What Are Xanthones and How Do They Work?
Xanthones are plant phenols found in a small variety of tropical plants, of the known roughly 200 known xanthones that exist in nature, 40 or more are found in the mangosteen fruit, the highest concentration found in any one place. The highest concentration of the xanthones are found in the pericarp or rind, not in the fruit itself. Xanthones are classified as phytonutrients and are biologically active compounds. Some important xanthone properties are listed below.
- antioxidant – neutralize free radicals in the body
- anti-inflammatory – shown to be an effective COX 2 inhibitor
- anti-bacterial
- anti-virus
- anti-microbial
- anti-fungus
- anti-fatigue
- anti-aging
- anti-obesity
- anti-tumor
- anti-cancer
- anti-allergenic
- anti-diarrheal
Some other properties are that xanthones may lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, help lower and control blood sugar levels, help prevent cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, help prevent onset of dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease, reduce symptoms of or assist in treating GERD, hiatal hernia, diverticulitis, arthritis, sleep disorders, irritable bowel disease, fibromyalgia, neurodermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, and seborrhea, mild depression, and recurrent urinary tract infections.
That’s quite a list. I’ve never seen any other health supplement with the potential to affect so many health challenges. I’ve seen some very interesting and promising studies regarding the mangosteen fruit with respect to heart disease and cancer, but will reserve comment here due to the seriousness of the topic. An excellent reference for research of the mangosteen fruit is at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/gquery, You can type in either mangosteen or xanthones and quite a bit of research information is available. The next few years should prove very interesting as a lot of research is being done currently. I have seen some studies done by Harvard and Yale medical centers as well as some other university studies and will be sharing some of those going forward.
