Graviola

Graviola

Data sheet : GRAVIOLA

Scientific Name : Annona muricata L.

(Family Annonaceae; Genus Annona)

Common Names: soursop (US and the Caribbean); guanabana (Cuba, Caribbean); corosol (West Indies); katara ara tara (Cook Islands); laguana (Guam); sowasap (Nicaragua).

Clinical Overview

Graviola is mainly used for high blood pressure, as a sedative, as a stimulant of the central nervous system to treat nervous tension, for healing baths, and as an antibiotic, antiviral and antibacterial agent. It is often used to treat flu and fevers, while the leaves are used to relieve insomnia.

Anti-amoeba Activity

An extract from graviola has been found effective against some species of amoeba.

Anti-bacteria Activity

Various extracts (acetone, ethanol, or water) from graviola dried leaves, stem, bark, and roots have shown antibacterial action against E. coli and various species of Salmonella, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Bacillus, and other bacteria.

Anti-depressant Activity

The fruit has been found to provide anti-depressive effects, believed to come from constituents such as annonaine, nornuciferine, and asimilobine. Any or all of these constituents appear to have the ability to stimulate serotonin receptors, helping to fight depression.

Antifungal Activity

Various extracts of graviola dried leaves, bark and stem have been effective against several fungi species such as Penicillum oxalicum, Cladosporium cucumerinum, and Neurospora crassa.

Liver protective Activity

A decoction of dried graviola leaves, tested in vitro, has demonstrated some protective activity against hepatocytes.

Anti-malaria Activity

Extracts from the dried leaves of graviola has shown mild protective activity against certain species of the malaria-causing Plasmodium.

Antiparasitic Activity

Graviola extracts from seeds have shown significant ability to protect against several species of parasites, including Nippostrongylus brasiliense, the infective larvae of Molinema desetae, and Trichomonas vaginalis.

Anti-tumor Activity

Methanol extracts from graviola leaves have shown therapeutic activity on tumors, consistent with acceptable therapeutic indexes.

Antiviral Activity

Extracts from graviola fruit has shown the ability to inhibit the actions of Herpes simplex virus -1.

Cardiac depressant Activity

A water extract from graviola bark has demonstrated depressant effects on the heart in animal studies.

Cytotoxic Activity

Extracts from graviola leaves and bark have been found to exercise toxic effects on cancer cells of the pancreas, lungs, prostate and liver. The most active constituents isolated from the graviola extracts include annopentocins, annomuricine, muricapentocin, muricoreacin, murihexocin, muricins A-G, muricatetrocins A-B, longifolicin, corossolin, and corossolone.

Data from in vitro studies have shown that alkaloids from graviola are detrimental to dopaminergic nerve cells. The cell-deaths induced by graviola extracts may be due to energy depletion, since the effect was slowed down after glucose supplementation. This could lead to neuron dysfunction and degeneration.

Blood pressure Effects

Ethanol and water extracts from graviola leaves and stem, administered intravenously to dogs at doses of 0.1 ml/kg body weight, have shown some hypertensive effects. On the other hand, hot water extracts of dried graviola leaves, administered intravenously to rats at doses of 1.0 ml/animal (not ml/kg body weight), have exercised hypotensive effects, lowering blood pressure by more than 30 percent.

Smooth Muscle Relaxant Activity

Ethanol and water extracts of graviola leaves and stem has shown relaxant effects on the smooth muscles of rabbit duodenum (the first section leading from the stomach of the small intestine), at concentrations of 3.3 ml/liter.

Spasmogenic Activity

Ethanol and water extracts of graviola leaves and stem has shown the ability to relieve spasms on the guinea pig ileum (the last section of the small intestine leading to the anus), at concentrations of 0.033 ml/liter.

Uterine Stimulant Activity

Ethanol and water extracts of graviola leaves and stem has stimulant affects on the uterus in animal studies, at a concentration of 0.033 mg/liter.

Other uses

Usage varies from one country to another, but in general graviola leaves, roots, and bark are used in traditional folk medicine treatments for cancer, convulsions, diarrhea, dysentery, fevers, venereal disease, and male impotence. Tea infusions from graviola are used for treatments of eye disease and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Drinks made from graviola leaves are also tapped for their relaxant and antispasmodic properties, to soothe muscles and relieve ulcer symptoms.

