Mexican-apple
StarCasimiroa edulis
Synonyms: Casimiroa sapota f. glabrata, Casimiroa sapota f. salvadorensis, Casimiroa sapota f. comitana, Casimiroa sapota f. costarricensis, Casimiroa sapota, Casimiroa sapota f. ovandoensis, Fagara bombacifolia, Casimiroa edulis f. microcarpa, Casimiroa sapota var. villosa, Zanthoxylum araliaceum, Zanthoxylum bombacifolium, Casimiroa sapota f. jaliscana, Casimiroa sapota f. macrocarpa
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
In traditional Mexican medicine, decoctions of white sapote seeds and leaves have long been used as a sedative tea to relieve insomnia and promote sleep, and the plant is also widely employed as an antihypertensive (Argueta, 1994). Pharmacological studies of the seeds and leaves have validated sedative, anxiolytic, and hypotensive activity, the latter linked to histamine derivatives and other isolated constituents.
Gallery
Botanical Description
Casimiroa edulis, the white sapote or Mexican apple, is an evergreen tree in the citrus family ranging from about 5 to 16 metres tall, with spreading, often drooping branches and a broad leafy crown. The leaves are alternate and palmately compound, with three to five leaflets each 6 to 13 cm long and 2.5 to 5 cm broad, with entire margins, borne on petioles 10 to 15 cm long. Small greenish-yellow flowers give rise to the edible fruit, which has thin green skin and soft white flesh resembling an apple, with a custard-like texture and a flavour suggesting banana, peach, or vanilla. Each fruit contains one to five seeds that are poisonous. The species is native to eastern Mexico and Central America south to Costa Rica, where it grows in tropical highlands above about 600 m; it is not suited to coastal tropics or deserts and is now cultivated widely in subtropical regions.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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