Japanese Angelica Trees

Feature : Xylose: World's first natural sweetener from coconut shell

  Feature : Xylose: World’s first natural sweetener from coconut shell By Angelica Laurilla

Do you know that there is a natural sweetener in coconut shells?

Coconut, known as “The Tree of Life,” has myriad of uses and functions; each part from its roots to its fronds have purposes that could serve humanity in every walk of life.

Coconut roots are used as beverage, dye, and mouthwash. Coconut trunks which are hardy and durable are used for building furniture and construction materials. Coconut branches specifically leaf petioles are flexible enough to make a rod. Coconut leaves can be woven to create effective roofing materials, reed mats, midrib brooms, hats and mats, and also used for making house decors such as trays, baskets, and lamp shades.

Coconut fruit which produces buko is often used for salads and refreshing fruit juices. It also makes palatable sweets and pastries.

Coconut meat can be used fresh or dried in cooking. It can also be used to obtain coconut flour, coconut milk, chips, candies and local sweetened products like “bukayo”.

Coconut water provides an isotonic electrolyte balance and is highly nutritious food source. It can also be used as vinegar, wine, and fiber-rich “nata” which is good as a dessert, a laxative and as a substitute for dextrose.

In addition, coconut milk is used to produce coconut oil. Coconut oil is the most readily digested fats which can be rapidly processed and extracted as organic product used for medicines and cosmetics.

The apical bud known as “ubod” is considered one of the finest vegetables while coconut tree’s infloresence (fermented juice) called “tuba” can be a fresh beverage, and good for producing alcoholic beverages and vinegars.

Coconut husks are made into ropes, mats, brushes, and fuel.

Coconut shell produces the core of the most saleable household products and fashion accessories that can be turned into profitable, wide-selling cottage industries.

Now, another important product comes out of the hardy coconut shell: XYLOSE.

Xylose is the first ever natural sweetener out of coconut shells in the whole world and was formulated in the Philippines.

Xylose, commonly known as wood sugar, is a natural carbon sugar obtained from the xylan-rich portion of hemicellulose which is present in plant cell walls and fibre of coconut shells.

THE JAPANESE ANGELICA-TREE RAPIDLY INVADES MORRIS PARK « The ...

, Or the Devil’s Walking Stick also called  Hercules’ Club.  For the longest time we thought it was the native tree growing in Morris Park, and being that it does have very interesting qualities we embraced this plant.  Its beautiful bi and tri-pinnately compound leaves give a sense of refined elegance to the plant world, in that there is a degree of replication and logical order in a single leaf arrangement.  Also the flowers, which bloom in late August throughout September have a commanding presence and pleasing white and subtle pinkish color.  The dark berries it produces are quickly gathered by birds, furthering the plant’s range as the birds deposit the seeds elsewhere. Of course we looked it up in The Vascular Flora of Pennsylvania, the Annotated Checklist and Atlas by Anne Fowler Rhoades and William McKinley Klein Jr., published 18 years ago in 1993.  What is called The ‘Devil’s Walking stick’ was listed as native and our county of Philadelphia was included in its native range. This is a clear example of how confusion quickly arises from the usage of common names which is why we use and repeat the Latin names, often to the point that the common name is secondary in our discussion. is considered an emerging invasive by the New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team , and was featured on their 2010 list of plants to watch. The New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team  has a sophisticated online map of the  most problematic emerging invasive plants (see interactive map  feature).  It is disturbing to view the prevalence of   Aralia elata The learning curve went from there. There is nothing better than being pointed in the right direction. We consulted The Plants of Pennsylvania by Rhoads and Block, the second edition, printed  4 years ago in 2007. Here this ‘Asian Native’ plant was listed as being “naturalized in disturbed woodlands” especially in the “southeast” portion of our state.  Reading The Trees of Pennsylvania, we got a more complete story. We can now distinguish between the native to Pennsylvania (but not Philadelphia County) Hercules Club, Devils Walking Stick, (

Having studied the published data on the Aralia, we then decided to check for ourselves the field data.  We chose multiple populations in Morris Park to examine as well as ones in The Wyndale Woods in Cobbs Creek Park, multiple populations in the Wissahickon Valley Park and West Park near Memorial Hall.  The field data examinations were performed during the blossoming of the flowers and the setting of seeds, which occurred between August and October of 2010.