Dosing

There is no information on dosage for specific ailments. It is clear there are health potential and benefits to be obtained from graviola, but there is a risk of hazardous side effects. Use of graviola for medicinal purposes should therefore be done only with professional guidance.

Contraindications

There are no large scale clinical studies on the effects of graviola in humans.

Pregnancy/Lactation

There are no large scale clinical studies on the effects of graviola in humans.

Interactions

There are no large scale clinical studies on the effects of graviola in humans.

Adverse Reactions

Graviola may cause neural disorders affecting movement, resulting in symptoms akin to Parkinson’s disease, because of detrimental effects on dopaminergic nerve cells.

Toxicology

There are no large scale clinical studies on the effects of graviola in humans.

Botany

Soursop is a cherished fruit of the botanical family Annonaceae. It is native to tropical America. It is cultivated widely in the tropical regions of Central and South America, Florida and tropical Africa, as well as other tropical countries worldwide. It is a small tree that grows up to about 7 meters in height. Its leaves are oblong or nearly obovate, up to 15 cm long, smooth, shiny and pointed at both ends. They exude a pungent odor when crushed. The fruit is ovoid, about 18 cm long or longer, and is covered with scattered spine-like structures. The pulp is soft white, aromatic, fibrous and fleshy, with a pleasant sour flavor, and is often juiced or made into ice cream.

History

Graviola has been used for various purposes in many countries, including for asthma, chills, colds, diarrhea, dysentery, dyspepsia, fever, gallbladder ailments, high blood pressure, insomnia, internal ulcers, nephrosis, neurosis, palpitations, pellagra, skin diseases such as ringworm, scurvy and sores, and intestinal worms. Ecuador natives used graviola leaves as analgesic and antispasmodic. Tea made from graviola leaves in Latin America as a sedative and tranquilizer. Fasting patients drink graviola fruit juice for leprosy and liver ailments.

Chemistry

Graviola is rich in vitamins B and C, and phosphorus. For every 100 g of fruit, some of the constituents reported include 14 mg calcium, 21 mg phosphorus, 0.5 mg riboflavin, 1.3 mg niacin, and 24 mg ascorbic acid. The seeds contain 22.1 percent oil and 21.4 percent protein. The fruit is high in linoleic acid and contains unsaturated fats. Various acetogenins are present in the leaf and stem, which can be prepared as insecticides. Other compounds isolated from graviola include quinolines, annopentocins, annomuricins, and coreximine.

Medicinal Benefits of Soursop

Origin: Tropical America

• Family: Annonaceae
• Botanical Name: Annona muricata
• Varieties: about nine, differing in shape, texture in flavors
• Season: almost all the year round
• Tree: height; up to 10 m

• Fruit: length:12 - 24 cm; weight: 400 - 800 gm

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.

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

• The seeds, which have emetic properties, can be used in the treatment of vomiting.
• The leaf decoction is effective for head lice and bedbugs.
• The crushed fresh leaves can be applied on skin eruptions to promote healing.
• The juice of the fruit can be taken orally as a remedy for urethritis, haematuria and liver ailments.
• The juice when taken when fasting, it 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.
• A decoction of the young shoots or leaves is regarded as a remedy for gall bladder trouble, as well as coughs, catarrh, diarrhea, dysentery, fever and indigestion.
• Mashed leaves are used as a poultice to alleviate eczema and other skin problems and rheumatism.
• The root bark is use as an antidote for poisoning.
• Soursop flowers are believed to alleviate catarrh.
• Decoction of leaves used as compresses for inflammation and swollen feet.

Nutrient Value per 100 grams servings:

• Vitamin: C 20.6
• Calcium: 14
• Iron: 0.6
• Calories: 66
• Dietary Fiber: 3.3g
• Protein: 1g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sodium: 14mg
• Sugars: 13.54g
• Total Carbohydrate: 16.84g
• Total Fat: 0.3g
• Saturated Fat: 0.05g
• Monounsaturated Fat: 0.09g
• Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.06g

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.

Guyabano : The Fruit That Heals

It’s not only a natural cancer cell killer, but the various parts of the guyabano tree is also known to cure a lot of ailments.

A miraculous natural cancer cell killer 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy.” That was how the forwarded e-mail described the fruits of sour sop or graviola (more popularly known here as guyabano or labana).

“What’s more, unlike chemotherapy, the compound extracted from the graviola tree selectively hunts down and kills only cancer cells,” the e-mail said. “It does not harm healthy cells!” In addition, it “effectively targets and kills malignant cells in 12 types of cancer, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer.”

