When looking for great health, Nigerians cannot help but go back to nature. And Nature helps them; never disappointing when she is called upon. In this write-up, we will be checking out 15 health benefits of soursop leaves.
Some call it “shawa-shawa”, some call it “natural yoghurt”; Igbo people call it “Ogbaka nti”, Yoruba people call it “Samsam”; while Hausa people call it “tuwon biri”.
Whatever the tribes call it, they all agree on one thing, and that is the fact that this fruit is sure sweet heaven and its leaves give health as its sweetness does.
What are soursops?
The soursop is the fruit of the broadleaf of the evergreen tree called Annona muricata. It is extensively spread and is indigenous to the tropics of the Americas and the Caribbean. It is one of the plants that fall into the Annonaceae family and is of the same genus as cherimoya, Annona.
The fruit is now widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical climates throughout the world, including Nigeria, India and other parts of Africa and Southeast Asia. In fact, some botanists have claimed that the soursop has in some areas, become an invasive species.
Having a signature tangy, sour taste, many say that the aroma of the soursop fruit is similar to that of a pineapple and that the taste and flavour of strawberries, apples and citrus flavours like orange with a thick, creamy undertone of banana. No wonder it seems like a mixture of all these and yoghurt.
The soursop is suitable for locations with high humidity and mild winters; temperatures below 5 °C (41 °F) can be lethal and can destroy leaves and short branches. Fruit that has dried out is no longer suitable for concentration.
Soursops is widely used by many to be an alternative treatment for cancer; but to date, there hasn’t been any reliable medical evidence.
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Benefits of soursops to health and nutrition
81% of raw soursop is water, 17% is carbs, 1% is protein, and there is very little fat. The raw fruit has 66 kilocalories in a 100 gramme reference serving, just 25% of the Daily Value of vitamin C, and no other significant levels of minerals.
Your immune system is strengthened by the vitamins in soursops, which increase your body’s capacity to fight against viruses. Moreover, it encourages the breakdown of free radicals, which can shield your skin and cells from oxidative harm from the environment.
Many more antioxidants, including phytosterols, tannins, and flavonoids, may be found in soursop (both the fruit and the leaves). Your entire health is influenced by antioxidants, which may also assist to prevent a number of diseases.
Soursops help with digestion. Research has it that one entire soursop fruit provides almost 83% of the fibre you should have each day, an essential component for the health of your digestive system. Fibre supports regularity and guards against digestive problems including constipation.
Soursop is believed to an extent to be useful in assisting in the battle against and prevention of cancer, while the majority of research is restricted to test-tube trials. According to one study, a soursop extract can shrink breast cancer tumours and eradicate cancerous cells. According to a second study, an extract can prevent the growth of leukaemia cells.
It helps against inflammation by scavenging free radicals, antioxidants lessen the harm oxidative stress does to your cells. Inflammation is one of the unpalatable primal effects of oxidative stress. Hence, the antioxidants in soursop could aid in lowering inflammatory responses in the body.
Soursops can help with managing or stabilising blood pressure. Heart disease and heart attacks are major problems that can be brought on by high blood pressure. Consuming too much salt might raise blood pressure. Potassium aids in the elimination of salt from your system and reduces tension in blood vessel walls, both of which can lower blood pressure. Nutritionists believe that eating an entire soursop fruit will give the body between one-third and half of your daily required potassium intake.
Helping to fight against bacteria. The sour fruit may have antimicrobial properties. According to one research, a variety of bacteria, including those that cause cavities and gum disease, may be killed by an extract. Another study discovered that soursop extracts may be effective against Staphylococcus germs and cholera. While these were test-tube experiments, the outcomes are encouraging, and further study is needed.
Soursops and everyday food
The pulp of the fruit is used to flavour sweets, sorbets, ice cream, smoothies, and fruit juice beverages. Soursop is frequently used to create the fresh fruit juices that street food sellers sell. Ripe fruit is consumed raw or transformed into juices, smoothies, or ice cream.
15 Health benefits of soursop leaves
We have seen how the soursop fruit comes in handy in giving out lots of benefits to man, food and nutrition-wise. Here are 15 health benefits of soursop leaves to mankind. Have it in mind that many of the benefits of the fruit also fall into this category.
1. Digestion/food aid
Soursop leaves have been utilised in cooking and are beneficial to tenderising meat, aiding digestion and assimilation.
2. Helping fight off diabetes.
In research with rats, Rats that received 100 mg/kg of aqueous soursop extract daily showed effective glycemic control. The plant’s leaves could facilitate better glucose metabolism.
