IT?S great to give gifts produced by Mother Nature herself. Fruits can be the most flavorful, healing and nourishing gifts we can give to our loved ones. Desmond Tate?s book, ?Tropical Fruit,? enumerates the benefits we get from them:

Watermelon. The flesh contains glucose, fructose and sucrose, while its seeds contain oil, protein and vitamin B. The amount of oil varies from one species to another?some of them produce enough to make cooking oil. Watermelon juice makes for a refreshing drink. The fruit serves as a dessert. Both flesh and juice are useful against heatstroke, fever and vomiting. It?s also known to cure urinary tract infection.

Popularity

Shaddock (pomelo or suha). The fruit is low in calorie and very high in vitamin C and potassium. A sprinkling of sugar or salt enhances its flavor. The thick rind is gaining popularity as a source for marmalade. The Chinese use it as an offering in altars during New Year and Mooncake festivals. They prepare medication from its fruit, leaves and flowers to relieve indigestion, cough and motion sickness.

The pomelo is also used in traditional medicine. Filipinos and Malays use its leaves to make a lotion that heals sores and swellings, and as a sedative. The fruit, if chewed slowly, is said to cure hangover. A paste of ginger and pomelo rind applied to joints brings relief for rheumatic pains.

Remedy

Longan. In traditional Chinese food therapy, the longan is said to have beneficial effects on a number of ailments: It is used as a remedy for sore eyes, stomach ache, insomnia, amnesia and dropsy. It?s also used as an antidote for poison. The fruit invigorates the heart and spleen, nourishes the blood, and produces a calming effect on the nervous system. It?s rich in vitamin C, high in fiber and protein content, and contains potassium.

Durian. Rich in vitamins B, C and E, as well as iron, the durian fruit is extremely nutritious. It?s also known as an aphrodisiac. A preparation from its fruit and leaves is prescribed by traditional doctors for fever and jaundice.

Next week: Mangosteen, chico, macopa, guava and tamarind.