THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:The Jackfruit Promotion Council conducted a one-day round table consultation on Medicinal Properties of Jackfruit, the other day. The day-long seminar focussed on collecting and pointing out the few studies done on the fruit’s benefits, highlighting other lesser-known facts, and also reflected on means by which the fruit and its benefits could be made more popular among the public.
The chief guest for the event was Health Minister V S Sivakumar. Dr B Padmakumar, professor, General Medicine, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, delivered the keynote address and talked about the often overlooked health benefits of the fruit, since not many studies have been done highlighting these facts. “ Jackfruit is a fruit native to South East Asia and hence the few studies that have come out have been concentrated mostly in Sri Lanka, but that too among a small number of sample population. This is why people are not aware of the health benefits. However, the results have been very promising,” he added.
Dr K Muralidharan, additional chief physician, Arya Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal spoke on the role jackfruit plays in preventing male infertility, while Panniyode Sukumaran Vaidhyar, traditional Ayurveda-Sidha Marma practitioner, talked about the merits and toxic effects of the poor man’s fruit. James Joseph, founder and brand ambassador, Jackfruit365.com, Ernakulam, shared anecdotal evidences on the delicacy’s health benefits, while K R Anilkumar, food scientist and head, Applied Nutrition division, Defence Food Research Laboratory, Mysore, shared his studies on the nutritional and medicinal values of the fruit in fighting bad cholestrol, diabetes, blood pressure and colon cancer. “Evidence has pointed out that the raw variety of jackfruit can manage diabetes and reduce blood sugar levels without the need for insulin injections,” James said.
In the afternoon session, a booklet on ‘101 Jackfruit Recipes’ by Padmini Sivadas, resource person, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, Wayanad, was also released.
Around twelve papers were presented on the occasion. Others who presented papers included Dr K S Vishnu Nampoothiri, senior medical officer, Government Ayurveda Panchakarma Hospital, Alappuzha, Dr P Ramani, additional professor and head, Division of Cancer Research, Thiruvananthapuram.