Ambarella, also called golden apple or June plum, is a fruit that is eaten raw. The fruit can also be made into flavorings for sauces, soups, and stews. A common delicacy in Sri Lanka, the fruit is soaked in vinegar and chili with other spices to make acharu. It contains vitamin C, phenols, fructose, ethanol, acetic acid, ethyl acetate, hexanol, ethyl butanoate, and limonene.
Ambarella uses are listed in the image below.
Jump to: Medicinal Uses and ethnopharmacological profile
Ambarella Description
Ambarella is native to Indonesia and Malaysia. It is cultivated in Jamaica, Panama, Haiti, Liberia, Brazil, and Trinidad. The fruit is oblong or oval-shaped with a size of between 6 and 8 centimeters and up to 10 in large varieties. The outer skin is thin and smooth and is green when unripe but yellow when it ripens. The pulp inside is fibrous with a tangy and sweet taste.
Ambarella (tree) medicinal uses and ethnopharmacological profile
Traditional uses
Traditionally, the leaves are made into tea and used to relieve coughs, sore throats, and colds. The barks are used for diarrhea and digestive discomforts. Leaves and bark are used on the skin to aid in healing sores and mouth ulcers.
Clinical Uses and Research
Antioxidant effect– fruit and leaf methanolic extracts exhibited scavenging activities against superoxides and DPPH. The extract also acted by disrupting oxidative chain reactions through the reducing potential of phenolics and flavonoids.
Anti-inflammatory effect– ethanol extracts showed anti-inflammatory activity in rats by reducing edema and accompanying symptoms like redness and tenderness. The saponins are believed to achieve this through reducing vascular permeability and reducing exudate formation. Flavonoids, on the other hand, work by inhibiting the release of pain mediators like histamine and serotonin at the injury site. Hasibuan 2021
Laxative effect– in vitro studies witnessed a change in intestinal mobility linked to the flavonoid rutin that aids in bowel movement and relief of constipation.
Antimicrobial effects– Methanolic extracts had activity against bacteria in vitro through phenolic compounds that disrupt microbial membranes and also interfere with bacterial metabolism, leading to microorganism destruction.
Anticancer potential– In an animal model with a dose of 450 mg/kg administered for 15 days, there was a significant reduction in tumor size in the animals tested. Aqueous extracts rich in flavonoids were speculated to act through reduction of the glycoprotein CD133 that is linked to cancer progression. Santos 2023
DNA protection potential– In mice models, ethanolic extracts administered at 500, 1000 0r 1500 mg/kg orally showed reduced DNA damage induced by B[a]P/CP in the bone marrow and blood. Polyphenols like rutin were believed to induce this effect through enhancing endogenous defense systems and combating free radicals that lead to DNA damage.
Antidiabetic potential– Methanol leaf extract in in vitro and silico studies reduced post-meal glucose spikes. The compounds spiraeoside, isoquercetin, and androsterone were isolated to have this activity through the inhibition of enzymes that prevent carbohydrate transformation into absorbable sugars.
Ambarella provides general nutritional supplementation of minerals and vitamins like vitamins C, B1, B2, and B3; carotenoids; potassium; phosphorus; and iron that contribute to boosting the immune system as a whole.
NB-Ambarella remains widely unexplored; hence, it is advisable to limit usage to eating it as a fruit for its nutrients.
REFERENCES
Islam SM, Ahmed KhT, Manik MK, Wahid MA, Kamal CS. A comparative study of the antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic and thrombolytic potential of the fruits and leaves of Spondias dulcis. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2013 Sep;3(9):682-91. doi: 10.1016/S2221-1691(13)60139-2. PMID: 23998007; PMCID: PMC3757275.
Fernandes FHA, Soares SDS, Bekbolatova E, Boylan F, Salgado HRN. Pharmacological, toxicological and phytochemical analysis of Spondias dulcis parkinson. Nat Prod Res. 2024 Mar;38(6):1049-1053. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2023.2210254. Epub 2023 May 8. PMID: 37157836.
Islam SM, Ahmed KhT, Manik MK, Wahid MA, Kamal CS. A comparative study of the antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic and thrombolytic potential of the fruits and leaves of Spondias dulcis. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2013 Sep;3(9):682-91. doi: 10.1016/S2221-1691(13)60139-2. PMID: 23998007; PMCID: PMC3757275.
Araujo CS, Brito LD, Tarifa MO, Silva NJFD, Rodrigues KS, Cavalcante DGSM, Gomes AS, Zocoler MA, Yoshihara E, Camparoto ML, Job AE, Kerche LE. Protective effects of bark ethanolic extract from Spondias dulcis Forst F. against DNA damage induced by benzo[a]pyrene and cyclophosphamide. Genet Mol Biol. 2019 Jul-Sep;42(3):643-654. doi: 10.1590/1678-4685-GMB-2018-0038. Epub 2019 Nov 14. PMID: 31188923; PMCID: PMC6905452.
Sasmita, N. A., Kuswanti, N., & Khaleyla, F. (2024). Effect of Ambarella Leaf Extract on Blood Sugar Levels, Langerhans Islet Diameter, and Hepatosomatic Index of Mice with Diabetes Mellitus Type 2. LenteraBio : Berkala Ilmiah Biologi , 13(1), 150–159. https://doi.org/10.26740/lenterabio.v13n1.p150-159
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