The soursop is a sweet-sour fruit also known as graviola, guanabana, or guyabano. It is usually cultivated as a garden fruit for individual consumption. It is grown in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
The soursop’s main flavor notes are a combination of pineapple and strawberry. Its sweet, refreshing, and citrusy taste make it a popular foundation for ice cream, milkshakes, desserts, and beverages.
Before we moved to Cambodia, SE-Asia, I had only heard about the cancer-fighting properties of this delcious fruit. So when I first saw it on the local market I just had to try it.
And OMG it was love at first bite. Maybe it’s because of its subtle hints of strawberries – which were my absolute favorite when I lived in Europe – or who knows what turned me into a soursop addict.
And the best part, we have a tree in the garden. Pure bliss!
Soursop Benefits – The Yummy Miracle Fruit
1. Strengthens the immune system
Soursop is loaded with vitamin C. It helps the body produce white blood cells, the immune cells that constantly battle bacteria, viruses, and other harmful substances that attack the body and threaten its health.
It also has a potent concentration of antioxidants which reduces the effect of free radicals and help you fight chronic illness and disease.
ALSO READ: 10 Yummy Immune Boosting Foods
2. Helps fight eye disease
Soursop is rich in phytonutrients. It has saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, lactones, tannins, coumarins, phenols, anthraquinones, cardiac glycosides, phytosterols, and other antioxidant compounds that help fight eye disease.
It has zinc, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin C that help to reduce the macular degeneration usually associated with age.
3. Helps treat common infections
Viral and bacterial infections can be debilitating. They can trigger fever, sneezing, vomiting, or coughing. Make a tea out of the leaves of soursop. This natural remedy helps you fight infections and gets you back on your feet sooner.
4. Helps to control parasites
Parasitic infections are common in the rural sections of South and Latin America. Health care professionals in these areas prescribe the use of tea brewed from the leaves of the graviola as an effective and inexpensive natural remedy.
Graviola has anti-parasitic properties. It helps to cleanse the gut and keep the gastrointestinal system healthy.
Scroll down for more soursop benefits.
5. Helps to prevent and treat inflammation
Some dentists use the chemical sodium hypochlorite for irrigating the root canal to fight infection. Recent studies have demonstrated that graviola may be a better, safer, and healthier option.
Studies done on the sap extracted from its leaves showed that graviola contains anti-inflammatory properties. Graviola can be used in dental practice as a natural treatment against infection in root canals.
Graviola is also an effective treatment for the symptoms associated with arthritis or gout. It helps to control joint inflammation and pain. A decoction of soursop applied on affected areas helps to soothe pain and improves flexibility.
ALSO READ: Inflammation and Gut Health Connection: Why You Should Take Good Care of Your Tummy
6. Helps to relieve respiratory problems
Soursop helps to soothe cold, cough, and other respiratory ailments. It eases congestion, clears out the air passages, and soothes irritation. It provides relief from mucus and phlegm. It reduces inflammation in the respiratory passages and the nasal cavities.
7. Helps to treat wounds
Soursop has analgesic properties. You can apply it topically on your wounds, cuts, and other similar injuries to relieve pain and accelerate healing. You can eat the fruit or make a tea from the leaves to help reduce body aches and pain.
8. Helps relieve stress
Soursop has soothing and anti-inflammatory properties that make it a safe and natural remedy to reduce stress and anxiety.
Constant stress can make the body produce hormones that tend to disrupt the natural metabolic rhythms of the body. This makes it difficult for you to sleep. Soursop tea has been found effective for preventing restless sleep or insomnia.
ALSO READ: Discover How To Manage Stress Without Meditation
9. Helps to prevent cancer
Many researchers are doing studies on soursop as a remedy for reducing tumors and fighting cancer. The alkaloids, quinolones, and acetogenins in the fruit apparently help to reduce the flow of blood to tumors and other forms of abnormal cellular growths. There have been positive indications of the fruit helping to treat lung, prostate, pancreatic, and breast cancers.
10. Helps to slow down the aging
The antioxidants and vitamin C in the fruit help to boost stamina and slow down the appearance of early signs of aging.
11. Helps you lose weight naturally
A slow metabolism makes it difficult to lose weight. Soursop has B-complex vitamins. These vitamins help increase natural energy to help you burn fat and lose weight fast.
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As you see incorporating soursop into your diet is a great idea. You will find its sweet, citrusy taste delightfully refreshing. You are also likely to gain from the many soursop benefits to help improve your health in a yummy way.
Thanks for reading. I hope this information was helpful. Until next time!
Amy Goodrich
Crazy cat lady, life and food lover, certified biologist, and holistic health coach.
