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Gac fruit is a nutritious fruit. Gac fruit contains many vitamins, antioxidants and carotenoids that help bring benefits to human health. Read the article below to know about the effects, ingredients as well as what vitamins Gac fruit contains.1. What is Gac fruit?
The name Gac fruit simply comes from people in Southeast Asia, they are a tropical plant under the botanical classification Momordica cochinchinensis. Gac fruit is native to Southeast Asia, stretching from South China to Northeast Australia, including Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam. Depending on the region, gac fruit is also commonly known as young jackfruit, Chinese bitter cucumber, Chinese cucumber, cucurbit, gac, giant gourd, prickly cucumber, bitter gourd with thorns and sweet gourd.. ..Gac fruit has an extremely short season, only two months, but the fruit plays an important role in ceremonial dishes as well as natural medicine. Traditionally, the gac fruit, its seeds and leaves have also been used as a traditional medicine in the regions where it grows.
Gac tree can thrive in humid tropics. It is a hygrophilus plant, it likes sun but tolerates light shade. Plants prefer fertile, humus-rich and moist but well-drained organic soil. They are commonly found growing on homemade gac trellises or arches in gardens and country houses across Vietnam. The plant is angular, the stem is smooth, and the roots are tuberous.
Gac flowers are unisexual flowers, growing alone in the leaf axils, white to ivory yellow. The female flowers have small bracts and a scaly ovary, while the male flowers have broad ovate bracts, short calyx tubes with triangular lobes, 5-petal corolla, and elongated yellow ovoid stamens. Usually flowers from June to September. Gac trees can survive from 10 to 12 years.
The gac fruit is bright red, about the size of a cantaloupe and covered with short spines, so it is sometimes referred to in English as "Spiny Cucumber" or "Balsam". The fruit is usually large, about 13cm long and 10cm in diameter, ovoid, spherical to oval, with a pointed tip and a stiff stalk. When young, gac fruit is green and turns orange-red to dark red as it matures and ripens. Each fruit weighs from 600 to 2500g. Usually the outside of the fruit has thorns and the inside is the pulp and seeds. The morphology of the Gac fruit from the outside to the inside is a thick yellow dermis, followed by a small red hole and a yellow core in the middle. The seeds inside the flower holes are flat, hard, and brown or black. The fruit has a mild, avocado-like taste.
According to folklore, gac fruit, seeds and leaves are used as traditional medicine in the regions where it grows. Today, due to its higher nutritional value as well as health-promoting benefits and great taste, it is cultivated around the world with the right environment.
2. Gac fruit contains many vitamins?
In the composition of gac fruit contains many nutrients and vitamins necessary for the body. However, the ingredient that accounts for the highest percentage in gac fruit is carotene - a precursor to vitamin A. Carotene is abundant in the red membrane surrounding Gac seeds and Gac oil.In addition, gac fruit also contains a lot of lycopene, vitamin E and vitamin F. This turns Gac oil into a source of raw materials for the food and pharmaceutical industries such as: Producing functional foods against malnutrition, anti-aging, producing natural food colors and participating in cosmetic industry.
In 100g of gac meat contains 15 mg of carotene and 16 mg of lycopene. When gac is ripe, the carotene content will decrease or vice versa. Gac fruit also contains plant Lycopene that contributes to anti-aging, prevention of tanning, acne, dry skin, hair loss, papules... In addition, it also has uses in skin care and skin protection. , helping to keep the skin rosy, youthful and smooth. Many studies show that compounds of carotene, lycopene, vitamin E (cotopherol) in Gac oil help neutralize 75% of carcinogens, especially breast cancer. In Vietnamese and Chinese Traditional Medicine, gac seeds can be substituted for bear bile to treat cases of trauma, pain, and mumps.
3. Health Benefits of Gac Fruit
Some of the health benefits of using gac fruit:Anti-cancer Gac fruit contains a number of nutrients that have been shown to prevent cancer and also slow down the multiplication of cancer cells. . Recently, many evidences suggest that this fruit contains a special protein that helps prevent the proliferation of cancer cells. For this specific reason, gac fruit is being studied for possible inclusion in cancer prevention and treatment.
Anti-anemia Gac contains a lot of iron as well as vitamin C and folic acid, so it is beneficial for the prevention of anemia. Scientists have proposed to find out the cause of anemia and depending on the condition, start giving the patient this fruit. Therefore, regular consumption of gac fruit is very beneficial for overcoming anemia problems.
Helps reduce cholesterol Gac is recommended for people with high cholesterol levels. If consumed weekly, this fruit will help reduce the level of “unwanted” cholesterol from each of us.
Prevents cardiovascular diseases As mentioned in the previous section, this fruit is high in antioxidants so it helps prevent cardiovascular diseases. If we consume this fruit as well as lead an active lifestyle, our heart health will be ensured.
Improve eyesight Improving eyesight is also a benefit of gac fruit. The vitamins, beta carotene and other substances present in gac fruit are helpful in improving eyesight as well as preventing cataracts and other vision problems.
Anti-Depression Depression is a serious medical condition characterized by a person feeling very sad, hopeless, unimportant and often unable to live a normal life. However, eating gac fruit regularly will help overcome nervous problems because it is rich in selenium, minerals and vitamins, which are important for the nervous system, which can help fight depression.
Maintain youth and prevent aging In addition to the health benefits that this fruit brings, Gac fruit also inhibits the aging process, increases cell activity, reduces stress, maintains the youthful appearance of the skin. skin and rebuild collagen structure under the skin.
Limit the risk of prostate enlargement Gac heals prostate fibroids and improves urine flow. The sweet pulp around gac seeds has 70 times more lycopene than tomatoes... Therefore, gac fruit is recommended for regular use to combat prostate cancer problems.
Gac fruit is a very good fruit for human health, such as supporting heart health, repelling diseases and slowing down the aging process of the body. However, extreme caution should also be exercised when handling gac fruit because some parts of the fruit are inedible, including the outer skin and sides of the fruit.
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