effect on the body. If you want to try a new type of fruit to maintain a healthy lifestyle, maja fruit can be an option. To understand the benefits of maja fruit more clearly, read more below.
Benefits of Maja Fruits
Maja fruit is about 5–20 cm in size and green in color. Generally, maja fruit can be eaten directly or processed into juice and jam. When unripe, maja fruit tastes sour, bitter, and pungent. However, ripe maja fruit, which turns yellowish, has a sweet taste.
The nutritional content of maja fruit includes water, carotenoids, protein, fat, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin C, carbohydrates, tartaric acid, and ash. From these various nutrients, some of the benefits that can be felt for your health are as follows:
1. Maintaining Digestive Health
The first benefit of maja fruit is that it may help maintain digestive health, such as supporting digestive function and helping reduce the risk of diarrhea and constipation.
The coumarin compounds found in maja fruit may help protect the digestive system from harmful bacterial infections. In addition, certain compounds in the fruit may support a healthy balance of gut bacteria, thereby reducing the risk of constipation.
2. Fighting Skin Infections
In addition to being good for digestion, the benefits of maja fruit can also be felt on the skin. The leaves and fruit of maja contain antibacterial compounds that are able to treat skin infections caused by Staphylococcus bacteria. However, this benefit of maja fruit still needs further research because the results have only been proven in laboratory tests, not direct tests on humans.
3. Controlling Blood Sugar Levels
This benefit of maja fruit can be considered by people with diabetes. Consuming maja fruit may help control blood sugar levels. This is because the fruit contains quercetin, which is believed to play a role in glucose metabolism. In this way, blood sugar levels may be better managed.
In addition, maja fruit also contains various antioxidants such as eugenol, beta-carotene, aegeline, and riboflavin. These antioxidant compounds can help fight free radicals that may disrupt pancreatic function, so insulin production is not hindered.
However, it should be noted that these research results are still limited to laboratory testing. To determine how real and effective the benefits are, further testing on humans is needed.
4. Relieving Fever and Inflammations
Maja fruit extract, which contains antioxidants and vitamin C, is considered potentially effective in relieving fever and inflammation. One type of inflammation that may be treated occurs in the digestive tract. If left untreated, this inflammation can cause diarrhea.
5. Reducing Acid Reflux
For those who frequently experience acid reflux, consuming maja fruit extract may help ease the condition. Maja fruit, which contains antioxidants, may also help relieve gastric ulcers.
6. Maintaining Liver Function
Liver damage caused by the side effects of cisplatin, a type of chemotherapy drug used in cancer treatment, may be counteracted by the hepatoprotective compounds found in maja fruit. Maja fruit extract contains hepatoprotective substances that can help protect and repair damaged liver cells.
7. Reducing the Risk of Cancer
The antioxidant content in maja fruit allows it to fight cell damage caused by free radicals and reduce the risk of cancer. The anticancer properties of flavonoids and tannins in this fruit can help prevent the growth of cancer cells in the body.
Side Effects of Consuming Maja Fruits
Although it is generally safe to consume, some of the benefits of maja fruit mentioned above still require further research. However, it should be noted that consuming maja fruit may actually cause side effects in some cases, such as:
1. Causing Allergic Reactions
For those trying maja fruit for the first time, it is important to anticipate possible allergic reactions. Some signs of a maja fruit allergy include dizziness, vomiting, shortness of breath, itching, skin redness, as well as swelling of the face and tongue.
2. Reducing Male Fertility
Laboratory testing conducted on rats found that maja fruit extract can inhibit sperm formation and movement, which may affect fertility. However, further research is still needed to confirm these laboratory results in humans.
That concludes the information about several health benefits of maja fruit. It should be noted that the benefits of maja fruit still need to be proven through further and gradual research. If you want to try adding maja fruit to your diet plan, don’t forget to drink AQUA DULU.
It's worth noting that not all water is AQUA, which comes from 19 selected mountain sources in Indonesia, so it contains naturally healthy mineral water and has a protective layer that keeps it free from contamination.
In addition, AQUA has a naturally cool taste without needing to be refrigerated, making it suitable for drinking in hot weather. As an Indonesian product, AQUA is guaranteed safe for consumption as it is certified Halal, BPOM, and SNI. So, are you ready to #AQUADULU before trying maja fruit? AQUA is 100% Pure, 100% Indonesian, and 100% Halal.
