Yellow Mombin / Jobo
Scientific Name: Spondias mombin
Origin: South America
Botanical Family: Anacardiaceae
Jobo is a deciduous tree native to Latin America, cultivated for its nutrient-rich fruit, and used in erosion control.
Brief History and Description
Purple mombin is a tree with a spreading crown. It reaches a height of 25 meters. This tree is widely cultivated in tropical regions, especially in the Americas, for its edible fruits. The yellow pulp of the fruit is juicy and tastes like plum.
Culinary Usage and Nutritional Properties
Jobo has a significant amount of carotenoid (pro-vitamin A), and part of its pulp provides one-third of the daily vitamin A requirement. It contains a lot of potassium, copper, dietary fiber, vitamins C and K, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and beta-carotene. Fruits are eaten raw or cooked with sugar. It is also used to make jam, ice cream, etc. Unripe fruits are pickled and used like olives. Young leaves, raw or boiled, are consumed. The seeds can also be eaten. The root juice of this tree can be drunk.
Economic and Environmental aspects
Due to its high adaptability, the Jobo plant is used to control erosion and restore degraded soils. They are planted for shade and ornament, as well as living hedges. They are also used as windbreaks and wildlife shelters.
Tree gum is used as an adhesive. The skin is used in tanning and dyeing due to its tannin content. Also, this plant's medicinal value has made it an economically important commercial commodity.
Annual Yield
Large trees can produce more than 100 kg of fruit per year.
Pharmacological Activities and Bio-active Properties
- Jobo fruit juice is diuretic and antipyretic,
- Decoction of astringent bark acts as an emetic, as a medicine for diarrhea, dysentery, and hemorrhoids, and as a treatment for gonorrhea and leucorrhoea,
- Powdered skin is suitable for wounds,
- Decoction of young leaves is also a medicine for diarrhea and dysentery,
- The juice of the crushed leaves and the powder of its dry leaves are used as a poultice on wounds and inflammations,
- Gum is used as an expectorant and to expel tapeworms,
- Decoction of skin and flowers is used to treat back pain, rheumatism, angina pectoris, malarial fever, digestive system congestion, metrorrhagia, and as a contraceptive,
- Jobo’s pulp has antioxidant properties.
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