Popping treats: The many benefits of medicinal fruit Aratiles

MANILA, Philippines — Aratiles or Aratilis is the Filipino term for a fruit called Muntingia calabura, also known as Kerson Fruit or Jamaican Cherry.

The fruit has a Cherry-like flavor. Red and round, it is just the size and shape of a Blueberry and a Cranberry. They are a favorite childhood fruit, or a heirloom fruit, of the Filipino adult population because they grew in abundance on trees found mostly in the backyard of most houses in the provinces.

Today’s younger generations are no longer familiar with this lovely fruit, which the older generation would just shove into their mouths in small batches and pop them inside to release a sweet, liquidy pulp with a hint of fig-like taste and tartness unique to the palate.

Unfortunately, Aratiles trees did not survive as beautifully as Mango trees and Guava trees when urban development started “creeping in” to precious private lands. There are just a few of them left which, hopefully, can be cultivated and nurtured back to abundance because the Aratiles fruits offer so much more than just delicious popping treats.

Named in honor of Abraham Munting, a Dutch botanist and botanical artist who lived in the mid-1600s, the Aratiles fruit offers many health benefits. It has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and anti-diabetic components. It also has antioxidant properties and was largely used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments.

Aratiles, which has been well-studied for its health benefits, has been found to fight gout, an arthritic pain that can cause sudden burning pain, stiffness, and swelling in joints. Consuming nine to 12 pieces of Aratiles fruit every day can give relief to this type of debilitating pain.

The powerful antioxidant known as Anthrosyanin, which is present in the fruit, also helps protect against excessive uric acid in the body. The fruit likewise helps improve digestion with its soluble dietary fiber content, as well as ward off cholesterol and fats from the body for a smooth and healthy bowel system. In the same manner, the cardiovascular system benefits from regular consumption of Aratiles.

Working for the Aratiles are its fruits and its leaves. The fruits are eaten as is, while the leaves have to be boiled into a tea and drunk just like any other tea.

There is so much more that the Aratiles can offer. So if you find it, cultivate it. It can do wonders for you.

RELATED: Rambutan: Trivia about Southeast Asia's exotic fruit