The Health Benefits of African Pear Fruit.

The African pear tree, called Dacryodes edulis, is a fruit tree that is indigenous to parts of Africa where it rarely grows wild. It is widely cultivated in West Africa, South West Africa and Central African countries. The fruit is long and cylindrical in shape, ripening to blue-green, violet, purple or dark brown to black. It is usually eaten raw, boiled or roasted and has a fleshy and buttery pulp.

African pear fruits are called elemi in Yoruba, ube in Igbo, orumu in Urhobo, ibe in Kalabari; also

known as butter fruit, African plum fruit and many other local names.

African pear fruits contain a lot of nutrients and healing properties which make them beneficial for health when consumed. The fruits are usually in season with corn and are usually eaten with corn to make very healthy snacks. Below are some of the nutritional components and properties;

• High lipid content with healthy fatty acids like stearic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid and arachdinoic acid.
• Vitamins like A, C, folic acid, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, thiamin and pyridoxine.
• Minerals such as iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, calcium and boron.
• Fiber, proteins and carbohydrates.
• Other phytonutrients with anti-microbial antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Some of the health benefits you gain by consuming African pear fruits are;

• It boosts nutrition.
• It helps to lower blood cholesterol level because of the pectin and fiber content.
  
• It helps to promote cardiovascular health because of the healthy fatty acids.
• It reduces the effects of aging because of the antioxidant properties.
• It lowers blood pressure because of the potassium content.
• The fiber content helps in treating constipation.
• The vitamins A and E are antioxidants which are good for healthy skin, hair and scalp.

Other parts of the tree are used for medicine and healing. The leaves infusion is used to treat toothache, gum infections, earache and digestive tract infections. The bark decoction is used to treat anaemia and dysentery while the root decoction is used to treat leprosy.

Snacking on corn and African pear fruit is perfectly healthy, like a lot of African traditional foods and snacks.

Let’s know about healthy snacks that you know below, along with feedback, questions and comments. Follow on Twitter for updates @heal2bwell.