NutriDex

The Supplement Research Compendium
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Pulasan

Nephelium ramboutan-ake

Rambutan's sweeter, lab-curious tropical cousin

Preliminary evidence 🍎Fruits

✚ Updated · How we grade evidence

Evidence tier
Preliminary
Research weight
Citations
11 verified / 11
Classification
Fruits
❝
What the evidence says. Early or small human trials; promising but not yet conclusive.

Nutrition per serving 1 medium (100 g edible aril)

100gSERVING
  • Water 85 g86%
  • Sugars 11 g11%
  • Fibre 1.1 g1%
  • Other carbs 0.9 g1%
  • Protein 0.8 g1%
  • Fat 0.6 g1%
What's in one serving, by weight — average composition (USDA).
Vitamin C21%Carbohydrate5%Total sugars0%Dietary fiber4%Protein2%Total fat1%
One serving as % of the adult daily requirement (FDA Daily Values). The bold outer ring = 100% of a day's needs.
56 kcal0.8 g protein1.1 g fiber0.6 g fat
NutrientPer serving% daily value
Vitamin C19 mg21%
Carbohydrate13 g5%
Total sugars11 g0%
Dietary fiber1.1 g4%
Protein0.8 g2%
Total fat0.6 g1%
Water85 g0%
Ash (minerals)0.4 g0%

Composition data: USDA FoodData Central ↗

What is Pulasan?

Pulasan (Nephelium ramboutan-ake) is a fruit used for source of vitamin c supporting normal immune function and collagen synthesis. NutriDex grades the human evidence as Preliminary. Pulasan is a Southeast Asian relative of rambutan whose edible aril is sweet, watery, and a modest source of vitamin C (~14–24 mg/100 g per Indonesian agronomic surveys). Virtually all of its purported health properties come from in vitro work on the inedible peel, leaf and seed, not the pulp: peel methanol extract is powerfully antioxidant and rich in phenolics and hydrolyzable tannins, and an aqueous rind fraction triggered mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in HT-29 colorectal and other cancer cell lines (IC50 ~16.7 µg/mL), an effect the authors linked to tannins and saponins. Seed-protein peptides inhibit the carbohydrate-digesting enzyme α-amylase, suggesting anti-diabetic potential. However, there are no human clinical trials, no animal feeding studies of the fruit, and most bioactivity data concern processing by-products rather than what people actually eat. The fruit is therefore best viewed as a nutritious whole food with promising but entirely preliminary, mechanism-level pharmacological signals. Composition data are limited and come from agronomic surveys and a single genus review, as pulasan is not catalogued in USDA FoodData Central.

Purported Benefits

✓Source of vitamin C supporting normal immune function and collagen synthesis
✓Polyphenol- and tannin-rich peel shows strong in vitro antioxidant (free-radical scavenging) capacity
✓Seed and rind extracts show in vitro anti-hyperglycemic potential via α-amylase/α-glucosidase inhibition
✓Aqueous rind fraction induces apoptosis in cultured cancer cell lines (in vitro only)
✓Leaf and peel extracts show in vitro antibacterial activity
✓Provides water and a modest amount of dietary fiber for a refreshing low-fat fruit

Dosing & Compounds

Typical Dose
1–3 fresh fruits (~50–150 g edible aril); no studied therapeutic dose
Active Compounds
Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid)Hydrolyzable tannins / ellagitannins (geraniin, corilagin — characteristic of Nephelium peel)Ellagic acid and gallic acidFlavonoids (rutin, quercetin, flavan-3-ols)Total phenolics (up to ~306 mg GAE/g in peel methanol extract)Saponins (concentrated in rind/seed)Seed-protein bioactive peptides (α-amylase inhibitory)

Safety & Cautions

Generally regarded as a safe edible fruit with no documented toxicity or drug interactions. The seed is not eaten raw, and the rind/seed/leaf extracts studied for bioactivity are not the edible portion — do not self-prepare concentrated peel or seed preparations. Diabetics should not rely on it for glucose control given the complete absence of human data. As with any sugary tropical fruit, account for its sugar/carbohydrate load. Allergy is theoretically possible but unreported. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Pulasan with any medicine.

