A Study on Nutrient and Medicinal Compositions of Selected Indian Garcinia Species

Abstract

The Genus Garcinia is one of the tropical underutilized medicinal fruit crops. It contains around 200 species, out of which 35 species are available in India. In India it is present in two different ecosystems, the Western Ghats and the Himalayan foot hills. G. indica, G. gummi-gutta, G. xanthochymus, G. subelliptica and G. mangostana are the common species of Western Ghats while G. lanceaefolia, G.pedunculata, and G. kydia are common species in North eastern Himalayan foot hills. The medicinal importance of Garcinia is due to the presence of HCA (hydroxycitric acid) an anti-obesity compound. Among the primary metabolites, carbohydrates are present in good percentage. The mineral composition showed a great variation in the percentages of potassium, calcium and magnesium (SD being 17.2, 3.5 and 12.15 respectively). The study of vitamin content, organic acids, xanthones and anti-oxidant activity reveals that Garcinia is an important medicinal crop with ample nutraceutical properties.