Today is an excellent day to learn more about the health benefits of soursop.
What is Soursop?
Soursop is a fruit that is sourced from the Graviola or Annona muricata tree. You can commonly find soursop in the tropical regions of Latin America and the Caribbean.
It’s a thorny green fruit with a soft inner texture and a delicious flavor.
It is sometimes known as the custard apple, guanabana, guyabano, and the Brazilian pawpaw.
This tropical fruit is often eaten raw. All you need to do is cut the fruit in half and consume the fleshy part around the seeds.
While the taste is enough to make this fruit popular, it is also rich in vitamin B, vitamin C, and some powerful antioxidants.
The pulverized leaves of the soursop tree and its seeds can also be used to make a powerful tea, which also offers several health benefits.
Here are some impressive health benefits of soursop that you need to know about.
- Soursop is high in nutrients.
- Soursop helps to lower cholesterol.
- It may help you sleep.
- Soursop can benefit your liver health.
- Soursop combats inflammation.
- Detoxification may be aided with soursop.
- Is beneficial to your skin.
- Soursop could improve your brain health.
- Bacteria can be fought off by soursop.
- Soursop is beneficial to the heart.
- Has analgesic properties.
- Soursop is good for your hair.
- Antioxidants are abundant in soursop.
- Blood pressure levels may be reduced.
- Soursop may aid in blood sugar control.
- Aids in the control of parasites.
- Soursop is good for your eyes.
- Immune system booster.
- Soursop helps to maintain a healthy digestive system.
- Soursop aids in the relief of some respiratory issues.
If you would like to learn more, please keep reading.
1. Soursop Is Very Nutritious
Soursop is a delicious fruit that’s filled with nutrients.
It has fiber, proteins, and sugar.
You can get vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, and C when you eat raw soursop.
You’ll also get calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc.
You can deliciously enjoy the health benefits of soursop by eating the fruit plainly or by making it into a delicious juice or tea.
2. Soursop Guards Against Cholesterol
Soursop, also known as Graviola, has many health benefits due to its high content of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
One of the most important benefits of soursop is its ability to lower cholesterol levels.
High cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
The antioxidants in soursop help to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
3. Helps With Your Sleep
For many years, people have been using soursop to relieve stress.
There are claims that it has soothing properties that are ideal for reducing your anxiety and stress levels.
Anxiety and stress are common causes of having a hard time sleeping well.
Next time, you should try drinking soursop tea before going to sleep.
To make soursop tea, simply add a cup of soursop pulp to boiling water and let it steep for 10 minutes.
You can also add honey or lemon to taste.
4. Soursop Can Help Your Liver’s Health
Recent studies have shown that soursop can help improve liver health.
One study found that soursop extract was able to protect liver cells from damage and improve liver function in rats with fatty liver disease.
Soursop is a good source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, which may explain its liver-protective effects.
If you’re looking to improve your liver health, consider adding soursop to your diet.
5. Soursop Fights Inflammations (My Preferred Health Benefit Of Soursop)
In Brazil, researchers experimented with animal samples and discovered the powerful anti-inflammatory effects of soursop.
If you are suffering from inflammation or joint pain, including conditions like arthritis or gout, applying a decoction from the soursop leaves to the affected area can help ease the condition.
The anti-inflammatory properties of soursop can speed up the healing process while also easing pain and enhancing flexibility.
In an animal study conducted on rats, researchers noticed decreased swelling and alleviated inflammations in the test subjects after treating them with soursop extracts.
If you need more details on this study, you can check “Mechanisms of Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Annona muricata Linn. (Annonaceae) Fruit Extract in Rodents.”
Barley is a grain that also possesses anti-inflammatory qualities. You can read about its health benefits below.
6. Drink Soursop Leaf Tea To Aid In Detoxification
Studies have shown that soursop may also have detoxification properties.
Soursop contains high levels of vitamins C and B, as well as minerals such as iron and potassium.
These nutrients are essential for detoxification processes in the body.
Furthermore, soursop fruit’s juice may be considered a diuretic and can cleanse the gastrointestinal tract and eliminate extra toxins and salts from the body.
7. Is Good For Your Skin
Since soursop has antibacterial properties, it helps you fight skin infections.
The seeds of this fruit are ground into a powder and used as an ingredient for a skin astringent.
It’s supposed to reduce blemishes, lines, spots, and wrinkles on your skin.
8. Could Be Beneficial To Your Brain Health (An Unpopular Soursop Health Benefit)
Soursop is a tropical fruit that has been claimed to have a wide range of health benefits, including brain health.
There is some scientific evidence to support the claim that soursop can be beneficial for brain health.
One study showed that soursop extract was able to protect brain cells from damage caused by oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress is a process that leads to cell death and is thought to be involved in the development of many diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Another study found that soursop extract was able to increase levels of a protein called BDNF in the brain.
BDNF is important for neuronal growth and survival, and it has been linked to improved cognitive function.
9. Soursop Can Help Fight Bacteria
Some studies show that soursop may have significant antibacterial properties.
In a study concerning oral health, soursop extracts have been observed to effectively stop strains of bacteria that cause gingivitis, tooth decay, and yeast infection.
You can read more of this on “Anti-Microbial Efficacy Of Soursop Leaf Extract (Annona Muricata) On Oral Pathogens.”
There are also other studies that show that soursop extracts work against bacteria that cause cholera and Staphylococcus infections.
However, please bear in mind that the studies are mostly conducted on test tubes.
10. Soursop Is Good For Your Heart
One of the health benefits of soursop is that it can help to improve heart health.
Soursop also contains a compound called annonacin, which has been shown to help protect against heart disease.
