Nance is a large shrub or tree that grows an orange-yellow fruit with thin skin and white, juicy, oily pulp varying in flavour from insipid to sweet in clusters.
The fruits fall to the ground when fully ripe and are very perishable.
The fruit has a single large stone in it which contains 2 to 3 seeds.
The nance tree (Byrsonima crassifolia) prefers open forest and savanna habitats and is very drought-tolerant.
Nance is enriched in vitamins and minerals especially vitamin C and Vitamin K, vitamin E, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, manganese and folate. Calcium in Nance along with vitamin K helps to strengthen the bones and prevent arthritis.
Vitamin K also helps blood clotting as it helps to turn on the proteins and calcium that allow the blood to clot. Thus it prevents bleeding nose and bleeding gums.
The fruit is mostly grown in Southern Mexico through the Pacific side of Central America and some Caribbean countries.
Folate in Nance helps to reduce depression and reduces the risk of depression and dementia.
Folate is also necessary for proper functioning of brains. Nance helps to keep the brain young and improves memory.
Sweets and desserts are made from the fruit; the juice is used for flavouring beverages and liquers; and the rind gives a light-brown dye that is used in Guatemala for tinting cotton textiles.
Ink is sometimes made from the bitter green fruit. The bark is a favourite material for tanning skins, and an infusion of the bark is a current domestic remedy for diarrhoea.
Overall, fruits provide plenty of soluble dietary fiber, which helps to ward off cholesterol and fats from the body and to get relief from constipation as well.
Their overall benefits are superb! Fruit nutrition benefits are infinite!
You are protecting yourself from minor ailments like wrinkling of skin, hair-fall, and memory loss to major ailments.