Otaheite Gooseberry Leaf Slowed a Carb Enzyme

Otaheite Gooseberry (Phyllanthus acidus) — มะยม (ma-yom) — Phyllanthus acidus.

Otaheite gooseberry — mah-yom. Thais pickle these sour, mouth-puckering berries. The edible part is the berry. Leaf extract slowed alpha-glucosidase, an enzyme that breaks down carbs. The berries are also a good source of vitamin C, which helps build collagen for your skin, supports normal immune function, and works as an antioxidant that protects your cells. Two Thai dishes use the fruit: Mayom Chuam, the candied version, where salted berries simmer in sugar syrup until glassy and red, then chill and get served with hot jasmine tea; and Tum Mayom, a pounded salad of raw berries with chilies, garlic, fish sauce, and palm sugar, eaten with fresh cabbage leaves. The tree itself is small and fast-growing, cropping heavily with tart berries clustered along the bare older branches.

Mayom Chuam — มะยมเชื่อม (ma-yom-chuam)
Tum Mayom — ตำมะยม (tam-ma-yom)

Nutrition data: Salitha & Panjikkaran (2025), Int J Agric Nutr 7(4):20-27, DOI 10.33545/26646064.2025.v7.i4a.215

Food and nutrients

Rich in: vitamin C

Research context

Otaheite gooseberry leaf extract inhibited the carb-digesting enzyme alpha-glucosidase in lab tests — Food Res Int, 2020 (in-vitro)

Sources

Source: Abd Ghafar SZ et al. (2020). Metabolomics of Phyllanthus acidus leaf extracts (alpha-glucosidase & antioxidant activity). Food Res Int 136:109312. DOI:10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109312

Narration transcript

Opening

These pale, ribbed little berries are so mouth-puckeringly sour that Thais almost never eat them raw — they pickle them, candy them, or pound them into a fiery salad. Otaheite gooseberry — มะยม, ma-yom. The berry is the part you eat, and it grows in heavy clusters right along the bare older branches and even the trunk.

Mayom Chuam (Candied Star Gooseberry) (มะยมเชื่อม)

The candied version — mayom chuam, ma-yom-chuam — starts with sour berries massaged with salt to pull out some acidity, then simmered in sugar syrup until they turn glassy and red. Thais serve it chilled with hot jasmine tea.

Tum Mayom (Spicy Star Gooseberry Salad) (ตำมะยม)

The savory version — tum mayom, tam-ma-yom — is a pounded salad. Raw berries are bruised in a mortar, then pounded with chilies, garlic, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Sour, hot, and salty at once, eaten with fresh cabbage leaves.

Nutrition summary

For such a tiny sour berry, ma-yom carries strong iron and vitamin C, plus some vitamin A.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is used to build collagen and helps protect cells from oxidative stress.

Closing

For growers it's an easy win — a small, fast-growing tree that crops so heavily the branches line up with fruit. Try the candied version, mayom chuam: salt the berries, simmer them in syrup until they turn glassy and red, then chill them and serve with hot tea. Follow Longevity Biome, and LIKE this video for regular updates.

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