Soursop is a long, prickly green fruit, generally oval shaped and it comes from the graviola tree. It is an evergreen plant which is commonly grown in the Caribbean, Mexico and Central and South America. It is also called custard apple and in Brazil it is known as paw paw.
The tree is grown for domestic use and commercially. It emits a white flower which exudes a very pleasant smell in the early morning.
When the fruit is mature the skin is yellowish-green and it can be picked and left to ripe in a dark corner. When ripened, it should be handled with care as it could be easily bruised or punctured. It can be eaten raw. The soursop has a white edible pulp which is often sweet. Sometimes it can be subacid or acid. It also has an indigestible core and black seeds and a distinctive flavour.
From a nutritional standpoint the fruit contains an abundance of vitamin C, B1 and B2. Both the fruit and the leaves have lots of other beneficial uses.
- The pulp is used to make fruit juice, fruit nectar and smoothies. Sometimes it is mixed with milk and other flavourings like vanilla essence.
- As a dessert, the pulp can be used to make ice cream, sorbet and sweets.
Both the soursop fruit and the graviola tree leaves can be used as herbal medicines for the treatment of stomach disorders, fever, parasitic infections, hypertension and rheumatism.
There have been claims made across the internet that the Soursop extract can be used for the treatment of certain cancers. While research suggests soursop can fight cancer, it has not been studied in humans. In the absence of data to support this claim, experts warn against using the fruit for this purpose because there is no evidence of either its safety or effectiveness for cancer treatment.
- Soursop leaves can also be used as a sedative by infusing a few of them in a cup and drinking the tea before going to bed. It will make you sleep like a baby.
- The leaf is also used for tenderising meat.
The fruit can be placed in fish traps as bait.
