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The durian has been known and consumed in southeastern Asia since prehistoric times, but has only been known to the western world for about 600 years. The durian is the fruit of trees of the genus Durio belonging to the Malvaceae,

Durian fruit contains a high amount of sugar, vitamin C, potassium, and the serotoninergic amino acid tryptophan, and is a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. It is recommended as a good source of raw fats by several raw food advocates, while others classify it as a high-glycemic or high-fat food, recommending to minimize its consumption.

In Malaysia, a decoction of the leaves and roots used to be prescribed as an antipyretic. The leaf juice is applied on the head of a fever patient. The most complete description of the medicinal use of the durian as remedies for fevers is a Malay prescription, collected by Burkill and Haniff in 1930. It instructs the reader to boil the roots of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis with the roots of Durio zibethinus, Nephelium longan, Nephelium mutabile and Artocarpus integrifolia, and drink the decoction or use it as a poultice.

In 1920s, Durian Fruit Products, Inc., of New York City launched a product called “Dur-India” as a health food supplement, selling at US$9 for a dozen bottles, each containing 63 tablets. The tablets allegedly contained durian and a species of the genus Allium from India and vitamin E. The company promoted the supplement saying that they provide “more concentrated healthful energy in food form than any other product the world affords”.

Discover Magazine reported an incident where a woman ate a durian and ended up critically ill from potassium overdose. Be careful with durian :-D

Topik: Foods