Starfruit’s Secret: Naturally Defending Your Brain, Heart, Gut and More

Our world is filled with unique and beautiful foods that also provide properties for healing and keeping the human body strong—star fruit is one of those foods.

Star fruit on wood background ,starfruit on wood background

Averrhoa carambola, also known as star fruit, is an unusual oval fruit with huge therapeutic potential. It has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicines to treat ailments like fever, cough, diarrhea, chronic headache, digestive issues, and skin infections.

Star fruit is bright yellow or green and comes in sour and sweet varieties. The skin is edible, and the flesh is crunchy, firm, and incredibly juicy—consistent with grapes. Its flavor is described as a combination of apple, pear, grape, and citrus. When the fruit is cut in cross-section, it resembles a star, giving it the name of star fruit. The star fruit tree grows to 20–30 feet with lilac-colored flowers.

History

Star fruit has been cultivated for centuries in Southeast Asia, originating in Sri Lanka around 300 B.C.E. It was discovered by Portuguese explorers to India in the 16^th century, who then brought it to other parts of the world.