An abundant fruit in Dominican Republic
The Jagua, whose scientific name is “Genipa Americana L.”, is both a tree and a tropical American fruit that abounds throughout the Hispaniola Island.
Description
The jaguas are fruit ellipsoid berries, which are 4 to 11 cm in diameter. They have a crown-shaped structure at the tip, or grayish green, turning yellow when ripe.
The Jagua also has a strange feature: it can get dry, but does not rot.
Tree
The tree has a straight growth up to 25 meters high and 10 to 50 cm in diameter.
Its trunk is branched at low altitude and outer bark is gray.
Its leaves simple and opposite, clustered in the terminal ends of the sticks, 10 to 40 cm long and 4 to 18 cm wide, obovate or elliptic, apex acute, margins entire or undulating and cuneate base.
The flowers are pale yellow and fragrant have good size (3.8 cm) occur in clusters at the end of the branches.
Properties
It was found that the Jagua is a natural source of iron, riboflavin and anti-bacterial substances and therefore are assigned the following properties:The fruits are diuretic, stomach, and revulsive and the juice is indicated against chronic enteritis and dropsy.
In homoeopathic medicine is recommended that plant in scurvy and venereal ulcers and dropsy. The ripe fruit is also used to treat bronchitis, while the unripe fruit is astringent, anti-inflammatory and anti-anaemic.
The green fruit, toasted and rubbed on the skin has the ability to ward off mosquitoes and it is free of impurities. The root of the Jagua has purgative and laxative effect, while the bark decoction home cure scorbutic ulcers and venereal diseases, in addition to combating anemia and regurgitations of the liver and spleen.
Preparations
The ripe Jagua is edible and we can prepare drinks, jams and liqueurs with it.
Jagua Juice : Open the Jagua into two pieces, and flush out the seeds with pulp, and cut into more pieces. Put it in a pot with water and sugar for a hours or even days and moves with a spoon.
Jagua Liquor : With ripe fruit and fermented with brandy is an alcoholic beverage. After marinating the jagua with water, sugar and alcohol, let it rest for a month.
