Project Markisa @ Passion fruit

Setelah sekian lama penulis tercari-cari apakah tanaman atau ubat yang ideal (semestinya rasanya sedap, tidak perlu pemprosesan yang sukar atau melecehkan) untuk masalah kanser yang dihadapu ibu penulis (setelah mencuba mencari-cari jawapannya di Indonesia, Jepun dan USA (Florida), maka kini terjawablah teka-teki tersebut. Ubatnya - jus buah markisa yang pernah cuba diseludup masuk ke Malaysia oleh pembantu rumah penulis - tapi gagal!  Kalau  yang berpotensi tinggi pun cuma buah Pokok Mahkota Dewa - buahnya perlu melalui beberapa proses kerana ianya amat beracun. Sabtu yang lalu - /11/2008, penulis akhirnya berjaya mendapatkan beberapa pokok markisa yang dua daripadanya telahpun ditanam didalam pasu. Carian di Internet mendapati juga jus buah markisa, daun serta akarnya juga bagus digunakan sebagai ubat alternatif masalah asthma atau lelah yang dihidapi oleh anak-anak penulis (termasuk penulis sendiri). Sekiranya ianya berjaya ditanam dan hudup subur dan mengeluarkan hasil, maka bolehlah dikira-kirakan untuk dikomersilkan.

Excerpts from Article 1

Passion fruit has been popular world wide for years, and the juice is often found in commercial fruit punches. Recently, however, scientists are taking a second look at these unnatractive globes, largely because of their high antioxidant content and phyto-chemicals and their role in potential healing.

The results of an exciting new study, reported in April of 2008, found that passion fruit peel helps relieve asthma. Over 80% of the subjects receiving the extract found relief from wheezing, and coughing decreased by 76%. Researchers point to the fruit's antioxidants and to its flavonoids, which inhibit the production of histamine and reduce inflammation and allergy.

Excerts from Article 2

GAINESVILLE, Fla.--- University of Florida researchers have found an extract prepared from the juice of yellow passion fruit kills cancer in cell cultures.

"We know that eating fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of cancer," said Susan Percival, professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Science at UF. "That reduced risk is due to plant compounds or phytochemicals, such as carotenoids and polyphenols, both of which are found in abundance in passionfruit juice."

Percival's work was with yellow passion fruit, which is native to Ecuador and Brazil. The plum-sized fruit contains a fleshy pulp and many seeds, and is harvested mainly for its acidic juice. The juice is served fresh in South America, and it is prized for its sweet flavor, a little bit like pear and a little bit like banana. Processed passion fruit juice is one of the base flavors in mixed fruit drinks such as Snapple Sky and Hawaiian Punch. Until now, the passion fruit has been known only as a good-tasting fruit drink.

"Yellow passion fruit juice contains 13 different carotenoids and 8 different polyphenols, in a single whole food," said Steve Talcott, Assistant Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition. "Most of the research on phytochemicals has been done on one or two compounds, rather than a whole fruit. We wanted to test the effects of the whole passionfruit on cancer cells."