Mangifera Indica, also known as mango, is one of the most popular tropical fruit in the

world. The genus Mangifera belongs to the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae that is
mainly of tropical species. Mangifera indica is an evergreen tree that grows upto a height
of 30 to 100 feet. It is a dome shaped tree which is heavily branched and with dense
foliage. It has simple alternate lanceolate to elliptical leaves that are spirally arranged on
its branches. The leaves are reddish in color when first formed and turn green as it ages.
When crushed, it releases an aromatic odor. It has more than hundreds of small, yellow to
red flowers that are mostly males and the rest are hermaphroditic. It grows in erect,
branched clusters 6 to 40 cm high. The fruit is a large drupe that varies in shape, size, and
color. The immature fruit has green skin that turns to yellow to red skin as it matures. It
also has a thick flesh ranging from color yellow to orange. It only has a single, oblong,
seed that is enclosed in a fibrous endocarp (Parmar et al., 2010).
Mango is native to tropical regions especially Asia. Among Asian countries, Philippines
is one of the major producers of mango in the world. Mango plantations in the country
reached 57,170 hectares in 1992 (Cacayan et al., 2007). In 2000, data from the
Department of Agriculture showed that mango plantations increased to 132,141 hectares
(Dar et al., 2007). Mangoes are widely cultivated all over the country, but leading
production areas were Western Visayas, Central Luzon, and Ilocos Norte (Cacayan et al.,
2007). Nueva Ecija ranks among the highest producers of mangoes in the country and is
the top mango grower in Luzon, having vast plantations in its municipalities. During peak
harvest, Nueva Ecija produces 62 million kilos of mango (Galang, 2011).
Mangifera indica is also widely known in the field of medicine. Different parts of the
plant are being used for hypertension, toothache, asthma, indigestion, and for other
medicinal purposes. Although mango is a good source of vitamins such as beta-carotene
and vitamin C, it has also been a source of respiratory allergens. One of these respiratory
allergens is pollen. Mangoes have large sticky pollens that when in bloom causes itching,
facial swelling, and respiratory difficulty to some people. Various studies were conducted
regarding mango pollen allergenicity. In Bangkok, Thailand, 100 patients of ages 10 to 59
years with allergic rhinitis were subjected to skin prick test. 16 percent of the patients
tested positive for mango pollen allergy (Mahakit et al., 1997). In Mexico, 71 atopic
subjects of ages 14 to 40 years old were also subjected to skin prick test and 66 percent of
the patients tested positive for mango pollen allergy (Farfan et al., 1991). In South
Florida, mango is one of the most common allergy producers and 20 percent of the
population is positive to mango pollen allergy according to Dr. Robert J. Brennan
(Borenstein, 1992). In West Bengal, 10 percent of 180 patients subjected to skin prick test
showed positive response mango pollen allergy (Bhattacharya et al., 2004).

References:
Bhattacharya K., Boral D., & Chatterjee S. (2004). The occurrence and allergising
potential of airborne pollen in West Bengal, India. Ann Agric Environ Med, 11, 4552.
Borenstein, S. (1992, January 14). Mangoes A Bloomin Pain For People With Allergies.
Retrieved from http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1992-01-14/news/9201030260_1_mangotrees-pollen-mango-skin.
Cacayan, J.S., Fandialan, M. M., Pineda, F. G., & Santiago, N. C. (2007). In-vitro effect
of neem (Azadirachta indica Juss.) and onion (Allium cepa L.) extracts against
Lasiodiplodia theobromae Pat causing mango stem- end rot infection. The Journal of
Tropical Biology, 5, 13-15.
Dar, J. D., Domingo, J. C., Fandalian, M. M., & Santiago, N. C. (2007). Effect of neem
and onion extracts against mango (Mangifera indica L.) anthracnose infection caused by
Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz. The Journal of Tropical Biology, 5, 28-31.
Farfan Ale, J. A., Moguel Banos, M. T., Noguchi, H, Sanchez Solis, L., Vargas Correa, J.
B., Vargas de la Pena, M. I. (1991). Allergological study of pollen of mango (Mangifera
indica) and cross reactivity with pollen of piru (Schinus molle). Rev Alerg, 38(5), 134-8.
Galang, A. (2011, August 26). Korean food firm explores mango supply agreement with
Nueva Ecija. Retrived from http://business.inquirer.net/15187/korean-food-firm-exploresmango-supply-agreement-with-nueva-ecija#ixzz3YzjvBqpZ.
Mahakit, P., Pumhirun, P., & Towiwat, P. (1997). Aeroallergen sensitivity of Thai patients
with allergic rhinitis. Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol, 15(4), 183-5.
Parmar, P.K., Patel, M. B., Patel, R. J., & Shah, K. A. (2010). Mangifera indica (Mango).
Pharmacogn Rev, 4(7), 4248.