According to the email, a research has been conducted and showed that the extracts from guyabano can “attack cancer safely and effectively with an all-natural therapy that does not cause extreme nausea, weight loss and hair loss.” It also “protects your immune system and avoids deadly infections; feels stronger and healthier throughout the course of the treatment; and boosts your energy and improves your outlook on life.”

One wonders: Why are people not aware of this fact? The email explained: “It’s because some big corporation want to make back their money spent on years of research by trying to make a synthetic version of it for sale.”

The U.S. National Cancer Institute reportedly performed the first scientific research on graviola in 1976. The results showed that the plant’s “leaves and stems were found effective in attacking and destroying malignant cells.” Although the results were supposedly published in an internal report, it was never released to the public.

Whether the circulated e-mail is true or not, the guyabano (scientific name: Anona muricata) has been identified by the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) as one of the fruits that deserved attention. The book Underexploited Tropical Plants with Promising Economic Value described it as “a tropical fruit with potential for development as a processed industrial commodity.”

Plants of the Philippines, published by the University of the Philippines in the 1970s, mentioned guyabano just in passing. “A relative of atis” is all you can read about the fruit in the 550-page book.

The heart shaped guyabano fruit has a dark green, leathery and spike-like skin that measures from 8 to 12 inches long and can weigh up to 2.5 kilos. Ripe fruits are light yellow and soft. The creamy and delectable flesh contains from 60 to 100 black-brown seeds that are indigestible and non-edible.

Comparisons of the flavor of guyabano range from strawberry and pineapple mixed together to sour citrus flavor notes contrasting with an underlying creamy roundness of flavor reminiscent of coconut or banana.

A native of tropical America, guyabano was introduced into the Philippines at an early date and is cultivated in practically all parts of the archipelago. The plant grows in any kind of soil, but a fairly deep, friable soil of volcanic origin is conducive to growth & fruiting. It thrives very well from sea level up to 500 meters above sea level.

Guyabano is one of the healthiest fruits known to man. The flesh of the fruit consist of a white edible pulp that is high in carbohydrates (particularly fructose) and considerable amounts of Vitamin C, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, potassium and dietary fiber. Guyabano is low in cholesterol, saturated fat and sodium. Not only is guyabano a good health food, it also tastes delicious.

Aside from being eaten raw, the guyabano fruit is processed into candies, tarts, shakes, ice cream, and sherbets and other beverages. An assortment of punch and cocktail drinks can be made by mixing the nectar with wine rum or cola drinks or buko (fresh coconut) juice and ice.

In Indonesia, immature guyabano are cooked as vegetables or used in soup in Indonesia. In the northeastern part of Brazil, they are either roasted or fried.

The fruit, seeds, and leaves have a number of herbal medicinal uses in countries where the plant is common. The sap of the young leaves may be applied directly on pimples to inducesuppuration. The sap is also considered parasitical. An alcoholic extract of the leaves, when distilled with steam, yields a small amount of essential oil. The portion of alcoholic extract which is soluble in water contains a large amount of potassium chloride together with dextrose tannins, amorphous products, and a small amount of an alkaloid substance which could not be crystallized. The leaves and roots also cure colic and convulsions.

To reduce fever, a decoction of leaves can be taken internally. It has the same affect as when leaves are added to bathing water. In the Caribbean, it is believed that laying the leaves of the guyabano on a bed below a sleeping person with a fever will break the fever by the next morning.

The crushed fresh leaves are also applied on skin eruptions for faster healing. A poultice of young guyabano leaves is applied on the skin to alleviate rheumatism and other skin infections like eczema. Applied during the healing of wounds, this can result in less or no skin scars.

The decoction can also be used as a wet compress on swollen feet and other inflammations. Poultice of mashed leaves and sap of young leaves used for eczema and skin eruptions.

The guyabano leaves are believed to have tranquilizing and sedative properties. In the Netherlands Antilles, the leaves are placed inside pillows or placed on top of the mattress to induce a good night’s sleep. Boiling the leaves and drinking may help induce sleep.

Guyabano are also good in checking insect pests. Pulverizing the guyabano seeds and mixing it with soap and water can be used as an effective spray against caterpillars, armyworms and leafhoppers on plants. The petroleum ether and chloroform extracts of guyabano are toxic to black carpet beetle larvae. The seed oil kills head lice.

