Whichever fruit you fancy, you can be sure you’ll get a healthy boost of fibre, vitamins and disease-preventive antioxidants. But fruit is also nature’s pharmacy - so by selecting carefully, your fruit bowl can become a valuable source of home remedies for minor ailments. Here’s how:

Cystitis: Which fruit? Cranberries. How they help: Phytochemicals found in cranberries help prevent E.coli bacteria from adhering to the bladder. A daily large glass of cranberry juice drink (containing 25% cranberry) may therefore be effective at preventing urinary tract infections. Alternatively try a concentrated cranberry extract tablet.

Premenstrual syndrome: Which fruit? Bananas. How they help: They are rich in carbohydrate which staves off symptoms such as irritability and fatigue by preventing dips in blood sugar. The fruit also provide magnesium and vitamin B6 (11 and 15 per cent of the recommended daily allowance respectively per banana) which are key in helping the body deal with stress. But for the most-effective results, PMS sufferers should take higher levels of B6 and magnesium in supplement form.

Colds and infections: Which fruit? Mangoes, guavas, blackcurrants and kiwis. How they help: Blackcurrants and guavas contain around four times the vitamin C concentration of oranges, so they’re a good choice to help keep your immune system fighting fit. And tuck into mangoes - they are the best fruit source of beta carotene which also helps strengthen immune response. Kiwi fruit are another good option when you’re feeling run down: scientists at Rutgers University in America ranked them ‘Number One’ out of 27 fruits, based on the quantities of off nine different nutrients they provided.

Poor memory: Which fruit? Blueberries. How they help: Research from Tufts University has suggested that eating just half a cupful regularly could delay the deterioration in co-ordination and short-term memory that occurs with age. Animals fed a daily dose of the berries - which are rich in a host of antioxidants - showed improvements in their ability to balance and find their way around a maze. If you’re worried about a deteriorating memory, a more-reliable thing to do is to take a daily supplement of ginkgo biloba. But you could give yourself an extra helping hand with a regular fistful of blueberries as well.

Anaemia: Which fruit? Figs. How they help: A surprisingly good source of iron - four dried figs supply nearly a quarter of the recommend daily allowance of this anaemia-protective mineral. You should eat figs with another vitamin C source to improve the amount of iron you absorb.

Eye strain: Which fruit? Bilberries. How they help: These European cousins of American blueberries contain anthocyanin antioxidants which strengthen the blood vessels supplying the retina in the eye. Bilberry extracts have been shown to treat visual fatigue caused by prolonged reading and working in dim light.

Thread veins and bruises: Which fruit? Berries, cherries, citrus fruits, apples. How they help: They are rich in a variety of bioflavonoids - substances that help strengthen tiny capillaries and prevent the leakage of blood. You’ll also find bioflavonoids added to quality vitamin C supplements.

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