Key Studies ★ 11 studies

Meta-analysis Nutrition Reviews 2026 (Oxford) ✓ Full text
Systematic review and subgroup meta-analysis of 52 RCTs (n=1425) in type 2 diabetes found vitamin C and combined C+E significantly lowered systolic blood pressure and C+E raised HDL, but effects on glycemic control and other lipids were not significant.
Meta-analysis Vitamin C peri-procedural meta-analysis 2023 ✓ Full text
Meta-analysis (PubMed/Cochrane/Embase/Scopus) reported vitamin C may reduce post-procedure troponin and CK-MB levels in patients undergoing PCI and CABG cardiac procedures.
Meta-analysis Myung et al. 2013 (PLOS One) ✓ Full text
Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found no significant reduction in major cardiovascular outcomes with antioxidant vitamin (including vitamin C) supplementation versus placebo.
Review Tsong 2021 (review) ✓ Full text
Comprehensive genus review (Molecules 26(22):7005) concluding N. ramboutan-ake (pulasan) bioactivity data are limited to in vitro/extract studies of peel, seed and pulp, with no in vivo or human evidence; peel and seeds show higher antioxidant and bioactivity than the edible aril, and the authors call for toxicology/pharmacology studies.
Observational Khaw et al. 2012 (Molecules) ✓ Full text
Aqueous fraction of N. ramboutan-ake (pulasan) rind induced mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in HT-29 human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells in vitro, attributed to high tannin and saponin content; cell-line only, not a human study.
Agronomic survey Mardaleni 2022 ✓ Source
Survey of 67 pulasan accessions from six Riau (Indonesia) populations: fruit weight 23–104 g, °Brix 16.8–29.6, vitamin C 14.0–24.0 mg/100 g. Biodiversitas 23:2526-2533.
In vitro Fadhli 2021 ✓ Source
Pulasan leaf crude extracts in three solvents showed concentration-dependent DPPH antioxidant activity (37.42–81.64% scavenging at 25–100 ppm) and moderate antibacterial inhibition; methanol/ethanol extracts most potent (in vitro).
In vitro / in silico Mokiran 2018 ✓ PubMed
α-Amylase inhibitor peptides extracted from N. mutabile (pulasan) and N. lappaceum seed protein via gastro-digestive enzymes (pepsin/chymotrypsin); 31 and 20 novel inhibitory peptides identified, supporting anti-diabetic potential (in vitro). Peptides 102:61–67.
Agronomic survey Djuita 2017 ✓ Source
Characterization and ideotype formulation of West Java pulasan landraces (Djuita et al.), documenting edible-portion quality traits, °Brix and vitamin C of the fruit; five superior variants identified.
In vitro Sukemi 2015 ✓ Source
Methanol extract of pulasan peel showed potent DPPH radical-scavenging with total phenolic content 306.04 mg GAE/g and total flavonoid content 14.05 mg QE/g — among the strongest in the genus (in vitro).
In vitro (cancer cell lines) Chan 2012 ✓ Full text
Aqueous fraction of pulasan rind induced mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in HT-29 colorectal cancer cells (IC50 16.66 µg/mL) and was cytotoxic to HCT-116 (33.90), Ca Ski (31.14) and MDA-MB-231 (41.53 µg/mL) lines, with ROS elevation and caspase activation; activity linked to tannins and saponins (in vitro). Published in Molecules 17(6):6633.
11 sources cited · 11 verified Search all studies on PubMed ↗

Common questions about Pulasan

What is Pulasan used for?

Pulasan is most often taken for Source of vitamin C supporting normal immune function and collagen synthesis, Polyphenol- and tannin-rich peel shows strong in vitro antioxidant (free-radical scavenging) capacity, Seed and rind extracts show in vitro anti-hyperglycemic potential via α-amylase/α-glucosidase inhibition, Aqueous rind fraction induces apoptosis in cultured cancer cell lines (in vitro only). Rambutan's sweeter, lab-curious tropical cousin

Does Pulasan work — what does the evidence say?

Preliminary evidence. Early or small human trials; promising but not yet conclusive. Pulasan is a Southeast Asian relative of rambutan whose edible aril is sweet, watery, and a modest source of vitamin C (~14–24 mg/100 g per Indonesian agronomic surveys). Virtually all of its purported health properties come from in vitro work on the inedible peel, leaf and seed, not the pulp: peel methanol extract is powerfully antioxidant and rich in phenolics and hydrolyzable tannins, and an aqueous rind fraction triggered mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in HT-29 colorectal and other cancer cell lines (IC50 ~16.7 µg/mL), an effect the authors linked to tannins and saponins. Seed-protein peptides inhibit the carbohydrate-digesting enzyme α-amylase, suggesting anti-diabetic potential. However, there are no human clinical trials, no animal feeding studies of the fruit, and most bioactivity data concern processing by-products rather than what people actually eat. The fruit is therefore best viewed as a nutritious whole food with promising but entirely preliminary, mechanism-level pharmacological signals. Composition data are limited and come from agronomic surveys and a single genus review, as pulasan is not catalogued in USDA FoodData Central.

What is the typical dose of Pulasan?

1–3 fresh fruits (~50–150 g edible aril); no studied therapeutic dose

Is Pulasan safe? Any cautions or side effects?

Generally regarded as a safe edible fruit with no documented toxicity or drug interactions. The seed is not eaten raw, and the rind/seed/leaf extracts studied for bioactivity are not the edible portion — do not self-prepare concentrated peel or seed preparations. Diabetics should not rely on it for glucose control given the complete absence of human data. As with any sugary tropical fruit, account for its sugar/carbohydrate load. Allergy is theoretically possible but unreported.

How many studies support Pulasan?

NutriDex cites 11 sources for Pulasan, graded "Preliminary".

Cite this page
APA

Peh, D. (2026). Pulasan (Nephelium ramboutan-ake): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects & Evidence. NutriDex — The Supplement Research Compendium. Retrieved 26 Jun 2026, from https://nutridex.info/s/pulasan

BibTeX
@misc{nutridex_pulasan,
  author       = {Peh, Daryl},
  title        = {Pulasan (Nephelium ramboutan-ake): Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects \& Evidence},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {NutriDex --- The Supplement Research Compendium},
  url          = {https://nutridex.info/s/pulasan},
  note         = {Reviewed by Dr Daryl Peh, MBBS Singapore, MMed FM. Accessed 2026-06-26}
}

For medical claims, citing the underlying primary studies linked above is preferred. NutriDex is an educational reference, not medical advice.

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