Kokum: India’s Exotic Weight-Loss Wonder – Natural Weight-Loss Aid

Unless you’ve visited the Western coast of India or been a dinner guest in an Indian household, you have probably never tasted kokum. Once you’ve done so, however, it’s likely you’ll be eager to taste it again.

People who have been lucky enough to visit India’s Western Ghats region in the summertime often talk about an unusually tasty and refreshing creamy pink drink unique to the area called sol kadhi. The drink gets its creaminess from coconut milk, but the pink comes from kokum, an exotic spice from a lush ornamental fruit tree native to Ghats.

The tiny fruit, which emerges red amid large green foliage and turns a deep purple when ripe, is harvested and dried in the spring, just in time to feature sol kadhi on the menu for the searing summer months. The drink is not only popular for its taste, but also because it helps the locals cool down in the humid, tropical air—a medicinal property of kokum that also helps prevent dehydration and sunstroke. And though many people may not realize it or even notice, kokum offers another benefit—it may help cut down on the urge to overeat!

Kokum is from a lush ornamental fruit tree native to India.

Natural Weight-Loss Aid

Kokum is being investigated as a natural weight loss aid because it contains hydroxycitric acid (HCA), a compound found in the dried rind—the spice itself. HCA is a known appetite suppressant, and numerous studies show that ingesting HCA not only leads to weight loss, but fat loss.

In a study conducted in Thailand, researchers asked 50 obese women to go on a diet consisting of 1,000 calories a day, along with a daily diet “pill.” Half got a pill containing HCA; the other half got a placebo. After the two months, the women taking the HCA had lost almost twice as much weight. The greater weight loss “was due to a loss of fat storage,” reported the researchers.

In another study, reported in the journal Nutrition, researchers put lab animals on a three-week diet, during which they lost 20 percent of their body weight. For the next four weeks, they let the animals eat at will, just as humans often do after a calorie-restricted diet. But half the animals received food laced with HCA. The researchers found that the animals getting the HCA ate less and gained back less weight.

Weight loss is the latest addition to the many health benefits historically credited to kokum. Centuries before the spice became a staple in the area’s famed Konkani cuisine, Ayurvedic physicians used it to treat sores and prevent infection, improve digestion, stop diarrhea and constipation, soothe the sore joints of rheumatoid arthritis, cure ear infections, and heal ulcers. It’s also a folk remedy for fever and skin rashes.

Kokum gets this diverse combination of healing actions from its major active ingredient: garcinol, a substance with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities. These qualities led me and other researchers to wonder whether this spice might have potential as a cancer fighter. Studies show it does . . .

Kokum Against Cancer

Human and animal studies at major cancer centers, including M.D. Anderson, have found that garcinol has the ability to track and kill renegade cells on two dozen different pathways to tumor progression. This is significant, because agents that have this ability can not only prevent cancer but also have potential as a treatment for the disease.

Researchers in Taiwan, for example, observed the compound’s power when they induced cancer in laboratory animals with human cancer cells. A subsequent dose of garcinol annihilated those cells.

In another study, oral cancer specialists in Japan injected the tongues of lab animals with cancer cells. For the next eight months, half the animals were given daily doses of dietary garcinol from kokum. At the end of the study, the researchers found that the kokum-fed animals had developed less cancer and had smaller tumors.

Kokum also showed its strength as a cancer fighter when researchers in Taiwan tested it against curcumin, the well-studied active ingredient in the Indian spice turmeric that possesses potent anti-cancer activity. Kokum is structurally similar to turmeric. In the lab experiment, reported in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, both curcumin and garcinol were effective at stopping the proliferation of leukemia cancer cells, but garcinol proved to be the more powerful of the pair.

Kokum may help prevent and/or treat:

Cancer

Indigestion

Overweight

Rash

Ulcer

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Kokum pairs well with these spices:

Cardamom

Chile

Cinnamon

Clove

Cumin

Curry leaf

Fennel seed

Galangal

Garlic

Lemongrass

Mustard seed

Star anise

Tamarind

and complements recipes featuring:

Curries

Legumes

Lentils

Potatoes

Vegetables

Substitute: Kokum is similar to tamarind and one can stand in for the other in recipes. One teaspoon of ground kokum is equal to one teaspoon of tamarind extract.

Help for Ulcers

For centuries, Ayurvedic physicians have used kokum successfully to treat and prevent stomach ulcers, and modern medicine is proving why it works—by killing H. pylori, the bacteria that are the chief cause of both gastric (stomach) and peptic (stomach, small intestine, or esophageal) ulcers.

Chronic ulcer problems can lead to stomach cancer. And although the incidence of stomach cancer in the US is low, it’s also of growing concern, because H. pylori is becoming increasingly resistant to antibacterial medication. Garcinol’s antibacterial, ulcer-targeting activity makes it a prime candidate to eradicate H. pylori naturally.

Early studies show promise. A study in lab animals, reported in the journal Molecular Cell Biochemistry, found that garcinol inhibited the growth of H. pylori and was “equivalent or better” than clarithromycin (Biaxin), a potent antibiotic, in treating the infection.

In Japan, which has the highest rate of stomach cancer in the world, researchers found dietary garcinol so effective at preventing ulcers in lab animals that they suggested it has potential to be the next anti-ulcer drug.

Protecting the Brain

Preliminary research suggests garcinol’s antioxidant strength has the ability to promote brain health. Taiwanese scientists found that seven days of treatment with garcinol promoted the growth of neurons in test tubes, and stopped damage from substances that can oxidize neurons. The researchers concluded that garcinol may be “neuroprotective.”

