The Surinam Cherry is a shrub or small tree that bears a very sweet tasty fruit which has the appearance of a small pumpkin.
These are usually red, but are best enjoyed fresh almost black.
A member of the Myrtaceae family, the plant is related to guava, jaboticaba, mountain apple and other members of the genus Eugenia, which includes more than 30 edible species and is native to Surinam, Guyana and French Guiana to southern Brazil.
The fruit is rich in vitamin C, phosphorus, calcium, iron, riboflavin and niacin, as well as being an excellent source of vitamin A.
The Surinam cherry fruit is also rich in the antioxidants lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, gamma-carotene and rubixanthin.
The main ingredients in Surinam are antioxidants which are high in vitamin content. These antioxidants help in preventing non-required free radical productions.
These free radicals if produced, will lead to reactions that may cause inflammation and other diseases.
Antioxidants are required by the body for curbing the excess oxidation that may turn unhealthy.
The benefits of Surinam cherry fruit come from its astringent and antiseptic qualities, clearing symptoms of diarrhoea and other gastro-intestinal upsets.
It is also thought to be effective in clearing respiratory symptoms.
The powerful essential oils found in the leaves make them an effective remedy for colds and as a vemifuge, which is why those in Surinam make a decoction from them.
The fruit is delicious eaten out-of-hand or as an ingredient in jelly, sauce and pies.
Refrigeration enhances the flavour and makes these a good substitute for strawberries.
When crushed, the leaves from the tree emit a pungent agreeable odour, for which reason they are sometimes thrown all over the floors of homes in the Amazon region.
The fragrance they emit when trampled underfoot is doubly appreciated as being thought efficacious in driving away flies.
Surinam cherry is also cultivated in many other countries, where it is used in the production of juice, frozen pulp, and tea.
It has been traditionally used in some countries as a remedy in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
Surinam cherry ni mti mdogo wa kijani kibichi ambao una matunda ya kupendeza na ya kupendeza ambayo yanaonekana kama matango madogo. Kwa kawaida hizo huwa nyekundu, lakini hufurahishwa vizuri zikiwa safi karibu nyeusi. Mti huu ni wa familia ya Myrtaceae, una uhusiano na guava, jaboticaba, apple ya mlima na wanachama wengine wa jenasi ya Eugenia, ambayo inajumuisha spishi zaidi ya 30 za kula na ni asili ya Suriname, Guyana na Guyana ya Kifaransa hadi kusini mwa Brazil. Matunda hayo yana vitamini C, fosforasi, kalsiamu, chuma, riboflavin na niacin, na pia ni chanzo kizuri cha vitamini A. Matunda ya cherry ya Suriname pia yana antioxidants lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, gamma-carotene na rubixanthin. Viungo kuu katika Suriname ni antioxidants ambayo ni ya juu katika maudhui ya vitamini. Vichukizo hivi husaidia kuzuia uzalishaji wa free radical usiohitajika. Radikali hizi huru zikitokezwa, zitaongoza kwenye athari ambazo zinaweza kusababisha uvimbe na magonjwa mengine. Antioxidants zinahitajika na mwili kwa kuzuia oxidation ziada ambayo inaweza kugeuka unhealthy. Matokeo ya matunda ya cherry ya Suriname yanatokana na sifa zake za kuondoa na kuua, na kuondoa dalili za kuhara na matatizo mengine ya tumbo na matumbo. Pia hufikiriwa kuwa yenye matokeo katika kuondoa dalili za mfumo wa kupumua. Mafuta muhimu katika majani ya mti huo ni bora kwa baridi kali na kwa sababu ya kuhifadhiwa kwa maji, na kwa hiyo watu wa Suriname hutengeneza mchuzi kutoka kwa mchuzi huo. Matunda hayo ni mazuri sana yanapokula bila kuvitumia au yanapotumiwa kama kiungo katika jelly, mchuzi, na keki. Kuhifadhiwa kwenye friji huongeza ladha na hufanya matunda hayo yawe mbadala mzuri wa jordgubbar. Majani ya mti huo yanapopondwa, hutokeza harufu nzuri sana, na kwa sababu hiyo nyakati nyingine hutupwa kwenye sakafu za nyumba katika eneo la Amazon. Harufu wanayoitoa wanapopigwa miguu inathaminiwa mara mbili kwa kuwa huonwa kuwa yenye matokeo katika kuondoa nzi. Cherry ya Suriname hupandwa pia katika nchi nyingine nyingi, ambako hutumiwa kutengeneza maji, unga uliohifadhiwa, na chai. Kwa kawaida imekuwa ikitumiwa katika nchi fulani kama dawa ya kutibu magonjwa ya uvimbe.