Sour Sop – Health Benefits, Uses

Sour sop, a green prickly fruit of the Annona muricata Plant is a popular fruit with lots of amazing benefits. Although its commonly known as sour sop, it also goes by other names such as graviola, guanábana or guyabano. It has an inner white pulpy flesh which is creamy with lots of black seeds within. Due to its acidic taste when ripe it was given the name sour sop. 

Sour sop fruit generally has a fibrous flesh and due to its creamy texture, it’s usually used in beverages, sweet foods, ice creams e.t.c. The Skin and seeds are inedible with the later being toxic in nature. The only edible part of the fruit is the pulpy white creamy flesh which is fibrous in nature. The leaves are edible too as they’re used in traditional medicine treatments. Under-ripe fruits can be stored in a dark place until they ripen fully.

Culinary Uses

Sour sop is a tasty fruit that can be used in different ways. Some of the common uses includes;

The fleshy white pulp is also used to make fruit juices, smoothies as well as sweet candies,  sorbets , and ice cream

Health Benefits

Sour sop fruit has been used for ages for various things due to it’s benefits. The leaves are not left out too as they also have their various uses as well as benefits. Some of the health benefits of sour sop includes; 

1. It  May help Kill Cancer Cells

Although no studies have been done directly on humans, this tasty fruit might have the ability to save lives by killing cancer cells. According to some research done by using sour sop extracts, it was discovered that the extracts were found to kill breast and liver cancer cells. It’s said that a compound contained in sour sop known as  acetogenins inhibit the harmful compounds in cancer cells by selectively separating the harmful cells and destroying them without affecting the healthy ones . 

2.  It Helps In Weight Loss

Sour sop fruit can help in weight loss as it contains lots of fiber which makes you feel full but the leaves are more effective when it comes to losing weight and is used in making of most green tea.

3.  It Helps Relieve Pain

Sour sop works as an analgesic in traditional medicine and helps in relieving pain

4. It may help stabilize blood sugar

Soursop has been shown to help regulate blood sugar levels