Soursop (Guyabano) Health Benefits – Fruit Pulp, Leaves, Seeds and Bark

Soursop is a fruit that has the most delectable flavor. The soursop is a large fruit of a small, fast-growing tree. The fruit is picked from the tree before it has fully ripened as it will be badly bruised if allowed to ripen and fall.

The fruit is mature and is ready for eating when it feels slightly soft and is light green externally. The skin is thin and is covered with conical nibs. The white, pulpy flesh, which contains juice, is peppered with small shiny, black inedible seeds, and has a pleasant, sweet-acidic taste. As it is rather fibrous, its squeezed juice makes a better choice, and has, in fact become more popular than the fresh fruit as such. Soursop has few seedless varieties, but they are rare, and tend to have fibrous flesh.
Culinary uses: eaten fresh as fruit; made into cakes, ice cream, preserved, beverages and for flavoring. The young soursop, where the seeds are still soft, is used as a vegetable. The fermented fruit is also use to make an apple cider-like drink.

Soursop Fruit Health Benefits: Soursop is not only a delicious and healthy fruit but it is use medicinally to treat illness ranging from stomach ailments to cancer.

§  The juice of the fruit can be taken orally as a remedy for urethritis (inflammation of the urethra – tube that carries urine) and haematuria (presence of blood in urine).

§  The juice when taken during fasting is believed to relieve liver ailments and leprosy.

§  To speed the healing of wounds, the flesh of the soursop is applied as a poultice unchanged for 3 days.

§  Eating 300 grams of soursop fruit everyday can fulfill your vitamin C requirement. Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that can fight disease.

§  Soursop also contains minerals like phosphorus and calcium which are very important in the process of bone growth.

§  Soursop juice can help treat oily skin.  Rub juice from fresh fruit on face and affected areas and leave for 2-3 minutes. Rinse off.

§  Soursop fruit can help attack cancer cells effectively and safely without the after effect (nausea, weight loss, hair loss) experienced in chemo therapy. Patient instead experience renewed strength by eating soursop regularly.

Medicinal Uses of Soursop Leaves:

§  The leaf decoction is effective for head lice and bedbugs. Use the decoction as final rinse.

§  A decoction (tea) of the young shoots or leaves is regarded as a remedy for gall bladder trouble, as well as coughs, catarrh, diarrhea, dysentery, and indigestion. It is also used to induce sweating and lower fever.

§  A decoction (tea) of leaves are also used as compresses for inflammation and swollen feet.

§  The crushed fresh leaves are used as a poultice to alleviate eczema and other skin problems and rheumatism.

Medicinal Uses of Soursop Seeds:

§  The seeds, which have emetic properties, can be used in the treatment of vomiting and intestinal worm.

§  Soursop seed contains irritant oil which kills lice. For hair and body lice: Powder seeds and mix with an equal amount of coconut oil. Rub on affected hair and body parts. Let stand for 30-60 minutes. Rinse off.

Source: appealingheart.blogspot.com/2013/05/soursop-guyabano-health-benefits-fruit.html