Graviola Health Benefits, Properties, and Uses

Graviola is a common food and drink that comes from the soursop tree found in the rainforests of South America, Southeast Asia and Africa. Soursop trees are evergreen, growing no more than 10 meters high and produce a tasty fruit commonly known as graviola. The scientific name for soursop trees is Annona muricata. They’re also called guanabana, cherimoya, custard apple and Brazilian paw paw.^1,2,3
 
Graviola fruit is used for cooking and also as a traditional medicine in many warm climates. Occasionally, the leaves, seeds and stems are also used therapeutically.  Ripe graviola fruit has a yellowy-green color and is sheathed in a leathery, inedible skin. Sizes of graviola fruit range up to 6.8 kilograms and appear everywhere from flat and bent to nearly round.^1,3
 
The flesh from graviola fruit can be eaten raw or is often cooked into pie fillings, jams and jellies. Juice from graviola fruit is very sweet and tasty. It’s often added as a flavor to ice cream and nectar. Graviola is widely available on the world market in raw form as well as in capsules or dried products for medicinal purposes.^2,3
 
Graviola Health Uses and Health Benefits
 
Graviola contains many nutritious ingredients known to fight bacteria, viruses and parasites.^2,3
 
The soursop plant’s leaves and fruit are rich in vitamins B1, B2, C and the minerals magnesium, zinc, phosphorous, potassium and calcium. They’re also extremely rich in Coenzyme Q10 that helps fight inflammation and eliminate free radicals.⁵
 
Graviola health benefits have been long known to help reduce fever and cure digestive tract parasites. There is proof that graviola uses are effective in treating rickets, regulating blood pressure and even relieving symptoms from the common cold.⁵
 
Studies indicate that graviola health benefits may be effective in the fight against cancer. A 1976 study by the National Cancer Institute was astounding. It concluded that graviola cancer treatment has a marked ability to eliminate cancerous cells and that it had an ingredient 10,000 times more potent than chemo.^3,4,5
 
Graviola cancer treatments and graviola uses could be effective for the following conditions:

• Breast Cancer - Breast cancer is usually curable when caught early. It’s felt that the free radical control effect from graviola may be useful in treating breast cancer.
• Cancer - Cancer, in general, is the result of uncontrolled mutating cells that become tumorous and malignant. Graviola cancer treatment may be effective in preventing and slowing its spread.
• Brain Cancer - Brain cancer is a mass of cells growing on the brain or near the brainstem. Not all brain tumors are cancerous but once they are, they spread fast. Graviola health benefits may help to prevent the cause and spread of brain cancer.
• Throat Cancer - Esophageal cancer occurs in the throat regions from the back of the mouth to the top of the stomach. As with other forms of cancer, taking graviola has shown to be an effective home remedy to prevent and treat throat cancer.
• Brain Tumor - Not all brain tumors are cancerous in that some are not malignant. These are benign growths and may be controlled by consuming graviola fruit or taking other graviola supplements.
• Anal Cancer - Anal cancer occurs when malignant cells form a tumor in the anus. Taking graviola health benefits for the digestive tract may be helpful in preventing and controlling anal cancer.

Graviola Side Effects and Precautions
 
While there are minimal graviola side effects, there is reason to suspect that graviola may be harmful to people suffering from Parkinson’s disease when taken in large quantities.^3,5
 
Graviola side effects may also occur when seeds from the graviola fruit are eaten. These could potentially be poisonous to some people if taken in large amounts.¹

References

1. http://ntbg.org/plants/plant_details.php?plantid=604
2. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1054-graviola.aspx?activeingredientid=1054
3. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancers-in-general/cancer-questions/can-graviola-cure-cancer
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23889049
5. http://aleonutrition.com/wonderful-health-benefits-graviola/