All About Kokum | Know Your Spice Amsol or Kokam (Garcinia indica)

The ripened, rind and juice of Kokam fruit are commonly used in cooking. The dried and salted rind is used as a condiment in curries.

Kokam is also used as a garnish to give an acid flavour to curries and for preparing attractive, red, pleasant flavoured cooling syrup.

Kokam butter used as an edible fat, is nutritive, demulcent and antiseptic. The rind has antioxidant properties.

The kokam fruit acts as an antioxidant, acidulant and appetite stimulant and helps in fight cancer, paralysis and cholesterol.

The kokam fruit is also a good digestive tonic and used to improve skin health. Kokum has a long history in Ayurvedic medicine.

It was traditionally used for treatment of different health related problems like sores, dermatitis, diarrhea, dysentery, ear infection and to facilitate digestion.

The people of the Konkan who discovered uses for the fruit rind, pulp and seed, and built up the tradition of having it as a part of the daily meal, undoubtedly helped to perpetuate the tree species through cultivation of the tree for domestic consumption.

Those who raised seedlings and spread them across the region have helped generate and preserve the vast plant diversity that exists in Garcinia indica today.

Traditionally, Kokum has been used for many years as a medicinal treatment for diarrhea, skin infection and wounds in throughout South Asia

• Kokum seeds are used for oil extraction. That oil is called kokum butter and used in curries, cosmetics, medicines, and costly confectionery preparations in foreign countries.
• In the culinary world, Kokum uses include that of a souring agent, an alternative to tamarind in curries and other dishes from coastal India.
• Gujarat cuisine frequently uses it to add flavour and tartness to dal (lentils) for flavour balance.
• It is a great summer cooler and finds its use to make a syrup and use it in beverages like sherbets, sol kadhi and juices in Goa.
• Food applications vary with extensive use in curries, soups and pickles and as a preservative.
• The fruit juice is used for production of syrup, squash, agal (salted juice) etc.
• Kokum has emollient property, it is used as a natural moisturizer to keep skin supple and silky smooth.
• Kokum butter is nutritive and astringent & used for candle, soap, ointments and other pharmaceutical purposes.
• Fruit kokum, rind and seed have many applications such as culinary, foods, fruit drinks, pharmaceuticals and industrial.

Kokam is sweet, but acidic. It has a juicy texture common among other fruits in the mangosteen family.

Each of the fruit’s five to eight sections has edible, watery yet potent flesh surrounding a malleable flat seed.

Dried kokum peel tastes exceptionally sour and metallic, with no trace of sweetness. The lack of sugar gives the fruit a salty disposition.

Keep kokum at room temperature and enjoy within a few days of ripeness. In the refrigerator, the fruits will keep up to one week.

Place dried kokam in an airtight container to avoid moisture. Refrigeration is not required, as the fruit keeps for years on kitchen countertops.

Keep kokum at room temperature and enjoy within a few days of ripeness. Place dried kokam in an airtight container to avoid moisture. Refrigeration is not required.

Tamarind by far makes the best substitute for kokum. Another alternative is Mango powder or amchur.

Cambodge or Malabar Tamarind and Anardana (dried pomegranate) are also good substitutes.

When in season, vendors and stores in the growing regions sell kokam readily.

Locals living in the areas where the fruits grow – such as Goa – often have kokam trees in their yard or within the neighborhood. Fresh fruits do not appear in other regions of India.

It is possible to find kokam derivatives sold year-round throughout the country: dried kokam skins, powder and kokum syrups, are examples.

Though, they will not be in every store, kokam products appear in shops specializing in a variety of dried fruits and nuts.

You can also buy Kokum products & oils online at this link.

The following are health benefits of Kokam, Kokum, Punarpuli or Amsol

• Health Benefits of Amsol as an Antioxidant – Antioxidants are naturally occurring compounds that help protect cells against damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals.
• Health Benefits of Kokum against Diabetes –Kokum helps in managing blood sugar level because of its antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties. It is hence able to restore certain enzymes in the body that get reduced in the case of those who have type 2 diabetes.
• Health Benefits of Amsol for Heart Health – Kokam is low in calories but rich in fibre. It has zero cholesterol and is a powerful antioxidant. It keeps our blood pressure under check because of the presence of minerals like magnesium, potassium and manganese.
• Health Benefits of Kokum as an Antimicrobial Agent – Many compounds of amsol are blessed with antibacterial and antiviral properties, making this fruit a vital player, in handling many bacterial and viral infections.
• Health Benefits of Amsol as an Anti-inflammatory Agent – Studies have shown that kokum has anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties. This is due to the presence of certain phenolic compounds in the kokum fruit.
• Health Benefits of Amsol for Your Mood – It helps in easing your anxiety, calming your mind and uplifting your mood when you are feeling low. Consuming kokum helps increase the level of serotonin in your body; the mood-enhancing hormone
• Health Benefits of Kokum as a Natural Coolant – Kokam fruit is a natural coolant and a glass of kokam juice gives us immense relief from the scorching heat in summers. It is amazingly refreshing and energizes us. It also prevents dehydration
• Health Benefits of Kokam for Weight Loss – Kokam rind is rich in hydroxycitric acid, a compound that can help you lose weight naturally.
• Health Benefits of Kokam for Digestion – For long it has been known and advised to have kokum for good digestion and to soothe acidity attacks and those burning sensations in the heart and stomach due to indigestion.
• Health Benefits of Kokam for Better Sleep – Kokam contains flavonoids, hydroxycitric acid, garcinol and anthocyanins. All of them contribute to increasing the levels of serotonin in the brain. This helps in reducing anxiety and depression.
• Health Benefits of Kokam against Cancer – Consumption of Kokam protects from cancer as it is a powerful antioxidant. It has anti-carcinogenic properties which scavenge the free radicals, safeguarding us from carcinogenesis.