Greetings all from a new member.

A few weeks ago I read a CNN piece on a fruit that is supposed to make unpleasant things taste good. That's the claim anyway. I was intrigued because at the time I thought I was headed into chemo and might need something like this to help me eat. Well, I turned out not to need the chemo but I have just started a course of radiation, this after 2 surgeries. I'm definitely going to look into it though.... perhaps others have experience with it?

A quote from the article:

"About five months ago, a Miami, Florida, hospital began studying whether the fruit's sweetening effects can restore the appetite of cancer patients whose chemotherapy treatments have left them with dulled taste buds.

"What happens in patients is the food tastes so metallic and bland, it becomes repulsive," said Dr. Mike Cusnir, a lead researcher on the project and oncologist at Mount Sinai Medical Center. "Most of the patients undergoing chemotherapy have weight loss. Then they cut further into their diet and then this furthers the weight loss. It causes malnutrition, decreased function of the body and electrolyte imbalance."

And the link:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH....berries.weightloss/

If this has all been discussed before on this forum, my apologies!

Best,
David

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Balanchine,

I don't think it has been discussed here (I did a Search and didn't come up with anything). I usually ignore anything that uses the word 'miracle,' but this seems to do exactly what it claims to do. Got lots of reputable hits when googling. I could have used that while undergoing chemo for breast cancer when everything tasted metallic. The miracle fruit might have made eating pleasurable.

Looks like it's a little hard to find but there are ads for places where you can buy it in the US. I'm going to be on the lookout. I'd like to try it if only for the novelty. For those who have taste bud problems it might change eating all together. Interesting stuff.

Mimi

Yes, Mimi, like you I'd be dubious of something like this based on title alone. But as you say, this appears legit. I believe it grows easily in my hometown of Miami and I have a friend down there looking into it for me. I'll report anything I find.

David

It's on eBay UK as plants, as well as processed product. Some of the sellers are US based. Not cheap, but might be the best buy ever made if it works. I'd be interested to hear any feedback from anyone that's tried it.

Videoclip: Watch a flavor tripping demonstration and the interview

Interesting! Once they got past the newsy thing of calling it Taste Tripping and getting a couple of perfectly healthy stooges to eat hot sauce and lemons with it, it settled down to a reasonably insightful interview with the oncologist. Pity they didn't bring in someone on Chemo and ask them to try it, particularly as Cancer patients was the tag line of the item. Science moves on, but the journos are still down there in the mud.

I've just realised there's a chap selling it on eBay literally 3 miles up the A23 from me in Pease Pottage and I've ordered Five 'Portions' for £6.99 (P&P Free) Not quite sure whether I'm literally paying £1.40 a pop for it, or whether you can sub-divide the portions as the blurb suggests. I'll let you know.

Actually it reminds me of the old WWII joke about Hitler ordering his scientists to make butter out of Horse sh*t as an austerity measure. After three months he wanted a progress report and they shuffled about a bit and looked at their feet. Eventually one of them spoke up and said "Mein Fuhrer we are half way there"

"Vat do you mean?" Huffed the great one.

"Ve haff got it to spread well!"

I know, I won't give up the day job....

That's actually not too bad, John.

I'll be interested to hear if/how the fruit works. If you give it the thumbs up I'll likely be the next customer as I'm at the point in radiation where things are definitely starting to taste 'off'!

Thanks,
David

Will do David. Just FYI for the next few weeks I'll be testing it for the 'offsetting' effects of Chemo, which I see you haven't had (actually it's an assumption from your profile, forgive me if I'm wrong)

It will therefore be interesting to have an anecdotal if not strictly empirical comparison of its merits for mitigating the taste effects of both treatments!

BTW I was down your way last October. I had a ‘Bucket List’ date with the Vasquez rocks - I'm a Trek fan what can I say? The trade off for my kids was four days plodding around Anaheim, hi-fiving Donald Duck and friends. Cancer is indeed hell...

I'm going to be where you are now in about 8 or 9 weeks. Hopefully by that time you'll be through it and moving on in your life, and having a good grin at me! I wish you all the best.


John

"Earthling.... I will be merciful...." I've climbed around Vasquez Rocks a few times, John, and seen nary a Gorn. But it's a majestic spot and very close to town too. Fortunately these days all the giant lizards work at the talent agencies in Beverly Hills.

And yes, you're correct from the profile, no chemo for me, for which I consider myself blessed and think good thoughts for all of you who've gone through it and are about to. I'm finding the radiation unpleasant enough, hadn't expected to feel nauseated but it's with me all the time. The other drag, since I'm on my soapbox, is the canker sores. My mouth is full of them and swallowing is extremely painful. So barely 10 days in I'm already on a liquid diet.

But this all too shall pass.

All the best to you and good luck with your experiment.
David

Oh and bravo on the pic of good old Lud! the late quartets were, uh, instrumental in getting me through my recent surgery post-op.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Balanchine,

Hello folks, just finding time now to meet all the new memebers and catch up with new postings .

When we were down at the Marsden last year there was a news bulletin on TV about this fruit then was followed by a newspaper article in one of the London papers .I spent a week tracing this fruit and managed to order it from a posh fruit and Vegetable supplier in Chelsea and also lined up for half an hour at a posh health store who were selling it in powder form the main people buying this were ones who had weight problems and were going to be using it on bland diet food !!!!.

Hurried back to hospital with my goodies and tried this for 3 weeks .Paul felt it did not really improve taste for him but was worth a try .I think this will only work if the patient has some form of saliva and at least a reasonable amount of tate bud function so maybe if it is for Chemo duration before RT has zapped any tatse buds it may be beneficial .

Paul has basically nill saliva and taste is minimal but can't tolerate spicy.So he was maybe not the best test case .I was not sure about the extra sweet flavour and found it more like lacing sour or tart flavours with kid on sugar supplements ,but again my tasate buds are normal and I tend to be sweet toothed .

Let us know how you get on with this ,this was publized last year and should be easier to get now .

Keep an eye on that sore mouth and I hope you are being supplied with all the usual mouth potions, there are a few good solutions which will help so ask for them as it is important .Nausea is miserable and my husband felt grim with it but again finding the right anti nausea for you will make things more bearable .

Wishing you a speedy journey through rest of treatment and on to recovery ,

Bell.