The bark of the guyabano tree has been used in tanning. The bark fiber is strong but, since fruiting trees are not expendable,
is resorted to only in necessity. Bark, as well as seeds and roots, I has been used as fish poison.

The wood is pale, aromatic, soft, light in weight and not durable. It has been used for ox yokes because it does not cause hair loss on the neck. Analyses of the wood in Brazil show cellulose content of 65 to 76%, high enough to be a potential source of paper pulp.

Here are some words of warning: Research carried out in the Caribbean has suggested a connection between consumption of guyabano and atypical forms of Parkinson’s disease due to the very high concentration of annonacin. On the other hand, the seeds contain 45% of yellow non-drying oil which is an irritant poison, causing severe eye inflammation.

“Guyabano seeds are toxic, and care must be taken to assure that all are removed before the pulp is processed,” the NAS reminds.

GUYABANO

Guyabano/Soursop Fruit Nutrition


Guyabano belongs to the family of Annonaceae, (A. muricata L.). The flesh of the fruit consist of a white edible pulp that is high in carbohydrates and considerable amounts of Vitamin C, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Potassium and dietary fiber. Guyabano is low in cholesterol, saturated fat and sodium. No only is guyabano a good health food, it also taste delicious. The tree and fruit is known in various names: Guyabano in Filipino, Soursop in English, Graviola in Brazil, and Guanabana in Spanish.

About the Guyabano

The heart shaped / oblong guyabano fruit has a dark green, leathery and spike-like skin that measures from 8 to 12 inches long and can weigh up to 2.5 kilos. The creamy and delectable flesh contains from 60 to 100 black-brown seeds that are indigestible and non-edible.

The guyabano tree is relatively small. It usually grows from 8 to less than 20 feet high and is sensitive to very cold temperatures. The guyabano tree requires a lot of water, warmth and humidity and is usually grown in the tropics. It is cultivated commercially in Central & South America, West Africa, Asia and South Florida in limited numbers.

Products made from Guyabano fruit:
Aside from being eaten raw, the guyabano fruit is processed into candies, tarts, shakes, ice-cream, sherbets and other beverages.

Medicinal Uses of Guyabano
Guyabano has been used as folkloric herbal medicine in many regions thought the world. It is considered to be antispasmodic, sudorific and emetic. A decoction (boiling in water) of guyabano leaves is used to kill bedbugs and head lice.

To reduce fever, a decoction of leaves can be taken internally or the leaves added to bathing water also has the same effect. The crushed fresh leaves are also applied on skin eruptions for faster healing. A poultice of young guyabano leaves is applied on the skin to alleviate rheumatism and other skin infections like eczema. Applied during the healing of wounds, this can result in less or no skin scars. The decoction can also be used as a wet compress on swollen feet and other inflammations.

The juice of the fruit is taken orally as a herbal remedy for urethritis, haematuria and liver ailments.

Studies are underway by leading medical institutes, universities and pharmaceutical companies of the healing properties of guyabano against cancers. Initial findings show that certain compounds and chemicals extracted from guyabano leaves, seeds, fruit and bark appear to kill cancer cells while leaving normal cells remain unaffected.

Other uses of Guyabano
Pulverizing the guyabano seeds and mixing it with soap & water is used as effective spray against caterpillars, armyworms and leafhoppers on plants.

The guyabano leaves are believed to have a tranquilizing and sedative properties. In the Netherlands Antilles, the leaves are placed inside pillows or placed on top of the mattress to induce a good night's sleep.

Guyabano Nutritional Value*

Per 100g of edible portion

Calories - 65
Protein - 1.0 g
Fat - 0.95g
Carbohydrates - 16.5g
Fiber - 3.2 g
Ash - 58g
Calcium - 10.3 mg
Phosphorus - 26.9 mg
Potassium - 270 mg
Iron - 0.64 mg
Vitamin A - 2 IU
Vitamin C - 28.5 mg
Thiamine - 0.10 mg
Riboflavin - 0.06 mg
Niacin - 1.3 mg
Tryptophan - 11 mg
Methionine - 8 mg
Lysine - 60 mg



Fruit Shake

A basic recipe to a healthy drink for breakfast or snack.

Ingredients:
1 cup fruit guyabano sliced
6 tbsp. CARNATION Non-Fat Milk
honey to taste
enough cold water/cracked ice to suite desired consistency

Procedure:
Combine ingredients in a blender and process for about 1 min. Serve on chilled glasses.