4 reasons to eat the tejocote from the punch

The delicious Christmas punch always includes a portion of sugar cane, which we all love to chew to extract its flavor, pieces of apple, guava, but it often also contains a fruit that many of us tend to overlook: the tejocote.Native to Mexico and Guatemala, the tejocote grows on a tree called manzanillo and here in Mexico, it is produced in Guerrero, Oaxaca, Jalisco, Michoacán, and Durango. It is also known as manzanita or Indian apple, and although it may not be your favorite fruit, if you encounter it in a punch this December, don’t turn it down, because it has many benefits for you.Benefits of tejocoteAs a fruit, tejocote contains several nutritious and beneficial elements for the human body: Contains vitamin C. Tejocotes are rich in vitamin C, which is related to improving defenses and the immune system that prevents diseases.Contains calcium. Calcium is an essential mineral for our body, as it is related to several important processes, such as muscle contraction or the functioning of the nervous system, for example.Contains B-complex vitamins. Among their functions, these vitamins help form red blood cells and help prevent diseases.Contains iron. Among the functions of iron, one is primary: to carry oxygen throughout the body and form red blood cells.But tejocote is not only very nutritious; it also has other medicinal, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and textile uses due to its high pectin content.Other uses of tejocote include feed for livestock (for which leaves and fruits are used) and traditional medicinal uses; for example, an infusion of tejocote root is used as a diuretic and as a remedy for diarrhea, and preparations based on the fruit are a remedy for coughs.Although it is small, this typical Mexican fruit of the December season contains great benefits, uses, and properties that you surely didn't imagine.