The Sour Sop fruit is a true marvel of a fruit

The sour sop fruit can be found in Dominica the most tropical Island on earth. The Island grows a wide variety of fruit plants that have been use for food and medicine. The leaves of the Sour Sop plant has been used to treat the common cold and other respiratory related illnesses. The fruit is used to make the most refreshing drink that I have ever tasted. As a boy we simply climed the tree and pick the fruit. Was was interesting is the number of spices that competed for the fruit.
One has to compete with tree lizards, birds, rodents and off course people for this dear fruit and
very often there was a sharing experience. I have always had a facination with the plant and its associated health effects. My day would rub off the prickle like skin that offered protection to the fruit. The prickle like skin was harmless and could not pierce the softest of membrane, I had no idea what role it played.

A drink made from sour sop extract can be found at some restaurants including Caribbean restaurants.

Further information regarding the fruit is listed below. I was facinated to find this post on face book.

Medicinal Benefits of Soursop (Guanabana)

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.

There is an unforgotten experience associated with eating this fruit in its natural state.