This compound works by reducing inflammation and improving blood flow.
Studies have also shown that soursop can help to lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
This makes it a great fruit for those who are at risk of developing heart disease.
A very common spice that’s good for your heart as well is ginger. You can read about its health benefits here.
11. Has Analgesic Qualities
Soursop has qualities that help relieve pain.
It’s been used to treat arthritis pain, back pain, and gout pain.
The leaves of soursop are most commonly used for this effect. You just need to boil the leaves and drink them as tea.
12. Soursop Is Beneficial to Your Hair
This unique fruit is packed with nutrients that can help to improve the health of your scalp and hair.
Soursop is rich in vitamins C and B, as well as minerals like zinc and iron.
These nutrients are essential for healthy hair growth.
Soursop can also help to prevent hair loss.
The fruit’s high vitamin C content helps to boost collagen production, which strengthens the hair follicles.
Additionally, soursop’s anti-inflammatory properties can help to reduce scalp inflammation, a common cause of hair loss.
13. Soursop Is High In Antioxidants
Soursop is high in powerful antioxidants that help to fight harmful free radicals in the human body.
Free radicals are reactive and unstable compounds that are known to cause cell damage and are associated with various diseases, including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
A recent study that was done discovered that the antioxidant properties of soursop help prevent cell damage caused by free radicals.
Another study done to determine the antioxidant content of soursop found that soursop protects the body against free radicals.
The same study found that soursop contains the plant compounds luteolin, tangeretin, and quercetin, which acted as antioxidants in the experiment.
14. Eating Soursop May Help Reduce Blood Pressure Levels
In folkloric medicine, soursop is used to treat hypertension.
This study, “Distribution of Phenolic Contents, Antidiabetic Potentials, Antihypertensive Properties, and Antioxidative Effects of Soursop,” backs up the statement above.
15. Soursop May Help Manage Blood Sugar Levels
Different studies suggest that soursop extracts may help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar levels.
Studies like “Anti Hyperglycemic Activities Of Annona Muricata (Linn)” will tell you that soursop extracts given to diabetic rats showed five times lower blood sugar levels compared to the untreated rats.
In another study, “Antidiabetic And Antioxidant Effects Of Annona Muricata (Annonaceae),” it showed diabetic rats that consumed soursop extracts had reduced blood sugar levels by up to 75%.
If you’re looking for more fruits that can help manage your blood sugar levels, you can read more about passion fruit.
I’ve also written an article about the many health benefits of passion fruit.
16. Helps To Control Parasites
In certain regions where soursop is commonly used, the inhabitants are vulnerable to parasitic infections.
These regions are mainly undeveloped rural areas.
Even in developed regions, parasitic infections can affect immigrants and travelers with weak immune systems.
Common conditions include trichomoniasis, cryptosporidiosis, and giardiasis.
Usually, the treatment for these parasitic conditions involves the use of soursop tea.
The tea is usually brewed using the soursop leaves.
Simply add two large leaves of soursop to the water and allow them to boil for around 10 minutes.
Serve the brew without the leaves.
This soursop tea is flavorful and helps to cleanse the gut and ensure the optimal functioning of the gastrointestinal system.
17. Soursop Helps Keep Your Eyes Healthy
Soursop contains nutrients that make sure your eyes are healthy.
Vitamins A, C, E, zinc, and other carotenoids preserve the health of your eyes.
They can delay macular degeneration.
This means it can slow down or even prevent the development of cataracts while maintaining optimal eye function for longer.
18. Boosts Your Body’s Immune Health
In Korea, studies have shown that consumption of soursop can boost the immune system.
This is because of the bioactive compound present in the fruit.
The soursop fruit juice has been found to offer higher quantities of macronutrients than the pulp.
However, the pulp contains higher amounts of vitamin A than the fruit juice.
Soursop is also high in Vitamin C, which boosts and strengthens the immune system.
The presence of beta-carotene also helps to support the immune system.
19. Soursop Promotes A Healthy Digestive System
Eating soursop regularly can help you decrease the development of stomach ulcers and even strengthen the mucus linings in your digestive system’s organs.
Traditionally, the extracts of the leaves of soursop are used to kill intestinal parasites.
It can deal with both the adult worms as well as their larvae.
To add more, soursop pulp is rich in fiber, which can promote digestion and smoother bowel movements.
This can prevent constipation, diarrhea, gas, and indigestion.
20. Soursop Helps Relieve Some Respiratory Problems
Soursop is a mild expectorant.
It helps reduce mucus secretions and relieve throat irritation.
Since this fruit has antimicrobial qualities, it can speed up your recovery from coughs and sore throats.
Star fruit can also help improve your respiratory health. You can check out its health benefits here.
Conclusion
The extract of soursop is known for its medicinal properties. The fruit itself is becoming more and more popular nowadays.
While it is still new in many parts of the world, it has been successfully used as an herbal remedy for centuries in Central and South America.
The fruit has proven to be a wonderful ingredient to strengthen your immune system, prevent disease, and boost your overall health.
It has also been known to help treat a wide range of health conditions.
The nutrients in soursop and its delicious flavor make this fruit truly irresistible.
I particularly like soursop’s taste and will eat it if it’s available.
The soursop health benefits are a very welcome addition.
Do you also have soursop in your diet?
My favorite health benefit of soursop is that it has anti-inflammatory properties that are useful in my fight against arthritis.
What’s your favorite on the list?
Soursop is a delicious common fruit, but please seek advice first from your doctor or medical professional if it’s good for you.
Don’t forget to share this article with someone you think will benefit from knowing more about the health benefits of soursop.
I also have articles about the health benefits of other fruits. You can check them out here.
Thank you!