The King of the Fruits

Is your favourite fruit durian? Well, some love it while others can't stand the smell of it.

The durian has not only nutritional value but medicinal value as well. The fruit contains a high amount of sugar, vitamin C and potassium. It is a good source of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. It is recommended as a good source of raw fats by several raw food advisors.

In Malaysia, the durian leaves and roots are boiled and used as a remedy for fevers. The juice from the leaf is applied on the head of a patient with high fever. 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 with the roots of durian and take it as a drink or apply it on the forehead.

Durians were marketed as a health food supplement by a company in New York City in the 1920s.


The tall durian tree.


The durian flowers.


The durian fruit.

Test Your Science

1. What medicinal value does the durian have as believed by some people?

Find out more about the King of Fruits in the Young Scientists Issue 111 Level 2.