Exotic god fruit, persimmon (Diospyros kaki): Pharmacological importance and human health aspects

The persimmon fruit (Diospyros kaki) belonging to the family Ebenaceae, is a famous conventional Korean medicinal herb. Calyx of persimmon has been used to prepare herbal drinks in Korea, China, and Japan due to its various functional ingredients, including fructose, glucose, and triterpenoid. In addition, persimmon is generally used as traditional medicine in Korea for the treatment of asthma, chronic bronchitis, and cough. Various useful constituents have been isolated and characterized from Diospyros species, including naphthaquinones, triterpenoids, and steroids. The fruit's nutritional composition comprising 80.3% water, 0.58% protein, 0.19% total lipids, 18.6% total carbohydrates and some minerals, and up to 1.48 g and 7.5 mg total dietary fiber, and ascorbic acid, respectively. Specifically, a flavonoid, fisetin, present in persimmon is associated with killing breast cancer cells without harming normal breast cells, thus contributing to the programmed eradication of colon and prostate cancer cells. Some other notable compounds reported from the various parts of the plant and their extracts have significant pharmaceutical values due to their antioxidant, anticancer, anti-aging, and cytotoxic activities. It is, therefore, high time to promote the consumption of exotic fruits with a rich source of natural antioxidants as a functional supplement to the human diet, with a view to increase the disease protection efficacy.