DURIANS EVERYWHERE

It is durian season now in Malaysia and the fruits are sold almost everywhere. My mum tells me that the neighbours living next door have been feasting on this "King of Fruits" daily since the season began. Some say it is not a wise thing to do as too much of durians might be harmful. My mum who is diabetic also tries not to eat too much durians. The sugar content of the fruit is very high. Me? I daren't eat too much as it triggers off migraine attacks. I got to eat a few seeds yesterday as my friend, Puan Khairiah, brought some for me when she came for her blogging tutorial with me at 3.30 p.m. Thankfully, I did not get any headaches.

Here is some information about the durian:

Botanic name: Durio zibethinus

Folkloric uses· Decoction of root and leaves taken for fevers.· Leaves are used in medicinal baths for jaundice.· The juice is used in a solution for bathing the head of a patient with fever.· Fruit walls used externally for skin problems.

Medicinal uses:

In Malaysia, a decoction of the leaves and roots used to be prescribed as an antipyretic. The leaf juice is applied on the head of a fever patient. The most complete description of the medicinal use of the durian as remedies for fevers is a Malay prescription, collected by Burkill and Haniff in 1930. It instructs the reader to boil the roots of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis with the roots of Durio zibethinus, Nephelium longan, Nephelium mutabile and Artocarpus integrifolia, and drink the decoction or use it as a poultice.

Southeast Asian folk beliefs, as well as traditional Chinese medicine, consider the durian fruit to have warming properties liable to cause excessive sweating. The traditional method to counteract this is to pour water into the empty shell of the fruit after the pulp has been consumed and drink it.[20] An alternative method is to eat the durian in accompaniment with mangosteen, which is considered to have cooling properties. People with high blood pressure or pregnant women are traditionally advised not to consume durian.
Another common local belief is that the durian is harmful when eaten with coffee or alcoholic beverages.

The Javanese believe durian to have aphrodisiac qualities, and impose a set of rules on what may or may not be consumed with it or shortly thereafter. A saying in Indonesian, durian jatuh sarung naik, meaning "the durians fall and the sarungs come up".

Durian customs:

In some Asian countries, durian is believed to have warming properties liable to cause excessive sweating. The traditional method to counteract this is to pour salted water into the empty shell of the fruit, after the pulp has been consumed, and drink it. An alternative method is to eat the durian in accompaniment with mangosteen that is considered to have cooling properties. People with high blood pressure or pregnant women are traditionally advised not to consume durian.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian