Villagers in the Central Plain brought them from the forest to grow for home consumption. The young leaf is served as a vegetable accompaniment to many Thai dishes and can be eaten either raw or cooked. The fruit is rich in vitamin A and calcium and is eaten fresh, but has a very sour taste. It can also be used in a sauce of shrimp paste and chilli and eaten with vegetables and fish. The traditional ethnomedicinal uses of madan's leaves, root and fruit are as an expectorant, treatment of coughs, improvement of menstrual blood quality, treatment of diabetes and as a laxative.
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