Jackfruit: A safe medicine for children

Jackfruit can be used as a medicine or to treat many diseases for children very safely such as thrush, white urine, asthma...

Jackfruit is a large tree, about 8-15m high, with the scientific name artocarpus integrifolia linn, belonging to the mulberry family (moraceae). Jackfruit trees are widely grown throughout our country, in the plains and up to an altitude of 1,000m, very close to rural people. There are many types of jackfruit such as: honey jackfruit, dai miest, and ton nu jackfruit (a specialty of the South). In addition to nutritional value, many parts of the jackfruit tree are also good medicinal herbs.

Medicinal parts

Almost all parts of the jackfruit tree are used as medicine. Jackfruit leaves are used as a galactagogue, to treat indigestion, diarrhea and high blood pressure. In India, jackfruit leaves are used to treat skin diseases and snake bites. Jackfruit wood is ground to make a drink that has a sedative effect, with a dosage of 6 - 10g/day. Meanwhile, jackfruit root decoction can treat diarrhea.

Jackfruit is large, about 30 - 60cm long, 18 - 30cm in diameter, with thorns on the outside. Except for the thorny skin, the rest of the jackfruit is almost edible. Ripe jackfruit segments are very delicious. Jackfruit fibers can be used to pickle like pickled vegetables (called nhut). Young jackfruits are also used as a vegetable to cook soup, braise fish, mix salads...

Jackfruit seeds can be boiled, roasted, grilled or cooked with rice. Jackfruit seeds have nutritional value like other seeds and tubers, and are used by people to stave off hunger during lean days. Jackfruit seeds can be dried as a reserve food, containing up to 70% starch, 5.2% protein, 0.62% lipid, and 1.4% minerals. Jackfruit seeds have the effect of replenishing the middle and benefiting qi, causing flatulence and urination.

Some documents also say that jackfruit seeds contain a substance that inhibits intestinal digestive enzymes, so eating a lot can easily cause bloating.

Ripe jackfruit segments are golden yellow, delicious and sweet, with a very distinctive aroma. They are considered nutritious and have expectorant properties. In terms of nutritional value, ripe jackfruit segments contain 0.6 - 1.5% protein (depending on the type of jackfruit), 11 - 14% glucid (including many simple sugars such as fructose, glucose, which are easily absorbed by the body), carotene, vitamin C, B2... and minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphorus... According to documents from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), jackfruit segments contain a lot of sugar, protein, vitamins A, B1, B2, C and many minerals necessary for the body.

Nutritious dishes from jackfruit

Fermented jackfruit wine: 1kg ripe jackfruit segments, 300g white sugar, 2 cakes of yeast (Chinese medicine yeast). How to make: Choose ripe jackfruit segments, remove seeds, mix the segments with 150g sugar. Crush the yeast, sieve. Put the jackfruit in a wide-mouthed glass jar, sprinkle yeast on each layer of jackfruit until all the jackfruit is used up. Sprinkle the remaining yeast on top, cover tightly. After about 4-5 days, the jackfruit will ferment and give off a fragrant smell. Take 2 liters of filtered water, mix with the remaining 150g of sugar, pour in, cover tightly to continue fermenting. After about 9-10 days, when the fermented wine in the settling jar is clear, it is done. Pour the water out, filter through a funnel lined with cotton to make it clear, put in a bottle, and cork tightly (because the remaining sugar in the wine will continue to ferment, making it easy to pop the cork). Fermented jackfruit wine has a light yellow color, is carbonated and has a fragrant smell of jackfruit. Jackfruit wine is quite nutritious, it takes a long time to get drunk because jackfruit has the ability to sober up, it can be used as an appetizer with meals like beer or wine.

Jackfruit cooked with sugar: 30 large ripe jackfruit segments, 300g white sugar, 1 fresh lemon. Choose medium ripe jackfruit, large segments with thick flesh, remove seeds, cut into square pieces. Put sugar in a pot with 300ml water, bring to a boil, add jackfruit and stir well. Reduce heat to simmer, when the jackfruit is clear, the sugar water is slightly thick, it is done. Let the jackfruit cool, refrigerate. When eating, put the jackfruit in a cup, squeeze lemon into the remaining sugar water, stir well, pour over the jackfruit, eat cold, use as dessert after meals, also helps to sober up.

Young jackfruit stir-fried with meat: peel the young jackfruit, slice it, stir-fry it with lean pork, add spices, and eat with rice. According to Oriental medicine, this dish has the effect of strengthening the spleen, harmonizing the liver, increasing and promoting milk production, suitable for postpartum women who are weak, have poor appetite, and have little milk.

Ways to cure diseases from jackfruit tree

Jackfruit leaves are thick, oval, 7 - 15cm long. Often used as medicine with fresh leaves specifically such as:

Used as a galactagogue: If a woman has little milk after giving birth, use fresh jackfruit leaves (30 - 40g/day) to boil water to drink to help produce or increase milk production. You can also use male flower clusters (commonly known as jackfruit balls), or young fruit to boil and drink to increase milk production.

Treating thrush in children: dry yellow jackfruit leaves until completely dry, then burn them into charcoal, mix with honey, apply to the thrush 2-3 times/day, once at night.

Cure white urine in children: take 20 - 30g of old leaves of jackfruit tree, chop finely, fry until golden brown, boil to drink.

Cure asthma: take jackfruit leaves, sugarcane leaves, bamboo charcoal, all 3 in equal amounts, boil and drink 1 dose per day, divided into 3 times.

Cure boils and ulcers: crush fresh jackfruit leaves and apply on swollen boils to reduce swelling and pain. Or boil dried jackfruit leaves until concentrated and apply on ulcers to quickly heal.

Medicine from jackfruit sap: jackfruit bark has a lot of sap, and is often used as a medicine to treat boils. Or you can mix jackfruit sap with vinegar and apply it to swollen boils.

Sedative, antihypertensive (including spasms): grind fresh jackfruit wood on a piece of emery stone or on the rough part of a bowl, add a little water (the water will be cloudy due to the wood and jackfruit resin), drink 6-10g per day, 1 dose per day, divided into 3 times.

Sedative: use about 20g of dried wood (or tree bark), split into small pieces, boil with 200ml of water until 50ml remains, drink once a day, divided into 3 times. Need to drink for several days.

According to Health & Life - NT