A species of the mulberry family, this evergreen tree grows to 65 feet tall and produces the world’s largest tree-borne fruit—up to 75 pounds each. The average fruits are 1 to 2 feet long, and up to 1 foot wide. The exterior is green-yellow in color, with small, spiky knobs. The flesh is light yellow, with a banana-like flavor.
WHERE IT CAN BE FOUND:
Caribbean, Central America, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Brazil, East Indies, Africa
PROPERTIES AND USE:
Anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, febrifuge, antivenomous, abortifacient (wood only), nervine, hypotensive, and used to treat constipation, diabetes, skin conditions, swollen glands, ulcers, poor immune system function, obesity, asthma, loss
of memory, ADHD, wrinkles
TRADITIONAL PREPARATION:
For snakebites and skin conditions, chew the fruit, and pack into the wound. For fevers, stress, hypertension, constipation, diabetes, swollen glands, ulcers, poor immune system function, obesity, loss of memory, and ADHD, eat 1 cup of the fruit each day. For asthma, take 1 tablespoon jackfruit root extract twice per day. To reduce fine lines and wrinkles, spread the custard-like fruit’s interior over the skin and leave on for 20 minutes. Repeat three times per week. This also works on other skin conditions.
