We all know fruits have plenty of benefits for our health
Christmas is just around the corner and with Christmas comes the aromas and flavours of fruit.
Whether it’s clove studded oranges decorating the fireplace, satsumas in your stocking, or brandy soaked fruit in your Christmas pudding, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without winter berries or citrus scents.
But fruits shouldn’t just be about getting festive. A wonderful variety of fruits can now be found in many of our favourite health and beauty products.
Here is a closer look at some of the fruits from around the world which can keep us healthy and beautiful well beyond Christmas and right into 2012.
Fruit - Pomegranate
Grows: Morocco
Traditional uses: In Ayurvedic medicine the rind of the fruit is used as a traditional remedy against gut ailments such as diarrhoea, dysentery and intestinal parasites
Fruity facts: Ancient Egyptians regarded the pomegranate as a symbol of prosperity and ambition. According to the Ebers Papyrus, one of the oldest medical writings from around 1500 BC, Egyptians used the pomegranate for treatment of tapeworm and other infections
Buy it: Klorane Shampoo with Pomegranate (£6.00, 200ml, available from www.johnlewis.com) 
Fruit - Bilberry
Grows: In the forests and moors of northern Europe
Traditional uses: Bilberry extracts contain between 100 and 250 times the amount of anthocyanosides found in the fresh fruit. Anthocyanins were the topics of research presented at a 2007 symposium on health benefits that may result from berry consumption with laboratory-based evidence provided for potential health effects against a variety of diseases and conditions, with cancer research on anthocyanins is the most advanced
Fruity facts: During WW2 RAF pilots noted that their night vision improved after eating bilberry jam
Buy it: Colladeen (£15.50, 60 tablets, available from naturesbest.co.uk 
Fruit - Elderberry
Grows: Black Elderberries are a favourite wild fruit of the English
Traditional uses: The Black Elderberry (or Sambucus) has a strong heritage and was referred to as ‘medicine chest’ by Hippocrates (400BC). References to the healing berry can be traced back to the Egyptians who had the tincture buried with them, and the Greeks who took it into battle with them to keep their army well. It has even made its way into literature: did you know the most powerful wand in Harry Potter is made of Sambucus and is known as the ‘Elder Wand’? Elderberry extract has been used for centuries by herbalists and is renowned for its ability to destroy infectious cold and flu viruses
Fruity facts: The Black Elderberry has even made its way into literature: did you know the most powerful wand in Harry Potter is made of Sambucus and is known as the ‘Elder Wand’?
Carol Vorderman is a fan of Sambucol Effervescent
Buy it: Sambucol Immuno Forte Effervescent Tablets (£8.99, available from Boots, Superdrug, Holland & Barrett) 
Fruit - Bitter orange
Grows: Depending on the variety, bitter orange grows across the world, in places as diverse as Vietnam, the Mediterranean region, Florida and the Bahamas
Traditional uses: Bitter orange is traditionally used in herbal medicine as a stimulant and appetite suppressant
Fruity facts: Bitter orange is also known as Seville orange, sour orange, bigarade orange, and marmalade orange. The fruit and leaves make lather and can be made into soap. The hard white or light yellow wood is used in Cuba to make baseball bats
Buy it: Cho-Yung CoffeeActive (£29.99, 210g, available from choyung.com) 
Fruit - Goji berries
Grows: In addition to being cultivated in China, Goji also grows on extensive vines in the sheltered valleys of the Himalayas in Tibet, and in Mongolia
Traditional uses: The most common traditional uses of Goji are to treat lack of energy, aching back and joints, tinnitus, dizziness, diabetes, blurred vision, coughs and boost sexual performance
Fruity facts: Also known as the Wolfberry
The Goji fruit is nicknamed the "happy berry" because of the sense of well being it is said to induce
Buy it: Maxbido (£24.95, 60 tablets, available exclusively from www.chemistdirect.co.uk)
Fruit - Mangosteen
Grows: The mangosteen is a tropical evergreen tree believed to have originated in the Sunda Island and the Moluccas of Indonesia.
Traditional uses: Various parts of the plant have a history of use mostly in Southeast Asia. It is reputed to have possible anti-inflammatory properties, and may have been used to treat skin infections or wounds, or urinary tract infections.
Fruity facts: Due to restrictions on imports, mangosteen is still rare in the produce sections of supermarkets in Europe
Buy it: FlexiMax (£24.95, 60 capsules, available exclusively from chemistdirect.co.uk) 
Fruit - Cranberry
Grows: Cranberries are native to North America. This region grows 80% of the world’s cranberry crop.