A Powerful Antioxidant

One of the reasons kokum is proving to be a stellar medicinal spice is because garcinol operates in such diverse ways on the molecular level. For example, there is a type of cell-damaging molecule called areactive oxygen species (ROS) that is produced by factors such as high-fat diets, air pollution, and stress. ROS play a leading role in cardiovascular disease, cancer, and many other chronic health problems. Garcinol’s antioxidant power, which is stronger than vitamin E, has been shown to suppress production of ROS. And this is just one of the ways it protects your cells.

It’s still too early to establish garcinol’s true ability as a healing agent. To date, only a small number of studies have been conducted in animals, and none in humans. Until there are more studies, I suggest you benefit from garcinol by familiarizing yourself with kokum and kokum recipes, especially those that come from India.

Getting to Know Kokum

Kokum is not what you’d call attractive, especially when compared to other spices, but its taste defies its looks. Unlike the beautifully colored kokum fruit, the dried rind that is kokum spice is deep purple (in fact, almost black), with gnarly edges. It’s also slightly sticky.

Spicy Hash Brown Potatoes

Spicy with a nip of sweetness, kokum potatoes are traditionally served over rice in India. They also go great as is, as a side to grilled meat or fish.

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes

4 kokum rinds

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon cayenne powder

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil

½ cup water

1. Peel and boil the potatoes in salted water until just tender, about 10–15 minutes. Drain and cool.

2. Meanwhile, grind the kokum and cumin seeds in a spice grinder or mini food processor until the kokum resembles coarsely ground pepper. Place in a small bowl and add the garlic, sugar, and cayenne.

3. Cut and slice the potatoes into small cubes. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the spice mixture. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the potatoes and stir well to coat the potatoes with the spices. Lower the heat, cover, and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. If potatoes are too dry in the pan, add the water before covering.

Makes 6 servings.

Sol Kadhi

This drink is traditionally made with coconut milk, but I prefer it made with yogurt. It’s also less caloric that way.

5 kokum rinds

2 cups plain yogurt

4 cups water

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 green chiles, crushed with salt and chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds

2 sprigs curry leaves

Salt and sugar to taste

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

1. Put the kokum in a small pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, and cook for five minutes. The water should be bright pink. Strain the water into a bowl and discard the rinds. Cool.

2. Combine the yogurt, water, garlic, chiles, and 2 tablespoons of the reserved kokum juice into a mixing bowl and stir until well blended. Strain the liquid from the mixture with a fine sieve and return the solids to the mixing bowl.

3. Heat the oil in a small sauté pan. When hot, add the mustard seeds, and immediately remove the pan from the heat. Add the curry leaves and stir.

4. Pour the seasoning over the sol kadhi, adding salt and sugar to taste. Pour into tall chilled glasses. Garnish with cilantro.

Makes 4 servings.

It’s somewhat sour in taste, lending a sweet-and-sour contrast to (and enhancing the quality of) coconut-based curries. And while it doesn’t have a heady perfume like other spices, if you get real close you can detect a slightly sweet aroma.

Kokum is not well known as a culinary spice outside of India. But it is one of the key ingredients in Konkani cuisine, which is an adventure in itself—as those who have tasted sol kadhi will no doubt agree!

When kokum travels beyond its borders, it mostly does so in the guise of kokum butter, an emollient used in cosmetics, much the same as shea and cocoa butters. In Europe, it’s a common ingredient in lipstick, moisturizing creams, conditioners, and soap. And it is used extensively in products made for dry, chapped, irritated, and sunburned skin.

Kokum is also used as a souring agent, and you might come across it as an ingredient in imported chutneys and pickles.

Kokum goes by many names, including kokam, kokkum, fish tamarind, mangosteen, wild mangosteen, and red mango, though it bears no resemblance to mangosteen or mango. Mangosteen, the weight-loss product, does not contain kokum (but it does contain HCA, the same weight-loss chemical found in kokum).

How to Buy Kokum

With a little ingenuity, you can introduce kokum into your pantry and give your taste buds and health a boost. You’ll be hard pressed to find kokum outside of an Indian market, but you can find mail order sources in the “Buyer’s Guide”.

In the marketplace, look for rinds that are tinged with purple (as opposed to looking black). They should be soft and pliable. If they are too hard or are kept too long, they start to lose their flavor. If you notice a coating of white on some of the rinds, there is no need for concern—it’s just salt left behind in the drying process. Wash it off with cold water before using.

Buy a small quantity of kokum and transfer it to a jar with an airtight lid. It should keep well for about a year. A small pack contains about a dozen rinds. Unfortunately, you won’t know the quality of kokum until you submerge it in liquid. It should turn pink to purple in color. The deeper the color, the better the quality.

In the Kitchen with Kokum

Kokum is used three ways in the kitchen. It is ground whole and used as a dry spice, usually with other spices; it is submerged whole in liquid, where it softens and flavors dishes; and it is pulverized into a powder.

It is most popular in curries and in sol kadhi. It goes well with potatoes, okra, beans, and lentils. It is also used in chutneys and pickles. Here are a few ways you can use it at home:

• Put a rind or two in curry pastes and tomato sauces.

• When cooking lentils, add a few pieces at the beginning.

• Grind and sprinkle on guava, pomegranate seeds, cooked vegetables, potatoes, and soups.

• Stir ground kokum into yogurt.