Let the truth be known:
The mangosteen "juice" that you purchase is not pure mangosteen! In fact,
it is generally a cocktail of fruit juices subtly blended using the best of modern Food Science to cover the taste of the
mashed and boiled mangosteen peel! However, you will certainly notice that there is a heavier "pulp" which settles at the
bottom of the bottle. That pulp probably contains much of the mangosteen pericarp puree, so, you should remember to always
shake the bottle before pouring out your juice, enabling the pericarp to be distributed (more or less) evenly for every glass.
4. Never drink from the bottle
While I may sound like a nagging mother, I will still stress that
you should never drink mangosteen juice directly from the bottle. This is not just because of manners but because your saliva
contains enzymes - and one of their main functions is to help break down food. If even a miniscule amount of your saliva returns
to the rest of the contents, it will cause contamination and the juice will start to break down, becoming less effective,
the longer it is kept.
5. Always drink mangosteen juice with a little food
Mangosteen's xanthones, its super antioxidants, are fat soluble, meaning
that you must consume a little bit of oil or fat to digest them properly. So, if you drink mangosteen juice on an empty stomach,
you may be getting the taste of the mangosteen juice but your body will not be able to extract much of the goodness and your
juice will mostly just pass through your system, coming out as very expensive urine. Luckily, you only need to eat something
small that has oil in it - like peanut butter on a cracker - for the xanthone breakdown process to occur efficiently.
6. Consider using mangosteen juice as a mouthwash
Instead of quickly drinking your juice, consider swilling the mangosteen
juice around your mouth and coating your gums with the small bits of pericarp residue. Think of it as a free mouthwash - and
your dentist may well be surprised by the results!
7. Always carefully rinse the glass you use and drink
the contents later
You will notice that after you have drunk your mangosteen juice, that
some pericarp is left coating the glass. Never throw that away! Always add some more water and drink it (or have it
later if you don't want to dilute the "mouthwash" effect).
That same thinking should also be applied to when you finish a bottle
of the juice. Always fill it with a little water and collect the pericarp from the inside of the bottle. Every extra xanthone
helps!
8. Try to keep your mangosteen juice refrigerated
While mangosteen juice - like most fruit juices - tastes better when
it is chilled, you should also be aware that on hot days, there is a small chance of it going off if it is left out. However,
if it does, don't throw that precious juice away! Place the juice in a pan and reduce it to about 40% of its starting volume.
Then scrape what is left into a clean container and keep the resultant mangosteen juice paste in your refrigerator. When needed,
mix a little bit of the paste with hand or skin cream and apply topically for:
* cuts
* burns
* blemishes
* pimples or
* insect bites etc.
You will be surprised just how effective it is!
9. Drink small amounts of mangosteen juice through the
day
Finally, try to have your mangosteen juice spread through the day, as its half life - the length of time that the mangosteen juice works in your body - is about 4 -
8 hours. Therefore it is better to take several small doses spread throughout the day (around your three main meals) rather
than to have it in just one big hit. That way, the xanthones are working in your system 24 hours a day.
