Mahkota Dewa is commonly grown in Asia and can be found at local markets and specialty retailers in New Guinea, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Mahkota Dewa fruits are small to medium and oblong in shape, averaging 3-5 centimeters in diameter. The semi-smooth outer skin has small grooves running the length of the fruit and is green when unripe and a vibrant red when mature.The inner flesh is white, fibrous, and watery and contains one to two brown poisonous seeds.Mahkota Dewa cannot be consumed raw, but when processed, it has a slightly sweet flavor.
Phaleria macrocarpa, commonly known as God's crown, Mahkota dewa or Pau is an Indonesian plant of family Thymelaceae that grows in tropical areas of Papua island. It is a complete tree, including stem, leaves, flowers and fruits. Its height ranges from 1 m to 18 m with 1 m long straight root exuding sap, brownish green bark and white wood.
Mahkota Dewa fruit contains healing ingredients such as flavonoid, polyphenol compounds, saponins, and alkanoids.
Traditional Uses
Mahkota Dewa fruit has been used in traditional medicine across the world for thousands of years. It is well known in traditional Chinese medicine as an anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-oxidant, and anti bacterial. It is widely believed that used in tea, Mahkota Dewa fruit can help reduce symptoms of many health issues and diseases and is still widely used today as a form of alternative medicine.
Mahkota Dewa have been used since years in traditional medicine that are evaluated scientifically as well. The extracts are reported for a number of valuable medicinal properties such as anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-oxidant and vasorelaxant effect. The constituents isolated from different parts of P. macrocarpa include Phalerin, gallic acid, Icaricide C, magniferin, mahkoside A, dodecanoic acid, palmitic acid, des-acetylflavicordin-A, flavicordin-A, flavicordin-D, flavicordin-A glucoside, ethyl stearate, lignans, alkaloids andsaponins.
MEDICINAL USES
Anticancer activity
Leaves and fruits of Mahkota Dewa are being used since years in treatment of different types of cancer especially against breast cancer and brain tumor.
Antihyperlipidemic activity
The increased body mass index causes increased level of total cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) while reduces the levels of high-density lipoproteins. Increased cholesterol level in the body is termed as hypercholesterolemia. Imbalance in cholesterol hemostasis can create certain health problems as arteriosclerosis and heart diseases. The fruit of Mahkota Dewa contains many active compounds as alkaloids, saponins and polyphenols, one of them is gallic acid that is found to regulate cholesterol hemostasis. Gallic acid decreases the cholesterol level in the body by up-regulating LDL-R (low-density lipoprotein receptors) .
Antibacterial and anti-fungal activity
Leaves and seeds of Mahkota Dewa are found to have profound antibacterial activity
This herb is believed to be able to treat various types of diseases, including lowering blood sugar levels by prepared dried Phaleria brewed with hot water and make as a tea drink. Traditional people believed this plant useful for treating cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hipertension and weak lust. This plant when prepared properly could even be a herbal alternative to cure cancer. Moreover, this plant could cure liver disease and heart disease, hypertension, rheumatism, and also gout.
