Edible Parts: Fruit  Oil  Seed
Edible Uses: Chocolate  Drink  Oil  Tea

The ripe fruit is eaten raw, made into sherbets, ice cream, drinks etc and can also be dried[301 ]. Unripe fruits are cooked as a vegetable[301 ]. The pulp of the ripe fruit is salmon-red to reddish-brown in colour, it has a firm, finely granular texture and a rich, sweet almond-like flavour[301 , 303 ]. The ovoid fruit varies in size from 8 - 20cm long[303 ]. The fruit of most cultivars tends to weigh within the range of 500 - 1,000g[200 ], though they can weigh up to 2.7 kilos[303 ]. Seeds[331 ]. They have a flavour similar to bitter almonds[331 ]. The ground up seeds are added to texate, made into a confection or mixed with cornmeal, sugar and cinnamon to make a nutritious beverage called pozol[301 ]. The seed can be milled to prepare a bitter chocolate[303 ]. The seed kernel yields 45 to 60% of a white, semi-solid, vaseline-like oil which is edible when freshly extracted and refined[303 ].

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Anthelmintic  Antirheumatic  Astringent  Bitter  Digestive  Diuretic  Emetic  Epilepsy  
Hypotensive  Kidney  Ophthalmic  Pectoral  Poultice  Skin

The seed kernel oil is used as a skin ointment and as a hair dressing that is believed to stop falling hair[303 ]. In 1970, clinical tests at the University of California at Los Angeles failed to reveal any hair-growth promoting activity but confirmed that the oil of sapote seed is effective in stopping hair-fall caused by seborrhoeic dermatitis[303 ]. The oil is said to be diuretic and is also employed as a sedative in eye and ear ailments[303 ]. The seed residue, after oil extraction, is applied as a poultice on painful skin afflictions[303 ]. The seed kernel is regarded as a digestive[303 ]. A seed infusion is used as an eyewash[303 ]. The pulverized seed coat is reported to be a remedy for coronary trouble and, taken with wine, is said to be helpful against kidney stones and rheumatism[303 ]. The Aztecs employed it against epilepsy[303 ]. The bark is bitter and astringent and contains lucumin, a cyanogenic glycoside[303 ]. A decoction of the bark is taken as a pectoral. A tea of the bark and leaves is administered in arteriosclerosis and hypertension[303 ]. The milky sap is emetic and anthelmintic and has been used to remove warts and fungal growths on the skin[303 ]

Cosmetic  Furniture  Hair  Oil  Soap making  Wood

Large shade tree. Public open space. Specimen. Backyard tree. Other Uses: It has been used to fix the colours on painted gourds and other articles of handicraft[303 ]. (The part used is not specified[K ].) The seed kernel yields 45 to 60% of a white, semi-solid, vaseline-like oil which is edible when freshly extracted and refined. It is sometimes used in soap and considered to have a greater potential in the soap industry, in cosmetics and pharmaceutical products[303 ]. It is also used as a hair dressing, and is said to promote the growth of the hair and prevent it falling out[331 ]. The very smooth seeds were formerly much used in Central America for smoothing starched linen, like an iron, and it is stated that they are still used for this purpose in Guatemala[331 ]. The trees are seldom cut for timber, unless they bear poor quality fruit[303 ]. There is very little sapwood. The heartwood is buff or brown when fresh, becoming reddish with age; sometimes resembles mahogany but is redder and more or less mottled with darker tones. It is fine-grained, compact, generally hard and fairly heavy, strong, easy to work and fairly durable. It is rated as suitable for cabinetwork and is made into furniture, but mostly serves for building carts, and for shelving and house frames[303 ].

Special Uses

Attracts Wildlife  Food Forest