I was just cutting up some mangosteen shell to make a tea, a very healthy tea. I just cut up the shell into thin pieces, put in a cup, and then poured boiling water over it, like making ginger tea. Unfortunately these mangosteens weren't quite as fresh as I've seen before; when you cut into the hard rind and deep red juice comes out, you know it's fresh. Still fine for making tea though. The taste is like a mixture of pear, banana, and peach tea. I had read that the mangosteen shell is very high in tannins, and was expecting something very bitter and astringent, but I did not find that to be the case at all.

Just got the mangosteens yesterday at an Asian market 40 minutes away. I also picked up some mangosteen tea (tea bags). The ingredients say "Mangosteen Pericarp (Garcinia Mangostana) and Forest tea leaves (Ehretia microphylla)"–that's Fukien tea. The tea has a kind of interesting aroma, with sweet black licorice-like notes, I'm not sure I can describe it. I don't think it's coming from the mangosteen because I just prepared some fresh mangosteen tea myself, and I've never tasted Fukien tea by itself. It tastes good, warm and almost kind of caramel-like or something.

Ehretia microphylla is the old latin name for Carmona retusa, which is a popular ornamental shrub, with little white flowers and tiny orange fruits. Also note that if you're not using fresh mangosteen pericarp from a fruit you just cut open, it's not really going to have that fruity flavor in the tea.

The mangosteen fruit itself only had one big seed in it. Another seed was very small and underformed, and there was another fruit segment that had a seed in it that was not formed (I'm not sure what you call it), it was the type you could bite right into and not worry about it. All the remaining segments inside were seedless!!! Usually not that lucky. Most mangosteens have a seed in most of the segments. Anyway, I saved the seed and am going to try to sprout it. It's been in the refrigerator so I hope that's not going to prevent the seed from growing.

An essential oil can also be made from mangosteen shell, it's supposed to be very good for people's skin. Mangosteen truly is a versatile superfood if you know how to use it.