Traditional uses: Doctors widely recommend cranberry juice as a way to help maintain the natural pH balance in the urinary tract.
Fruity facts: Early European settlers in America called the fruit craneberry because the flower, stem and petals resembled the neck, head and bill of a crane.
Buy it: Holland & Barrett’s Concentrated Cranberry Capsules (£5.99, 100 capsules, available from hollandandbarrett.co.uk) 
Fruit - Avocado
Grows: Originates from a tree native to Mexico, was introduced to the UK in 1960s
Traditional uses: Avocado is traditionally used for cooking, mostly in salads. It is popular in beauty products because they are a major source of antioxidants, pro-vitamins and amino acids
Fruity facts: It is also known as the Alligator pear. Avocadoes have more potassium than bananas
Buy it: Manuka Doctor Rejuvenating Face Mask (£49.99, 50ml, available from www.hollandandbarrett.co.uk)
Christmas is just around the corner and with Christmas comes the aromas and flavours of fruit.
Whether it’s clove studded oranges decorating the fireplace, satsumas in your stocking, or brandy soaked fruit in your Christmas pudding, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without winter berries or citrus scents.
But fruits shouldn’t just be about getting festive. A wonderful variety of fruits can now be found in many of our favourite health and beauty products.
Here is a closer look at some of the fruits from around the world which can keep us healthy and beautiful well beyond Christmas and right into 2012.
Fruit - Pomegranate
Grows: Morocco
Traditional uses: In Ayurvedic medicine the rind of the fruit is used as a traditional remedy against gut ailments such as diarrhoea, dysentery and intestinal parasites
Fruity facts: Ancient Egyptians regarded the pomegranate as a symbol of prosperity and ambition. According to the Ebers Papyrus, one of the oldest medical writings from around 1500 BC, Egyptians used the pomegranate for treatment of tapeworm and other infections
Buy it: Klorane Shampoo with Pomegranate (£6.00, 200ml, available from www.johnlewis.com)
Fruit - Bilberry
Grows: In the forests and moors of northern Europe
Traditional uses: Bilberry extracts contain between 100 and 250 times the amount of anthocyanosides found in the fresh fruit. Anthocyanins were the topics of research presented at a 2007 symposium on health benefits that may result from berry consumption with laboratory-based evidence provided for potential health effects against a variety of diseases and conditions, with cancer research on anthocyanins is the most advanced
Fruity facts: During WW2 RAF pilots noted that their night vision improved after eating bilberry jam
Buy it: Colladeen (£15.50, 60 tablets, available from naturesbest.co.uk
Fruit - Elderberry
Grows: Black Elderberries are a favourite wild fruit of the English
Traditional uses: The Black Elderberry (or Sambucus) has a strong heritage and was referred to as ‘medicine chest’ by Hippocrates (400BC). References to the healing berry can be traced back to the Egyptians who had the tincture buried with them, and the Greeks who took it into battle with them to keep their army well. It has even made its way into literature: did you know the most powerful wand in Harry Potter is made of Sambucus and is known as the ‘Elder Wand’? Elderberry extract has been used for centuries by herbalists and is renowned for its ability to destroy infectious cold and flu viruses
Fruity facts: The Black Elderberry has even made its way into literature: did you know the most powerful wand in Harry Potter is made of Sambucus and is known as the ‘Elder Wand’?
Carol Vorderman is a fan of Sambucol Effervescent
Buy it: Sambucol Immuno Forte Effervescent Tablets (£8.99, available from Boots, Superdrug, Holland & Barrett)
Fruit - Bitter orange
Grows: Depending on the variety, bitter orange grows across the world, in places as diverse as Vietnam, the Mediterranean region, Florida and the Bahamas
Traditional uses: Bitter orange is traditionally used in herbal medicine as a stimulant and appetite suppressant
Fruity facts: Bitter orange is also known as Seville orange, sour orange, bigarade orange, and marmalade orange. The fruit and leaves make lather and can be made into soap. The hard white or light yellow wood is used in Cuba to make baseball bats
Buy it: Cho-Yung CoffeeActive (£29.99, 210g, available from choyung.com)
Fruit - Goji berries
Grows: In addition to being cultivated in China, Goji also grows on extensive vines in the sheltered valleys of the Himalayas in Tibet, and in Mongolia
Traditional uses: The most common traditional uses of Goji are to treat lack of energy, aching back and joints, tinnitus, dizziness, diabetes, blurred vision, coughs and boost sexual performance
Fruity facts: Also known as the Wolfberry
The Goji fruit is nicknamed the "happy berry" because of the sense of well being it is said to induce
Tagged in Health Healthy eating