306 | Daophal

Daophal alternative name

Daophal is a type of flowering tree. It is known as dumbbell, demgola (in the Chakma language) and aruak (in the Garo language). In English it is called as ‘False Mangosteen’, ‘Monkey Fruit’, ‘Egg Fruit’ or ‘Yellow Mangosteen’. Its scientific name is Garcinia xanthochymus which belongs to Clusiaceae family. The original habitat of the tree is Malaysia.

It is a tropical fruit

There are about 140 species belonging to the genus ‘Garcinia’ native to Malaysia. Among them, the Daophal species was first brought to Hawaii by Albert Jaeger in 1900.  We can see Daophal in the forests of Sylhet, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh.  Daophal trees were once abundant in Bangladesh, but now their prevalence has disappeared. This tree basically grows in tropical and subtropical regions. This tree grows in both sunny and shady places. It is drought tolerant.

Reproduction time

Daophal trees are four and a half to seven and a half meters tall. Its leaves are bright green, glossy, long lanceolate, serrate and pointed, 20-24 cm long. Its flowers are white, 19 mm in diameter. Flowers bloom from March to May. Fruit equal to a medium-sized apple; Can be up to 8-10 cm long. Fruit smooth, tip pointed, and slightly curved; It is green when raw and dark yellow when ripe. When the leaves fall on the trees in winter, the fruits begin to ripen. The peel of this fruit is aromatic and juicy. Inside are one or more seeds. The taste of the fruit is sour-sweet. The Daophal tree bears a lot of fruit. When it bears fruit, it looks very beautiful.

Production place

Daophal is cultivated in Southeast Asia for its fruit. Ripe daffodil is highly sour. People make Jams, jellies, pickles, juices, sauces, chutneys, sour dal and curries with it. Although it takes some time to separate the seeds and peel from the ripe Daophal. Sylhet people widely use in cooking tok or dal. Monkeys and other animals also eat daffodil. Purple-mangostine (Garcinia mangostana) grafts can be given on Daophal plants. In this way farmers both daophal and mangosteen fruits can  produce on the same tree. People make water color by the extract of dried Daophal.

Daophal has Herbal Properties

Dephal also has herbal properties. A chemical substance called xanthones is extracted from the plant, which is believed to have antibiotic and anti-malarial properties. It has many uses in herbal medicine.

Daophal trees are abundant in the forests of Sylhet, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. This tree grows in both sunny and rainy areas. This fruit is also not available nowadays. The fruit exclusively  grows in forests. Born in forests and hills. Also seen in rural areas. The demand for this beneficial fruit is very high. It is mainly used in sour curries. Daophal sour curry is very tasty when cooked with small fish. Although this fruit is not available as much as before, it is still available in different parts of Sylhet. The original home of the tree is Malaysia.

How to use

You can cook and eat it with small fish. It is very good to eat the filling of ripe daffodil. Ripe fruit is extremely sour. People make Jelly, pickle, jam, juice, chutney  with ripe daophal.

Benefits:

• Plays an effective role in preventing cancer.
• Small blood vessel blocks are cleared.
• Food brings back taste in colds.
• It is a fruit rich in vitamin C.
• A chemical substance called xanthone is extracted from defol which has antibiotic and anti-malarial properties.
•  Daophal has many uses in herbal medicine.
• Daophal has many uses in herbal medicine.
• It is very effective in curing constipation and intestinal inflammation.
• We can make jam and natural vinegar Fruit juice .
• Daophal is also used as a substitute for tamarind.

Description of plants and fruits:

• Daophal trees are four and a half to seven and a half meters tall.
• Its leaves are bright green, glossy, long, serrate and pointed.
• The leaves of the trees fall in winter.
• Flowers are white.
• Flowers bloom from March to May.
• The fruit is as a medium size apple.
•  The fruit is smooth, tip pointed, and slightly curved.
• The fruit is green in color when raw.
• Dark yellow color when ripe.
• The fruit contains one or more seeds.

This fruit is available in Sylhet city and local markets. The price is at Tk 50-70 per kg.

In ancient times people used raw Daophal gum  for oil painting.