The hog plum looks like a green unripe mango. The small fruit has very little pulp and is more sour in taste than an unripe mango. The hog plum, called ambara or amra in Hindi, is used as an important souring agent in several cuisines.
The hog plum is scientifically classified as a member of the Anacardiaceae family, sharing space with the cashewnut and mango. The fruit is an important source of nutrients and even has medicinal properties. It is rich in phenolic compounds, natural antioxidants and minerals and has ascorbic acid, malic acid, calcium and phosphorus.
The fruit not only aids digestion, but is also said to possess antidiabetic properties. It could help in cancer treatment used to extract to prepare hematite (iron ore) nanoparticles which were found to be quite successful in controlling mammalian cancer cells.