The kiwi fruit was originally from China, but brought to New Zealand by Chinese missionaries where it was renamed kiwi after a native NZ bird. Today kiwi is grown and eaten in many countries. It is an unattractive little roundish fruit with hairy, brown skin but contains an exotic and delicious green interior with a sweet and mildly tangy taste.

The kiwi fruit is rich in vitamins C, E and A. It contains dietary fiber, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium and copper. It has a remarkable ability to remove excess sodium from the body which is good for the average person who eats too much salt. The kiwi is also rich in antioxidants ad digestive enzymes.

Kiwi fruit is said to promote respiratory health and ease wheezing and night coughing so a before bedtime salad of sliced kiwi fruit with a little cinnamon powder and honey can be comforting and helpful.

An ancient Chinese cure for shortness of breath and coughing spasms is syrup made of fresh kiwi fruit with honey and finely crushed aniseed. Recent reports indicate that the kiwi looks like a promising addition to the foods that can help support your immune system. One study found that mice that were fed a puree made from gold kiwi fruit showed improvement in their immune response. This is a preliminary study, and we are not rodents, but most of us are always interested in natural ways to boost our immune systems.