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“14 Health Benefits of Santol Fruit”

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Dr. Paul Haider

Santol Fruit or (Sandoricum koetjape) and also known as Lolly fruit, Sayai, Visayan, and Wild
Mangosteen is a fruit from indochina including the Philippines. Santol Fruit is sweet and sour and it’s
loaded with great healing abilities including lots of vitamins, lowers cholesterol, heals allergies, helps
with cancer… and a lot more.

Santol Fruit

Santol Fruit

Vitamins – Santol Fruit contains lots of B and C Vitamins and thus it can stave off scurvy, it’s a great
antioxidant to help prevent cardiovascular disease, strokes, and cancer. And because it contains lots of B
Vitamins it improves our mood, boosts up our metabolism and contains folate for preventing birth
defects.

Allergies – Santol Fruit is great for allergies. If anyone has allergies eating some Santol Fruit is very
important because it contains lots of Sandorinic Acid and Bryonotic Acid. Both of these have been
studied as good agents for preventing and treating allergies.

Contains – Santol Fruit also contains carbs for energy, phosphorus and calcium for strong bones, plus
iron for anemia and pectin which is great for soothing the GI tract and lowering cholesterol.

Lowers Cholesterol – Santol Fruit contains soluble fiber and pectin thus helping to lower cholesterol
levels and prevent cardiovascular disease.

Immune System Boosting – Because Santol Fruit also contains lots fiber and lots of great fiber is great for
creating a good environment for boosting up probiotic bacteria that strengthen our immune system.
And it also contains quercetin which is a powerful antioxidant for boosting immunity.
Skin Problems – Santol Fruit contains a natural steroidal sapogenin and alkaloids that help treat rashes,
psoriasis, and other skin diseases because it’s a natural precursor to cortisone. And Santol leaves can be
mashed and used for treating irritated skin.

Ringworm – Santol Fruit also works well for treating fungal infections including ringworm.

Oral Health – Santol Fruit helps to lower bacterial count of the oral cavity thus helping to prevent tooth
decay… and it increases saliva production.

Cancer – In studies Santol Fruit has been shown to reduce the number and size of mammary tumors in
rats. And a study in the journal Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters shows that Santol can kill
human leukemia cells under laboratory conditions.

Low Glycemic Index – Santol Fruit has a low glycemic index making it great for diabetics and those
watching their weight.

Anti-Inflammatory – Santol Fruit is also a wonderful anti-inflammatory agent making it great for GI
inflammation and other diseases.

Alcoholic Drinks – Ripe Santol Fruit can also be brewed into alcoholic beverages.

Alzheimer’s Disease – Some say that Santol Fruit can prevent Alzheimer’s disease… but to date there is
little information about this.

Taste – Santol Fruit have a nice sweet and sour flavor with floral and citrus overtones which make it very
tasty. And the fruit is creamy and refreshing… and inside the fruit looks a lot like mangosteen fruit.
Diarrhea – Santol Fruit works great for treating diarrhea. Take the roots and boil them, then add water
and vinegar and drink daily until the diarrhea is curtailed… and this mixture helps with intestinal spasms.

Vaginal Infections – Boiled Santol bark can also be used for treating vaginal infections and leucorrhea.

Uses – Santol Fruit can also be made into jams and jellies, makes great drinks and smoothies, can be
used in cooking… and it’s great all by itself.

Fast Growing – Santol Trees are fast growing and will grow in dry areas and in humid areas, and need
little attention. If given some natural fertilizers twice a year they start to produce fruit around 5 years
and they produce lots of fruit.

Wood – Santol Trees can also be used for wood production and make great furniture and polished wood
carvings. And because the trees are fast growing they are a very sustainable source of wood.

Insecticide – And the seeds can be used for making a natural insecticide… thus the seeds should not be
eaten.
References: Morton, J. 1987 Santol p. 199-
201 In fruits of warm climates Julia F.
Morton Miami FL.
https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/sant
ol.html

Santol
Sandoricum koetjape Merr.
Sandoricum indicum Cav.

Sandoricum nervosum Blume

Melia koetjape Burm. f.

 Description
 Origin and Distribution
 Varieties
 Climate
 Soil
 Propagation
 Season
 Pests
 Food Uses
 Other Uses

Perhaps the only important edible fruit in the family Meliaceae, the
santol, Sandoricum koetjape Merr. (syns. S. indicum Cav., S. nervosum Blume, Melia
koetjape Burm. f.), is also known as sentieh, sentol, setol, sentul, setul, setui,
kechapi or ketapi, in Malaya; saton, satawn, katon, or ka-thon in Thailand; kompem
reach in Cambodia; tong in Laos; sau chua, sau tia, sau do, mangoustanier
sauvage, or faux mangoustanier in North Vietnam. In the Philippines, it
is santor or katul; in Indonesia, ketjapi or sentool; on Sarawak and Brunei, it
is klampu. In India, it may be called sayai, sevai, sevamanu or visayan. In Guam, it
is santor or wild mangosteen.
Description

The santol is a fast-growing, straight-

trunked, pale-barked tree 50 to 150 ft (15-
45 m) tall, branched close to the ground
and buttressed when old. Young branchlets
are densely brown-hairy. The evergreen, or
very briefly deciduous, spirally-arranged
leaves are compound, with 3 leaflets,
elliptic to oblong-ovate, 4 to 10 in (20-25
cm) long, blunt at the base and pointed at
the apex. The greenish, yellowish, or
pinkish-yellow, 5-petalled flowers, about
3/8 in (1 cm) long are borne on the young
branchlets in loose, stalked panicles 6 to 12
in (15-30 cm) in length. The fruit
(technically a capsule) is globose or oblate, Fig. 52: Santol fruits photographed by Dr. Walter T.
with wrinkles extending a short distance Swingle, Plant Explorer for the United States
Department of Agriculture.
from the base; 1 1/2 to 3 in (4-7.5 cm)
wide; yellowish to golden, sometimes blushed with pink. The downy rind may be thin
or thick and contains a thin, milky juice. It is edible, as is the white, translucent, juicy
pulp (aril), sweet, subacid or sour, surrounding the 3 to 5 brown, inedible seeds which
are up to 3/4 in (2 cm) long, tightly clinging or sometimes free from the pulp.

Origin and Distribution

The santol is believed native to former Indochina (especially Cambodia and southern
Laos) and Malaya, and to have been long ago introduced into India, the Andaman
Islands, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Moluccas, Mauritius, and the Philippines where it
has become naturalized. It is commonly cultivated throughout these regions and the
fruits are abundant in the local markets.

Only a few specimens are known in the western hemisphere: one in the Lancetilla
Experimental Garden at Tela, Honduras, and one or more in Costa Rica. Seeds have
been introduced into Florida several times since 1931. Most of the seedlings have
succumbed to cold injury. At least 3 have survived to bearing age in special
collections. Grafted plants from the Philippines have fruited well at Fairchild Tropical
Garden, Miami.

In Asia and Malaysia, the tree is valued not just for its fruit, but for its timber and as a
shade tree for roadsides, being wind-
resistant and non-littering.

Varieties

There are two general types of santol:

the Yellow (formerly S. indicum or S. nervo
sum); and the Red (formerly S.
koetjape). The leaflets of the Yellow, to 6
in (15 cm) long, turn yellow when old; the
flowers are pinkish-yellow in panicles to 6
in (15 cm) long; the fruit has a thin rind and
the pulp is 1/4 to 1/2 in (0.6-1.25 cm) thick Plate XXIII: SANTOL, Sandoricum koetjape
around the seeds and typically sweet. The
fruit may not fan when ripe. Only the Yellow is now found wild in Malayan forests.

The leaflets of the Red, to 12 in (30 cm) long, velvety beneath, turn red when old; the
flowers are greenish or ivory, in panicles to 12 in (30 cm) long; the fruit has a thick
rind, frequently to 1/2 in (1.25 cm); there is less pulp around the seeds, and it is sour.
The fruit falls when ripe.

However, Corner says that these distinctions are not always clear-cut except as to the
dying leaf color, and the fruit may not correspond to the classifications. There are
sweet and acid strains of both the Yellow and Red types and much variation in rind
thickness.

Climate

The santol is tropical and cannot be grown above 3,280 ft (1,000 m) in Java. It
flourishes in dry as well as moist areas of the Philippine lowlands.

Soil

The tree has grown well in Florida in acid sandy soil and oolitic limestone, but in the
latter the foliage becomes chlorotic.
Propagation

The santol is reproduced by seeds, air-

layering, inarching, or by budding onto self
rootstocks.

Season

The fruit ripens in Malaya in June and July;

in Florida, August and September; in the
Philippines, from July to October.

Pests

The Caribbean fruit fly (Anastrepha

suspensa) causes freckle-like blemishes on
the surface of the fruit but cannot penetrate
the rind.

Food Uses

The fruit is usually consumed raw without

peeling. In India, it is eaten with spices. Fig. 51: Santol (Sandoricum indicum) marmalade made
With the seeds removed, it is made into jam in the Philippines is sometimes imported into the
United States.
or jelly. Pared and quartered, it is cooked in
sirup and preserved in jars. Young fruits are candied in Malaysia by paring, removing
the seeds, boiling in water, then boiling a second time with sugar. In the Philippines,
santols are peeled chemically by dipping in hot water for 2 minutes or more, then into
a lye solution at 200º F (93.33º C) for 3 to 5 minutes. Subsequent washing in cool
water removes the outer skin. Then the fruits are cut open, seeded and commercially
preserved in sirup. Santol marmalade in glass jars is exported from the Philippines to
Oriental food dealers in the United States and probably elsewhere. Very ripe fruits are
naturally vinous and are fermented with rice to make an alcoholic drink.

Food Value Per 100 g of Edible Pulp

Yellow* Red** Fruits (unspecifiedtype)***

Moisture 87.0 g 83.07-85.50 % 85.4 g
Protein 0.118 g 0.89 % 0.06 g
Carbohydrates 11.43 %
Fat 0.10 g 1.43 % 0.52 g
Fiber 0.1 g 2.30 % 1.26 g
Ash 0.31 g 0.65-0.88 % 0.39 g
Calcium 4.3 mg 0.01 % 5.38 mg
Phosphorus 17.4 mg 0.03 % 12.57 mg
Iron 0.42 mg 0.002 % 0.86 mg
Carotene 0.003 mg
Thiamine 0.045 mg 0.037 mg
Niacin 0.741 mg 0.016 mg
Ascorbic Acid 86.0 mg 0.78 mg
Pectin 14.89 mg
17.01 g

*According to analyses of yellow, thick-skinned, acid fruits in Honduras.

**According to analyses of the red type in the Philippines.

***According to analyses of unspecified type in India. The pericarp contains glucose,

sucrose, malic acid, tartaric acid and much pectin.

Other Uses

Wood: The sapwood is gray, merging into the heartwood which is reddish-brown
when dry, imparting the color to water. It is fairly hard, moderately heavy, close-
grained and polishes well, but is not always of good quality. It is not durable in
contact with moisture and is subject to borers. However, it is plentiful, easy to saw
and work, and accordingly popular. If carefully seasoned, it can be employed for
house-posts, interior construction, light-framing, barrels, cabinetwork, boats, carts,
sandals, butcher's blocks, household utensils and carvings. When burned, the wood
emits an aromatic scent.

The dried heartwood yields 2 triterpenes–katonic acid and indicic acid–and an acidic
resin.

Bark: In the Philippines, the bark is used in tanning fishing lines.

Medicinal Uses: The preserved pulp is employed medicinally as an astringent, as is

the quince in Europe. Crushed leaves are poulticed on itching skin.

In cases of fever in the Philippines, fresh leaves are placed on the body to cause
sweating and the leaf decoction is used to bathe the patient. The bitter bark, containing
the slightly toxic sandoricum acid, an unnamed, toxic alkaloid, and a steroidal
sapogenin, is applied on ringworm and also enters into a potion given a woman after
childbirth. The aromatic, astringent root also serves the latter purpose, and is a potent
remedy for diarrhea. An infusion of the fresh or dried root, or the bark, may be taken
to relieve colic and stitch in the side. The root is a stomachic and antispasmodic and
prized as a tonic. It may be crushed in a blend of vinegar and water which is then
given as a carminative and remedy for diarrhea and dysentery. Mixed with the bark
of Carapa obovata Blume, it is much used in Java to combat leucorrhea.