GOOSEBERRY

Gooseberry (Phyllanthus acidus), or Otaheite gooseberry, Malay gooseberry, starberry, arbari, is an edible small yellow berry which can be found throughout Asia and also in the Caribbean region, Central and South America.

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While it produces some fruit throughout the year, it is mainly harvested in January. As the fruit does not soften when ripe, it is harvested when the fruit begins to drop.

Although it tastes sour and tart when eaten fresh, the fruit can be used to make wonderful dishes such as sour soup. It is candied as well, usually stored in jars with syrup. Liberally sugared, it is also used to make fruit juice, which can be served with ice in hot summer.

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The plant is also used medicinally. The peppered leaves are used to make a poultice to treat sciatica, lumbago and rheumatism (but have been observed to cause low blood pressure when combined with nitrates), while the seeds are used as a cathartic and the root, if prepared with care, as a purgative. The syrup is used to medicate the stomach, and in India the fruit is eaten as a blood-enhancer for the liver. The gooseberry contains 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, caffeic acid, adenosine, kaempferol and hypogallic acid.