Rats given long-term soursop therapy (for 28 days) had lower blood sugar and serum creatinine levels. Moreover, it balanced the function of liver enzymes (AST, ALT, etc.). Moreover, the total cholesterol and triglyceride levels returned to normal. Though this is a long shot from human application, what if it comes in handy pretty soon?
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3. Insomnia cure
Soursop leaves have historically been used to cure insomnia. The leaves contain sedative and smooth muscle relaxant properties. A cup of soursop leaf tea might also reduce tension Helping ease one into sleep.
4. Antibacterial
The leaves are believed to provide antibacterial properties when boiled into tea to help with infections.
5. Antiviral
The plant prevents HIV-1 from replicating in host cells. These extracts further prevent the virus from adhering to the host cell. Soursop extracts from the stem and bark have been shown to inhibit the HSX herpes simplex virus. Maybe we would have anti-HIV drugs made from soursop leaf extracts.
6. Helping fight inflammation.
In rat tests, soursop leaf extracts exhibited anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and wound-healing effects.
For its anti-rheumatic and neuralgic properties, the leaf decoction is used topically. Moreover, it lessens/heals wounds and abscesses. The leaf extracts can treat skin rashes, fever, diarrhoea, dysentery, malaria, parasites, and inflammatory disorders including cystitis, rheumatism, and arthritis pain.
7. A veritable tool in fighting cancer.
Research shows that soursop plant extracts have antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects on malignancies of the breast, colon, prostate, lung, blood, liver, cervix, ovary, mouth, and skin.
The beneficial active bio components are known as annonaceous acetogenins (AGEs). These AGEs contribute to soursop’s anticancer effects. By preventing the cancer cell protein mitochondrial complex I from functioning, they destroy cancer cells.
8. Fighting off worms and parasites in the intestine
A common anti-worm medication is soursop leaf extract, which is effective against intestinal worms. Few prescription anti-parasitic drugs can kill both adult and larval worms, but the extract has been demonstrated to be able to do so. The results of studies thus far have been encouraging, albeit it still has to be standardised into a dose that is permitted for this utilisation.
9. Immune system booster
One study from Korea showed that the soursop plant can help enhance immunity. Rat paw oedema, which is often brought on by a weakened immune system, was found to be reduced by oral consumption of soursop leaf extracts. The study’s findings suggest that soursop leaf extract may boost immunity, making it useful for treating people with impaired immune systems.
10. Eye health aid
The leaves of soursop trees contain antioxidants, which help to lower oxidative stress on the body. Vitamin A, zinc, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and other naturally occurring carotenoid components may be present and help to maintain healthy eyes. Normal eye function may be retained for a considerably longer time by reducing the development of cataracts or macular degeneration.
11. Aiding Liver and Kidney Health
Extracts from the leaves of the soursop plants have been found to contain properties that help keep the liver and kidney health at a healthy level; the acetogenins in the leaves can help kill off malignant cells that cause 12 different types of cancer including those affecting the kidney and liver.
12. Treating diarrhoea and dysentery
The leaves of the soursop plant are known to act as an astringent for diarrhoea and dysentery. In cases of diarrhoea and dysentery, extracts from the soursop leave aid in the creation of a protective layer on the mucous membranes, which may be used to lessen the discharge of water and electrolytes.
13. Ulcer repellent
The plant contains antiulcer properties which help suppress oxidative damage to the gastric wall and helps preserve its mucus. The plant contains iron which helps to keep out issues like anaemia which is one of the causes of gastrointestinal problems.
14. Pain relief
The US Library of Medicine revealed that the soursop plant has the nutritional content that can help relieve pain. People who drink the tea from cooking leaves from the soursop plant have testified that it helps relieve pain, and its use in breaking fever also comes to back this up.
15. Fever remedy
Soursop leaves have been known in many regions of the world to be cooked with other herbs to make solutions to break fevers like malaria and others. The leaves are boiled with other herbs and the sufferer of the fever is made to breathe in and stand over the steam from the boiling mix while he is being covered with a mat or blanket. This tact also helps cure colds and clear the nasal airways. It has also been known to help break convulsive seizures too.
In conclusion
And there you have it, the 15 health benefits of soursop leaves. Keep it in mind when next you go to the market and see the fruit or see the tree growing in your compound to make sure that you either buy the fruit, extract the seeds and plant them in your home; or keep the budding tree and help tend it to maturity. You could just be making yourself a miracle cure.
