It seems another food, a fruit called the mangosteen, might be a valuable addition to the diets of those with Rheumatoid Arthritis because of its potential as an anti-inflammatory. The mangosteen is a small, tangerine-sized deep purple fruit from Southeast Asia that has recently been made more commonly available within Canada and the US.

The very thick skin of the fruit surrounds white segments shaped like those of an orange and the fruit is very tasty in its own right. The fruit contains biologically beneficial chemicals called flavinoids and xanthones with the xanthones being in very high concentration within the skin and seeds of the fruit.

Most people are familiar with antioxidants and the many claims of benefits that these compounds provide. The xanthoness, it seems, are very powerful antioxidants and this could be another benefit of the fruit in addition to its providing anti-inflammatory effects.

However, at this point, insufficient modern research has been conducted to conclusively state whether the mangosteen does actually reduce inflammation despite the numerous claims of those selling juices and capsules derived from the fruit. The Mayo clinic itself states that these claims are currently undocumented.

That being said, when you are suffering from debilitating pain and some relief might come in the form of juice or supplements, it might be worth trying with consultation from your rheumatologist.

If anyone has tried the capsules or juice from the mangosteen in their diet, it would be great to hear about whether or not any benefit was perceived and what products you tried.

Does anyone know if the mangosteen is available in th uk?

Lots of stuff came up on a google search. Here are some sites where you can buy it:

http://www_naturallygreen_co_uk/mangosteen-juice-1-litre-p-125.html?zenid=5ef06048208372bd2588dadb823753ab

http://www_amazon_co_uk/Kosher-Organic-Mangosteen-Juice-946ml/dp/B000X9FEVS

Just cut and paste replacing the '_' with '.'