Soursop
From Wikiwel
Soursop grows in tropical countries and are common in Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, the Caribbean, Central America and the sub-Saharan African countries.The Soursop (Annona muricata) is a broadleaf, flowering, evergreen tree native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America: Colombia, Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela. Soursop is also native to sub-Saharan African countries that lie within the tropics. Today, it is also grown in some areas of Southeast Asia. It was most likely brought from Mexico to the Philippines by way of the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade.It is in the same genus as the chirimoya and the same family as the pawpaw. Soursop fruit skin is green and covered with a cone-shaped seed. The color of fruit soursop meat is white, and meat will feel soft when ripe with sweet and sour and tasty enough to be eaten directly or made of soursop juice. Soursop fruit seeds are small and in between the meat soursop fruit with glossy black color.Soursop fruit is contained within various types of nutrients beneficial to human health where this fruit contains large amounts of vitamin C, B1, and B12. Soursop fruit is rich in carbohydrates, particularly fructose.
See also : Graviola leaves
Special Precautions of Soursop
- Do not confuse with Durian : Durian is a completely different fruit to the Soursop - not even related.
- Parkinson’s disease: Graviola might make the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease worse.
- soursop has demonstrated uterine stimulant activity in an animal study (rats) and should therefore NOT be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding !
- Alcohol extracts of soursop leaf showed no toxicity or side effects in mice at 100 mg/kg; however, at a dosage of 300 mg/kg, a reduction in explorative behavior and mild abdominal constrictions was observed. If sedation or sleepiness occurs, reduce the amount used. While research confirms that these antitumorous acetogenins also occur in high amounts in the seeds and roots of soursop, different alkaloid chemicals in the seeds and roots have shown some preliminary in vitro neurotoxic effects. Researchers have suggested that these alkaloids might be linked to atypical Parkinson’s disease in countries where the seeds are employed as a common herbal parasite remedy. Therefore, using the seeds and root of soursop is not recommended at this time. It can kill nerve cells in the brain and other parts of the body. It may cause movement disorders similar to Parkinson’s disease.
- soursop has demonstrated hypotensive, vasodilator, and cardiodepressant activities in animal studies and is contraindicated for people with low blood pressure. People taking antihypertensive drugs should check with their doctors before taking soursop and monitor their blood pressure accordingly (as medications may need adjusting).
- soursop has demonstrated significant in vitro antimicrobial properties. Chronic, long-term use of this plant may lead to die-off of friendly bacteria in the digestive tract due to its antimicrobial properties. Supplementing the diet with probiotics and digestive enzymes is advisable if this plant is used for longer than 30 days.
- soursop has demonstrated emetic properties in one animal study with pigs. Large single dosages may cause nausea or vomiting. Reduce the usage accordingly if this occurs.
- One study with rats given a stem-bark extract intragastrically (at 100 mg/kg) reported an increase in dopamine, norepinephrine, and monomine oxidase activity, as well as a inhibition of serotonin release in stress-induced rats.
The benefits of Soursop are
Soursop fruit, leaves and seeds are useful as a natural remedy to treat a variety of diseases, and in communities where traditional indigenous fruit grown soursop plant also use as an herbal remedy to treat various types of diseases :
- Cancer : To prevent cancer is to eat fruit or drink soursop juice on a regular basis, to treat cancer while it is able to utilize the leaves because the leaves of soursop fruit is believed to be useful as a natural chemotherapy drug for cancer patients, even more remarkable because soursop leaves only kill cells that grow abnormally and allow cells to grow normally and the patient do not experience negative effects experienced with chemotherapy treatments such as hair loss and nausea. Soursop has certain properties that kill cancer cells 10,000 times more efficient than chemotherapy; and they only kill cancer cells leaving the healthy cells unharmed. This means the patient does not suffer from the side effects that chemotherapy has. One of its cancer cure properties is annonacin. While the addition of chemotherapy to kill abnormal cells can also give effect to kill also some normal cells are exposed to radiation and chemotherapy in addition to the usual patient will experience hair loss and nausea.How to treatment using soursop leaf is to take old soursop leaves as many as 10 pieces and then boiled with three glasses of water to stay a glass of water, then drink boiling water twice a day each a glass and do it continuously on a regular basis, and drink this potion for the body feels warm like effect of chemotherapy and in two weeks will be visible effect against cancer in the body and to know the exact results in better medical check. The anti-cancer properties of custard apple appear to be mainly due to a class of compounds called acetogenins. Throughout the 1990s, a team of researchers lead by Professor Jerry McLaughlin at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana, and another team at Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaoshiung Taiwan had evaluated the structure and anti-cancer properties of acetogenins. To date, over 400 acetogenins have been identified and currently the Annonaceae remain a "hot' family for the discovery of new anti-cancer therapeutic agents. Chinese and Taiwanese universities have successfully synthesized a range of these acetogenins. Bullatacin, isolated from the fruit of custard apple, is one of the most potentially effective antitumor acetogenins. Bullatacin is 258 times more cytotoxic against breast cancer cells than adriamycin.
- Used in Immuno therapies.
- Ambient : Pick the ripe fruit soursop and then extorted to be taken as a glass of water, then drink two times a day, every morning and evening
- Anti-Diabetic and Haemoglobin Effects : Anti-diabetic properties of custard apples appear to be related to stimulation of insulin production and enhanced uptake of glucose by muscles leading to stabilisation of blood sugar concentrations. Studies in rabbits showed that 5g of semi-dried pulp of custard apple per kg of body weight was effective as an anti-diabetic treatment.
- Lumbago : Take 20 sheets of soursop leaves and then boiled with 5 cups water to boiling until there remained 3 glasses and then drink each day as much as ¾ cup
- Cold Sores : Graviola may help fight herpes simplex virus-1 (the virus that causes cold sores), according to a laboratory study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in 1998.
- Ulcer : Take young soursop leaf to taste and finely mashed with added ½ teaspoon of water, then stir until smooth and pinned in place Boils
- Pain in the bladder urine : Take half-ripe soursop fruit and mix it with sugar and salt to taste to the fruit compote is made by cooking soursop fruit mixed with sugar and salt, then spent a week in a row regularly eaten every day
- Anti-Obese Effects : Several studies have examined why villagers on the island of Okinawa have extended longevity. These studies involved large scale screening of Okinawan plant foods to determine factors associated with the prevention of fat cell growth and promotion of fat digestion. Custard apple was listed as one of the foods with strong anti-obese activity. Custard apple is regularly consumed by the Okinawan population. The consumption of ethanol extracts of fresh custard apple fruit is associated with lowered plasma triglyceride concentrations by 65% of subjects fed a moderately high fat diet for four weeks and exhibited a potent inhibitory effect on reducing fat tissue by about 20%.
- Others : Soursop plant is also believed to cure various kinds of other diseases such as heart disease, catarrh, gallbladder problems, leprosy, cough, diarrhea, fever, dysentery, diarrhea, and indigestion
