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Botanical illustration of Persimmon
CulinarySourced entry

Persimmon

Diospyros kaki

An orange fruit rich in antioxidants. In a trial, a persimmon extract helped overweight adults lose body fat.

Safety at a glance

  • PregnancyNothing recorded
  • BreastfeedingNothing recorded
  • MedicinesNothing recorded
  • Who should avoid itNothing recorded
  • AllergiesNothing recorded
  • ToxicityNothing recorded

Tap a box to read the safety notes below. “Nothing recorded” means our sources don't cover it, not that it's safe.

What is Persimmon?

Plant family
Ebenaceae, the ebony family
Parts used
The fruit and leaves
Where it grows
China; now grown in warm temperate regions worldwide
Genus
Diospyros
Species
kaki

Also called

Kaki, Japanese Persimmon

Traditionally used for

  • Food
  • Weight management

Traditionally described as

  • Antioxidant

Natural compounds

ProanthocyanidinsTannins

Safety

Side effects

  • Unripe persimmons are very astringent, and eating persimmons can form hard masses in the stomach (diospyrobezoars).[1]Study

What does the research say?

Laboratory & animal research

Lab and animal results show what might be worth studying in people. They don't show that the herb has these effects in humans.

  • Persimmon fruit is rich in proanthocyanidins, carotenoids, tannins and flavonoids with strong antioxidant activity. In studies, its compounds helped against high cholesterol and high blood sugar.[1]Study

Research in people

  • In a trial, overweight adults took 400 mg of a persimmon fruit extract or a placebo daily for 120 days. The persimmon group lost more body fat, weight and waist size, without losing muscle. Cholesterol and blood sugar didn't change.[2]Study

    Technical detail: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled (NCT05750342); DEXA and BIA fat mass, p < 0.001.

In short

Unripe fruit is very astringent and can form stomach masses.

Sources

  1. [1] Persimmon (Diospyros kaki) fruit: hidden phytochemicals and health claims · DOI: 10.17179/excli2015-159Peer-reviewed study
  2. [2] Efficacy of a Dietary Supplement Extracted from Persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.f.) in Overweight Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Clinical Trial · DOI: 10.3390/foods13244072Peer-reviewed study

This information is educational and traditional in nature, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Unfamiliar word? See what these words mean.