Jackfruit

The Origins

No one knows the jackfruit’s place of origin but it is believed indigenous to the rainforests of the Western Ghats. It is cultivated at low elevations throughout India, Burma, Ceylon, southern China, Malaya, and the East Indies. It is common in the Philippines, both cultivated and naturalized.
It arrived in Nayarit (Mexico) in 1985.

Indigenous Knowledge

Raw jackfruit is used for the uterus when it’s a little out of place; it also helps with inflammation and it’s diuretic.
The seed starch is given to relieve biliousness and the roasted seeds are regarded as aphrodisiac. The ash of jackfruit leaves, burned with corn and coconut shells, is used alone or mixed with coconut oil to heal ulcers.
Use the skin of the fruit when it’s ripe to reduce inflammation of the kidneys and for kidney stones, eat the fruit.

Biomedical Science

The dried latex yields artostenone, convertible to artosterone, a compound with marked androgenic action. Mixed with vinegar, the latex promotes healing of abscesses, snakebite and glandular swellings. The root is a remedy for skin diseases and asthma. An extract of the root is taken in cases of fever and diarrhea. The bark is made into poultices. Heated leaves are placed on wounds. The wood has a sedative property; and its pith may produce abortion. Morton, J. 1987. Jackfruit. p. 58–64. In: Fruits of warm climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL.