Ruby Red Tuesday and Rednesday: Macopa

MACOPA... also known as Malay apple or Tersana rose apple. When I was young we used to visit my maternal grandparents in the country side and at the back of their house this fruit tree was located. As soon as we touched our feet on the ground we ran like crazy going to the backyard just to climb up the tree and ate this fruit right on top. My parents would holler at us to climb down since we haven't pay our respect (by kissing the hands of our grandparents) first to our grandparents ^_^. I remember one time me and my brother agreed to have a climbing race going to the top of the tree of course I won but my pants got ripped hehehehehe. Those were the days. 

Botany

A tree reaching a height of 10 meters. Leaves, pinkish when young; older leaves are large, drooping, elliptic-oblong to broadly oblong-lanceolate, 15-30 cm long, 7-15 cm wide, narrowed and pointed . Flowers are large, crimson, 5-6 cms diameter, clustered on racemes aboout 6 cm long. Fruit is shiny, oblong or pear-shaped, 5-7.5 cm long, white splashed, striped with pink, or crimson to purplish, seedless or one-seeded. Flesh is white, pithy, juicy. Although rather tasteless, some varieties have a pleasant flavor.

Distribution
Cultivated for its edible fruit.

Parts used and preparation
Leaves.

Constituents and properties
• Leaf oil largely composed of monoterpenes (30% sesquiterpenes, 9 % caryophyllene).
• Considered diuretic, emmenagogue, abortifacient, febrifuge. 
Uses
Folkloric
Not known in the Philippines for its medicinal properties.
In other countries, the astringent bark is a mouthwash for thrush (dapulak).
A root-bark decoction used for dysentery and amenorrhea.
Powdered leaves used for cracked tongues.
Root-bark used as abortifacient.
In Hawaii, juice of salted pounded bark used for wounds.
In Molucca, decoction of bark used for thrush.
Malayans use powdered dried leaves for cracked tongues. Root preparations for itching.
In Cambodia, decoction of fruit, leaves and seeds used for fever. Juice of leaves used for baths and lotions.
In Brazil, used for diabetes, cough, headaches.
In Malaysian Borneo, Malaysian Bornea, decoction of stem and bark for diarrhea.
Nutrion / Culinary
Fruit is eaten raw but may be prepared with flavoring.
In Puerto Rico, used for making of table wines.
In Indonesia, flowers eaten in salads. Young shoots and leaves eaten, raw or cooked.
Others
Wood is used for construction, bowls and boards.

Studies
• Antiinflammatory: Flavan-3-ols isolated from some medicinal plants inhibiting COX-1 and COX-2 catalysed prostaglandin biosynthesis: S malaccense was one of four plants tested that were traditionally used for inflammatory conditions.
• Antioxidant: Study of 58 underutilized Malaysian fruits of 32 different species, included syzygium m

Availability
Cultivated
source:http://www.stuartxchange.org/Makopa.html

For more Ruby Red Tuesday posts visit it  HERE  

For more REdnesday visit HERE