The exotic dragon fruit (also known as pitaya) isn’t just a tropical delicacy. The fruit has many uses, some of which might surprise you. This overview discusses the three most important ones.
Dragon fruits can be used for several cosmetic purposes, usually for treating acne, or as an after-sun skin treatment. The mild laxative effect also gives dragon fruit a medicinal use, mainly to prevent constipation.
We all know pitayas because of their superfood status. They’re not just healthy, but also taste amazing! The red and yellow varieties in particular are to be admired for their taste. A sweet mix of kiwi and pear, with a soft and slightly crunchy texture. What’s not to love? Well, there’s much more to love than you might think…
Medicinal Uses Of Dragon Fruit
While science is yet to confirm the effectiveness of dragon fruit within the medicinal world, it is undoubtedly true that the fruit has many well-documented health benefits. Never view food as a medicine, even though pitayas might contribute to the prevention of some common health problems.
Mild Natural Laxative
Dragon fruit has a mild laxative effect, meaning that it will help prevent problems like constipation. The emphasis here should be on the word prevention. it’s not considered a treatment after the fact. If you’re experiencing gut problems already, seeking advice from a medical professional is your only solution.
Pitayas are rich in both water and fiber, but also contain a lot of prebiotics. This is essentially food for the good bacteria in your gut, helping you process your food better and more efficiently.
Even the seeds of dragon fruit have a small laxative effect. And yes — those tiny black seeds in the flesh are perfectly fine to eat. They’re very similar to what you’d find in a kiwi.
Helps You Sleep Better
Having trouble with sleeping? A dragon fruit a day might keep the sleep medication away. This is all thanks to the presence of magnesium in pitayas.
People suffering from insomnia might benefit from consuming dragon fruit, mainly because the fruit contains about 68 mg of magnesium for every 6 ounces (170 grams) of pulp. Magnesium has a natural sedative effect.
According to the Sleep Foundation, magnesium helps the body to relax better. It’s known to reduce stress and can help you have longer sleep. The mineral doesn’t help you sleep faster, that’s where you’d need melatonin supplements instead.
Boosts Immune System
Vitamin C and other antioxidants are abundant in all pitaya varieties. The vitamins and minerals found within that delicious soft juicy flesh help boost the immune system.
Take iron for example, which is important for transporting oxygen through the body. The essential mineral gives you more energy and makes you feel revitalized.
Another important mineral for the immune system is calcium. This substance balances the immune system and allows the white blood cells to adequately respond to any ‘foreign threats’ in the body. Dragon fruit has plenty of these substances, and you wouldn’t even notice when eating the fruit!
Cosmetic Uses Of Dragon Fruit
While natural medicinal effects might make sense for dragon fruit, fewer people will think of skin care. Nevertheless, cosmetics are an important use of pitayas. It’s mostly the colorful outer skin layer that’s used for skincare treatments of many kinds.
Acne Treatment
If you’re into beauty products at all, you probably heard of vitamin C serum for hydration and treatment of the skin. Perhaps you even use it yourself? Maybe you should replace it with some dragon fruit. It might even be cheaper, depending on when you buy.
That might sound a little silly at first, but the relatively high vitamin C content in pitayas will have a similar effect on treating acne problems. Skin hydration is only the first step: apply dragon fruit on the skin regularly to see the ance problems vanish like dew on a summer’s morning.
Here’s a quick how-to guide: Take a few dragon fruit pieces and crush them to a pulp with a fork. Dab a cotton ball into the pulp and apply it to the acne-affected area.
After-Sun Skin Care
The magical effects of pitayas on the skin don’t stop there. If you’ve been sitting in the sun for too long, it might also help you to have some dragon fruit in the refrigerator. You should also use crushed-up pulp for this treatment.
Applying dragon fruit to burned skin helps reduce redness and inflammation and moisturizes the burned skin. The vitamin C and vitamin E in the dragon fruit will have a similar effect to an after-sun product. It will soothe your sunburn quickly.
Other Uses For The Dragon Fruit
We only discussed a few of the most common uses of the pitaya in this overview. But there are many more, and a lot are only known in Asian and Latin American cultures.
Take for example the use of red dragon fruit as a dye. The pigment found inside the red variety of the fruit gives it its characteristic colors. The dye from red dragon fruit is even used to color your hair!
