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I think I've heard of mangosteens before, at least I've heard the name. Apparently, though, the tropical fruit is all the rage in Japan.

According to this post from InventorSpot, mangosteens, or juice drinks made from them, are very popular in Japan right now because they're supposed to be high in antioxidants and ward off cancer in mice (though that hasn't been tested in humans).

Mangosteens are originally from Thailand, but they're difficult to export from the region because they are so preishable. Also, the tree can only be grown in tropical climates. Those factors make even pureés made from Mangosteens pretty expensive anywhere outside of Southeast Asia.

Now that I know a little more about the fruit I'm curious about it. Have any of you had mangosteen? What do you think about it?

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The mangosteen is known as the "queen of fruits." It is a tropical fruit that has a citrusy, peachy flavor and grows in sections, much like tangerines, though they are not actually citrus fruits (they are classified as arils). Each section of the Mangosteens comes in a thick, purple rind, but the fruit itself is nearly colorless.

Although the mangosteen is sometimes considered with the class of functional foods known as "superfoods," along with blueberries and acai, it really doesn't fit into the category. It does not have anywhere near the antioxidant content of those foods and no studies exist that support the claim that mangosteens play a healing or preventative role in any illness/condition.

It is extremely difficult to find mangosteens in the US, although there is one company attempting to grown them on US soil. If you want to give them a try, your best bet is to travel to South East Asia to look for fresh ones or to look at specialty grocery stores for freeze-dried mangosteens, like the pictured bag that I found at Trader Joe's.