Move over acai. Watch out pomegranate. It’s time for the latest wonderfruit to have its fifteen minutes of fame. The latest in the long list of foods that will fight cancer and extend your life expectancy: the mangosteen. Enter XanGo, the only company out there to harness the full power of this little purple fruit. Not only have they bottled its goodness, but have gone one step further by putting it in convenient little one ounce drinkers. Somehow “a shot of mangosteen a day keeps the doctor away” just doesn’t have the same ring to it…let’s take a look.

When the hype started up about the wonders of pomegranates, in true Stasia style, I resisted. Ok fine, I tried making pomegranate martinis once but only cause I saw them on Oprah. Not bad. Though using martinis to get my daily dose of antioxidant goodness somehow seems like a bad idea.

XanGo juice is the first of its kind. Using their proprietary formula, they rip xanthones and antioxidants from both the pulp AND the rind of the mangosteen to bring a dietary supplement to your door, conveniently packaged by the dose. Typical juices using the mangosteen use only the pulp and lose out on all of the valuable xanthones in the rind.

What is a xanthone you ask? Well, the quick and dirty version given on the XanGo website is that they are “a unique class of biologically active compounds that possess a number of bioactive capabilities—such as antioxidant properties.” I couldn’t find info on the one ounce packages as they are still new, but the 750 mL bottle version goes for just under $40 online plus taxes and shipping.

So, I didn’t want to take XanGo’s word for it when it came to xanthones. A quick Wiki search led me down a far different path than the pretty picture XanGo painted about the miracle compound. Xanthones first hit the market as an insecticide. Where can I get more? Now, I know that discoveries are made every day that say something you used for one thing before is found to be the perfect solution to something else the next day. But something that used to kill insects? This is something I want to be putting into my body? On purpose?

Most important in all of this is the taste and to be honest, it was ok at best. The package reminded me of my old Capri Sun days (did anyone else LOVE those things?!), but rather than a straw, you just rip the top off these babies. With the top ripped off I took my daily shot of xanthones, antioxidants and some other stuff that’s good for me. The taste was a little bit peachy, with an aftertaste that I can’t quite put my finger on (which always makes me nervous). It’s not a pleasant aftertaste though. Kind of bitter. Either way, I wasn’t itching for tomorrow so I could rip open the next one. The good thing (and likely the reason for the bitter taste) is that they’ve kept the recipe pretty natural and it isn’t loaded with sugar.

I guess I’m just skeptical when it comes to products like these. All of a sudden one day, some guy travelling in South East Asia tries a mangosteen at a restaurant and comes back with a million dollar idea? And $40 a bottle? That gets you less than a month supply, and that’s only if you’re diligent and keep yourself to one ounce a day!

So, the verdict is in. Antioxidants are one of the fad health crazes these days and we have another wonderfruit entering the game. It’s different than the rest because it’s expensive and even more exotic. And with all of that comes an awful lot of marketing, a funky bottle, and the unbelievable effects of a wallop of xanthones and antioxidants every day. Effects that you may not notice right away. Or may even remain completely unseen. The one thing it lacks however, is taste. Which, forgive me, is typically my main reason for buying juice.

For this huge skeptic who is just more comfortable taking her daily supplements in pill form, call me close minded and uneducated. But while you’re at it, pour me another pomegranate martini will you?

What? You want more?

Ingredients:

Garcinia mangostana purée from the whole fruit, apple juice, pear juice, grape juice, pear purée, blueberry juice, raspberry juice, strawberry juice, cranberry juice, cherry juice, citric acid, natural flavor, pectin, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate.

Nutritional Info:

One serving = 1 fl. oz. (30 ml)
Servings per container = 25
Calories = 13
Calories from fat = 0
Total Fat = 0 g
Sodium = 0 mg
Total Carbohydrate = 3.2 g
Sugars = 2.7 g
Protein = 0 g

Nutritional Components of the Mangosteen Fruit:

Iron, Fiber, Calcium, Vitamin C, Potassium, Vitamin B2, Protein, Cathechins/Tannins, Phosphorus, Sodium, Vitamin B1, Niacin.