Soursop is a wonderful tree. Its fruit is very healthy and nutritional with some wonderful health benefits. Health benefits of soursop leaves and others parts are enormous too.
In this article, we will discuss in details the health benefits of soursop leaves, fruit, seeds, root and bark. We will equally show how soursop leaves tea is prepared. Read on to learn all this.
Soursop is scientifically known as Annona muricata. It is also called graviola, guanabana, or Brazilian paw-paw in some parts of the world.
Soursop is a very healthy tree. Its parts including fruit and leaves are very healthy. Over the years, the bark, fruit, seeds, root and leaves of soursop have been used to prepare herbal medicines.
The practice of using soursop parts which included its leaves, bark, fruit, seeds and even root came to be because of their medicinal properties.
Some notable ingredients of Soursop responsible for its health benefits include the following:
- Tannins
- Saponins
- Phytosterols
- Flavonoids
- Anthraquinones
Health benefits of soursop to man include the following:
Soursop has antibacterial properties
Soursop has antibacterial phytochemicals. These phytochemicals makes soursop to have antimicrobial properties. For this reason, soursop is used for the treatment of infections of bacterial origin.
Note that there are standard antibacterial drugs available there. Infections treatment should be guided by microscopy, culture and sensitivity test results.
The only challenge in the use of soursop for the treatment of infections of bacterial origin is that most persons who use it do not have a standard way of dosing it.
It has antiinflammatory properties
Extracts of soursop parts including its leaves, bark, seeds have activities against inflammation.
This means that soursop can be used for the treatment of inflammatory disorders including arthritis.
It can also be used in the management of mild pain resulting from inflammation.
Soursop helps in cancer prevention and cure
If you are familiar with standard cancer drugs, you will know that majority of them were derived from plants.
That is to say that some medicinal plants are the sources of some of our known anticancer drugs.
Soursop is one of the trees that its extracts helps in the fight and prevention of cancer in humans.
This is due to the wonderful ingredients that acts against cancer that soursop contains.
Remember that soursop has antioxidants effects. Radicals can lead to some cancers.
Using antioxidants against these radicals is a sure way to prevent and fight types of cancer that can be caused by radicals in the cells.
This is how soursop prevents and fights cancer.
Soursop is an antioxidant
Free radicals destroys different types of cells in the body. A destroyed cell is a diseased cell.
This is one of the reasons soursop is beneficial to us. It has antioxidants effects and therefore mops up free radicals from our body.
This protects us from these scavengers called free radicals from destroying our cells. Remember that a destroyed cell is a diseased cell.
High levels of vitamin C plus other vitamins and minerals are responsible for the antioxidant activities of soursop.
Soursop is used to treat cough
Soursop contains ingredients that helps in relieving cough. This is even truer if the cough is of bacterial origin. Remember that soursop has antibacterial properties.
You must note that cough is a defence mechanism used by the body to protect itself. So, know when to and when not to stop cough using drugs.
Soursop is used for the treatment of some chronic ailments
Soursop extracts have been used for the treatment of some chronic ailments such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension and arthritis.
Soursop also has some antimalarial property. Therefore, it has been used for the treatment of malaria.
It is used to treat diarrhoea
Decoction of soursop leaves is used for the treatment of diarrhoea in the developing countries. This is true especially in the absence of a standard diarrhoea treatment.
It is used to treat headache
Soursop is also used for the treatment of headache especially when paracetamol is not available.
Some locals who prefer traditional medicines to orthodox drugs may go for soursop preparations even in the presence of an orthodox drug.
Soursop is used to prevent or ameliorate peptic ulcer
Peptic ulcer disease can be very challenging to treat even with standard ulcer treatment druga. H pylori infected one is even more difficult to treat.
Soursop has been used in the prevention of stomach ulcer. Those with ulcer have equally used it to ameliorate the disease.
Eating soursop fruits by people with chronic peptic ulcer disease is recommended in addition to a standard ulcer treatment.
It helps in herpes treatment
Soursop has some antiviral activities. It is therefore used as an alternative treatment for herpes. Some persons take it as an adjunct to standard herpes treatment.
Available Dosage form of Soursop
Dosage form is a way drugs, vitamins, supplements are presented for use. We have tablets, capsules, syrups etc dosage forms.
Soursop comes as capsules of 500 mg. It also come as extract in liquid. When you take some leaves of soursop and extract it, the dosage form is called mixture.
500 mg to 1500 mg of Soursop capsules is the recommended dosage for adults.
1 to 4 millilitres of the liquid extract should be taken.
Side effects of soursop
Prolonged intake of soursop preparations such as capsules and liquid extracts can present with some side effects.
These include the following:
- Nerve damage
- Neuropathy leading to tremors, and stiff muscles
- Worsening of Parkinson’s disease
- Hepatotoxicity
- Nephrotoxicity
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