Kepel Fruit

                                                                                                                                                                           
        Kepel Fruit       

        Kepel - stelechocarpus burahol

Kepel fruit grows straight from the tree trunk and not on branches. It originated in Indonesia and is the floral emblem of Yogyakarta Special Region of Indonesia. It still grows wild in secondary forests of Java, where it is mainly cultivated. It is grown elsewhere as an ornamental tree and has been introduced to parts of South America, such as Honduras and to Florida in the USA. It has also been introduced relatively recently to the Philippines and Australia. It is a member of the custard-apple family which now grows throughout south-east Asia,  Malaysia and the Solomon Islands.  Other names are Keppel fruit, Kepel apple, Burahol and Perfume Fruit. 

Cultivated in Indonesia for fruits, which are eaten fresh at maturity. Pulp popularly consumed by Indonesians who believe that its natural deodorant effects would lend a scent of lavender to body secretions (urine, perspiration), breath and smell.

This fruit producing tree that grows up to 25 m tall with a trunk of 40 cm in diameter, covered with brown, dark gray or black bark and glossy leaves. It is also planted as an ornamental tree. The tree produces both male and female flowers, with male flowers occurring on the upper trunk and female flowers on the lower trunk. The kepel fruit, also called the kepel apple, is about as large as an adult’s fist, brown in colour and containing 4 – 6 seeds.

Pinkish cream colored flowers bloom in abundance directly out of the truck and develop into fruits the size of a small orange. The fruit has a brown, leathery skin and contains oval seeds in a creamy, light orange flesh.

Ripe fruits are collected when they drop from the tree, as the attached, unripe fruits tend to have a bitter or sour taste. Ripe kepel fruits are delicious when consumed fresh and used as an oral deodorant on the island of Java. The fruit is also believed to improve body odour. 

Ripe fruits are eaten fresh.  The pulp is said to impart the fragrance of violets to breath, sweat and even urine.  It is also reported to be cause temporary sterility among women.  Hence it was used by the aristocratic ladies of Java as a perfume and a family planning agent.  It is further said that the use of kepel fruits was traditionally restricted to consorts of the sultans of Yogya in Java, Indonesia.

Kepel is a handsome ornamental tree with beautifully pigmented leaves which keep changing colour with age and maturity.  The wood is used for making household articles. Unfortunately it is an endangered species, although it is being cultivated now in Indonesia for its possible further use in the perfume industry. In fact this is where it is unique. It was once used as a way of giving fragrance to the bodily excretions, including urine. It is said to make the liquid expelled by the body and the breath, smell of violets.

Kepel tree became the favourite of the palace princess in Java besides because having philosophy value as symbol of unity and physical and physical integrity, kepel fruit also believed to have various efficacy in the field of beauty. Kepel fruit has become deodorant (deodorizing body) for the princess palace. Unfortunately precisely because that the common people do not dare to plant this tree so it becomes rare.  The Sultan of Jogjia had his consorts eat kepel fruit so that they would smell good naturally and it was also used as a contraceptive as it temporarily renders women infertile. In fact he restricted its consumption so that only his court members could eat the fruit.

The fruit also has diuretic properties, and it is said to be good for the kidneys, preventing stones forming and their function healthy. If you scratch the brown outer casing of the fruit, it is orange underneath when ripe, and it can be found nestling in the bright pink leaves of the tree. It has pink-cream flowers which grow straight out of the trunk of the tree. The fruit’s flesh is a light orange colour and is creamy like a chikoo (which it resembles, at least on the outside) or ber. There are seeds inside, again rather like those of the chikoo. However it is said to have a spicy flavour, a little like a mango. 

In Indonesia, fruit pulp is diuretic and used for preventing kidney inflammation and also used as deodorant for making sweat fragrant.  The fruit helps to lower smell of sweat, breath and urine.  The study shows the ability to restore performance of enzyme production in liver and assist in regenerating cells from damaged liver. It accelerates the process of cell regeneration in kidneys and prevents kidney cell damage.  It acts as a remedy for gout.  It speeds up the process of cell regeneration and also maintains body fitness and keeps person young.  High content of Vitamin C helps to make skin clean. It cleanses the blood, strengthen liver, kidneys and lungs.

It is propagated from seed, which typically germinate quickly, but can take up to 12 months to develop the seedling shoot. The tree will begin to bear fruit in around eight years and produces year round.

The kepel fruit acts as an “internal perfume,” giving one’s breath and bodily secretions—such as perspiration and urine—a distinct scent of violets! This feature inspired many a Southeast Asian aristocrat to plant the trees nearby so that the consumption of the flowers and fruits might render every breath a pleasant one. Fruits were often reserved for women who sought to avoid pregnancy—kepel fruit’s natural contraceptive function brings about temporary infertility.

Kepel fruit grows to meet the trunk of the tree. Fruit shape oval round kepel with the base of the base is slightly tapered. Kepel fruit colour brown a bit grayish, and when it is old will turn into dark brown. The flesh colour is slightly yellowish until brown wrap the seeds are large enough. Sense of sweet Kepel fruit.  it has a sweet taste but most of the contents of fruit filled with seeds that reduce the interest of people to cultivate it.

Kepel meat, seeds and roots contain anti-bacterial, flavonoids and polyphenols, terpenes, and quercetin accompanied by high levels of vitamin C and A, and the leaves contain flavonoids and polyphenols. In research developed by the IPB Research Center and enumerated in the Scientific Repository of the Bogor Agricultural Institute, several benefits were explained, including: Has function as Hepaprotective or protection of liver function in kepel meat. From the results of this study found the ability to restore the performance of enzyme production in the liver and help to regenerate cells from damaged liver.

As an anti-cancer : In kepel meat also found acetogenin, styryl lactons, and isoflavones which will work as an anti-cancer. Acetogenin is a unique compound that works to inhibit mitochondrial permeability from cancer cells and controls apoptosis of cancer cells. Styryl lactons have a role to increase tumor suppressor gene, while isoflavones will work to control estrogenic properties of cancer cells. Speeds up the cell regeneration process: The content of vitamin E, terpenes, and quercetin in kepel fruit make the emergence of the benefits of kepel to the function of cell regeneration and DNA purification. That is why in the past Princess Keraton often consumed kepel fruit to help overcome acne while eliminating acne scars. This cell regeneration properties will also help maintain body fitness and keep a person young.

Affects sweat production systems and enzymes that trigger body odour : Basically the natural scent of the body is caused by two factors, pheromones that carry natural scents and mercaptan which carry a less pleasant aroma. Kepel fruit will work to control mercaptan production. In addition to kepel meat, there is a strong anti-bacterial agent against the formation of ammonia which comes from the reaction of sweat and bacteria and fungi.

Make the skin clean : This high dose of vitamin C, makes the skin clean. From inside the body the content of kepel fruit cleanses the blood, strengthens the liver, lungs and kidneys. Circulation becomes smoother because the frozen blood becomes liquid.  For pregnant women is believed to give birth to a beautiful baby : Vitamin C content in kepel is very high. Pregnant women who eat kepel are believed to give birth to beautiful babies. Baby's skin will look clean.

Helps smooth urine and shed deposits in the kidneys : Flavonoids are complete with high levels of alkaloids, phenolics, and quercetin. Antioxidants are proven not to interfere with kidney function, but instead help accelerate the process of cell regeneration in the kidneys and inhibit kidney cell damage. In addition, in the kepel fruit also found a diuretic ability that will encourage more urine.  As a gout medicine: The high alkaloid content is effective in overcoming gout which is the cause of joint pain and damage. Alkaloids will dissolve in the blood and neutralize pH levels in the joint area quickly.

This fruit have great value as an oral deodorant. When compared to the pulp and seed, the peel is believed to have the best adsorbent ability. Studies that were conducted during the year of 2012 states, that it reduces the odour of feces by activating the probiotic bacterium. 

The research aimed on Indonesian Herbal, Kepel as deodorant agent for reducing fecal odorants which are ammonia, trimethyl-amine and phenol. Pharmacological screening test was conducted by measuring the adsorbent activities of Kepel’s fruit (pulp, seed and peel) to odourants which can be emitted from feces, such as ammonia and methyl-mercaptan. To confirm it ability as an oral deodorant, in vivo test was performed by applying it orally on rats. Kepel’s fruits pulp powder was regarded as the best absorbent agent. All fecal odorant on the 3rd and 7th day oral application result showed a significant decrease. Beside the odourant adsorption, it also activates the probiotic Bifidobacter sp. by increasing its population.  In conclusion, kepel had a potential pharmacological activity as an oral deodorant through its adsorbent function and probiotic activation.

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