Combining the tinge of pineapples and strawberries with some citrus flavors and the sweet taste of bananas, soursop is a beloved fruit of Latin America, Africa, and India.
Also called guanabana, guyabano, graviola, sirsak, cherimoya, prickly custard apple, and paw-paw, soursop is the fruit of the soursop tree (Annona Muricata).
This tree’s fruits are not only used to make syrups, candies, ice creams, beverages, cakes, shakes, and sorbets, but they also act as traditional herbal medicines.
Here’s what 100 grams (approximately 1/2 a cup) of raw soursop provides:
- 16 gm of water
- 3 gm of fat
- 66 calories of energy
- 1 gm of protein
- 54 gm of sugars
- 14 mg of calcium
- 84 mg of carbohydrates
- 3 gm of dietary fiber
- 21 mg of magnesium
- 6 gm of iron
- 6 mg of vitamin C
- 086 mg of Copper
For centuries, people have traditionally used soursop to treat various health conditions. Here are some amazing benefits of soursop you might not know.
Prevents Cancer
The most intriguing soursop benefit is its antioxidant activity, due to the alkaloids, quinolones, and acetogenins it contains. These compounds have been linked to prevention of cancer and reduction in tumor sizes.
They can stop blood flow to abnormal or foreign cell growth, and have been positively linked to treating breast, lung, prostate, and pancreatic cancers.
Pain Relief
Not only can soursop relieve inflammation, it can also actually lower the pain stimuli. Arthritis patients suffer from both pain and inflammation, which makes soursop a perfect remedy.
It also seems that the effect of the fruit depends on the dose, meaning that the degree of analgesia (pain relief) corresponds to the amount of fruit consumed.
It’s not clear whether there’s a limit to how much should be consumed, so it’s best to consume a small amount and test your response.
Beneficial for Your Eyes
Chock-full of antioxidants, the soursop fruit can help bring down the body’s oxidative stress. In this case, its zinc, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E and many carotenoid compounds help to preserve your eye health.
By slowing the macular degeneration rate, or cataract development, you can maintain optimal eye function for much longer.
Treats Insomnia
Soursop tea is an effective stress-reliever. It has certain soothing and inflammatory properties that make it super effective if you’re suffering from major anxiety and stress.
Stress hormones can be detrimental to your health and can mess up your sleep schedule and natural metabolic cycles. If you’re suffering from restless sleep or insomnia, taking soursop tea would be a wise choice.
Anti-inflammatory Properties
If you have inflammation or joint pain, especially from conditions like arthritis or gout, rubbing a soursop decoction on the affected part can be a great way to experience relief.
Soursop’s anti-inflammatory compounds can quickly speed up healing in trouble spots, while also improving flexibility and soothing pain.
Can Eliminate Internal Parasites
Drugs that get rid of intestinal worms are called anti-helminthic. This is exactly what the leaf extract of this fruit can be called.
It was found to have the ability to kill larvae and adult worms, which only a few prescription anti-parasitic drugs can. While the leaf extract is yet to be made into standard doses for eliminating gut parasites, the results are promising so far.
Improves Gastrointestinal Health
Loaded with vitamin C, soursop has been used for years as a home remedy for dysentery and scurvy. Soursop juice is also a very potent diuretic since it can remove excess salts and toxins from the body and cleanse the digestive tract.
Its anti-inflammatory components, like quinolones and alkaloids, can kill gut parasites and ease any irritation or pain in the colon or stomach.
Immune System Boost
While many people don’t realize this, a strong immune system starts with a healthy diet and fitness regimen. This is particularly important during the season of colds and flu.
Since soursop stimulates white blood cells production and is loaded with vitamin C, it’s effective when included in your diet. Most folks usually add soursop to desserts and drinks to start receiving the immune system boost they need.
Soursop contains a huge of amount antioxidants that also help fight chronic conditions and protect against free radicals too.
Makes Skin Healthier
There have been lots of approaches to improve skin health, especially those involving natural remedies. Obviously, the first one we always think about is to drink plenty of water daily.
But soursop plays a vital role in healthy-looking, clear skin. It also helps reduce wrinkles and fine lines and diminish age spots and blemishes.
It’s vital to crush soursop seeds into a powder so you can apply it to the skin. To get the best result, use a spice grinder.
Make a paste out of the powder and apply it to your skin. Apart from getting rid of spots, it’ll also protect your skin from infections and bacteria.
Boosts Liver Health
The liver tirelessly processes lots of waste and everything you eat, day after day. However, things might go wrong at times. For example, the liver may not work well during jaundice, which occurs when old red blood cells break down.
Usually, bilirubin is broken down further and excreted in pee and poo, but bilirubin may also build up when things go kaput. It doesn’t get metabolized, causing jaundice.
Jaundice is clearly visible by checking the eyes which look very yellow. Soursop helps reverse jaundice, normalize bilirubin levels and can protect the liver from medication-induced jaundice.
Where to Buy Soursop
Soursop comes in various forms. You can purchase soursop juice and soursop supplements online. Be sure to check out SoursopStore for all your soursop needs.
But if you want the fruit, it’s best to get it from your nearest fruit market. There, you’ll have a feel of the fruits so you can pick the best.
Benefits of Soursop: A Wrap-up
After reading through these benefits of soursop, we hope you can get the most out of this incredible fruit. However, this post is for informational purposes only, so be sure to consult your healthcare provider before consuming soursop.
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