The Red Dragon Fruit is native to Mexico, Central and South America. It is also popularly cultivated in Southeast Asian countries.
The fruit is commonly known as the dragon fruit, but its more formal name is pitaya or pitahaya. Like other fruits grown worldwide, the fruit has acquired different versions of its name in different countries.
- huǒ lóng guǒ – Chinese, meaning “fire dragon fruit.”
- lóng zhū guǒ – Chinese, meaning “dragon pearl fruit.”
- thanh long – Vietnamese, meaning “green dragon.”
- strawberry pear
- nanettikafruit
- Pitahaya – Mexican
- Pitaya roja – Central America
- nanettikafruit
- nanettikafruit
The red dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) is red-skinned and has white flesh. Some people get this variety confused with the Costa Rica Pitaya (Hylocereus costaricensis), a red-skinned fruit with red flesh.
The Fruit Itself
The fruit weighs between 150-600 grams; sometimes, it can weigh as much as 1 kilogram. The flesh of the fruit is sweet and low in caloric value. The fruit is best served chilled. Many people think of the dragon fruit as comparable to the kiwi fruit because of all the sesame seed-sized crunchy black seeds found throughout the fruit’s flesh. The fruit’s rind is not eaten, and if the fruit has been grown on a farm, the fruit’s skin is usually ridden with pesticides.
USES
The red dragon fruit is cultivated in the following areas:
- Northern Australia
- Hawaii
- Israel
- Malaysia
- Okinawa
- Philippines
- Southern China
- Sri Lanka
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Vietnam
It has been used:
- Converted in Juice
- Converted in Wine
- Used to flavor beverages
- syrup made of the whole fruit is used to color pastries and candy
- pulp of the fruit is used to make an alcoholic beverage
- Flowers are steeped as tea
- Unopened flowers can be cooked like vegetables
BENEFITS
The fruit is known to have high laxative properties. It is referred to as “Débousse-to-fesse” in Mauritius (an island in the Indian Ocean) because of this.
The dragon fruit is a great source:
- Vitamin C
- fiber and minerals, particularly phosphorus and calcium
- seeds are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids
- phytoalbumin antioxidants
The red dragon fruit has been known to help chronic respiratory tract ailments when eaten regularly.
- increases excretion of heavy metal toxins
- lowers cholesterol
- lowers blood pressure
- natural laxative properties
- aids digestion
- improve eyesight
- prevent hypertension
- helps to control blood glucose levels
- treats endocrine problems
Dragon Fruit Nutrition
Values per 100 g of raw pitaya (of which 55 g are edible):
- Water 80-90 g
- Carbohydrates 9-14 g
- Protein 0.15-0.5 g
- Fat 0.1-0.6 g
- Fiber 0.3-0.9 g
- Ash 0.4-0.7 g
- Calories: 35-50
- Calcium 6–10 mg
- Iron 0.3-0.7 mg
- Phosphorus 16 – 36 mg
- Carotene (Vitamin A) traces
- Thiamine (Vitamin B1) traces
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) traces
- Niacin (Vitamin B3) 0.2-0.45 mg
- Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) 4–25 mg
Source: Wikipedia
Additional Dragon Fruit Resources on Antioxidant Fruits.com:
Aken
Sunday 3rd of October 2010
Mauritius is an island in the Indian Ocean. Part of India. It is not part of Indonesia.
admin
Sunday 3rd of October 2010
Hi Aken, Thanks for pointing this out. I checked Wikipedia and it says, it's the Republic of Mauritius. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauritius as does the official site of the island - http://www.mauritius.net/general_info/index.php. Doesn't look like it is part of India or Indonesia - but rather part of itself!
Where did you get your information?
fish oil
Saturday 9th of January 2010
I tried fish oil and it really helped with those fatty acids. The problem was that it made my stomach upset.... Any suggestions?
admin
Saturday 9th of January 2010
There is an awesome drug called Lovaza, that might be better. Fish oil always made me burp! I hate fish, so having the taste/smell of fish oil in my mouth made me almost puke. So I got Lovaza prescribed - great stuff! It is so concentrated is why I think it is prescribed.