Graviola, also known as soursop or Brazilian pawpaw, is a fruit tree found in the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico. Its extract has been studied for potential benefits, including as a cancer treatment, but large-scale human studies have not been conducted. Graviola extract is available as a supplement, but its exact ingredients and potency are not regulated, and it may have side effects such as inducing uterine contractions and interfering with antidepressants. It is best taken under the guidance of a physician.
Graviola is the Portuguese name for a fruit tree that grows throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico. Its Latin name is Annona muricata, and due to its wide distribution, it has dozens of others, graviola, soursop, and Brazilian pawpaw among the most common. In recent years, graviola extract has become widely available as a supplement with claims of numerous benefits.
In places where graviola grows, people use it for food and medicine. The fruit, sweet but with noticeable acidity, is a favorite and popular dessert also in juice form. Before it is ripe, the fruit serves in some areas as a means of treating the effects of intestinal disorders such as dysentery. However, it is the rest of the tree that forms part of most remedies. Indigenous peoples use the root bark as a febrifuge or fever reducer, while using the leaves in antiparasitic and antiseptic preparations, as well as topical applications to decrease muscle pain.
Graviola has been of interest to science since the mid-20th century. A series of laboratory tests have confirmed some of the purported benefits of Graviola. A study published in 2001 suggested that graviola extract could stop the development of the herpes simplex virus, while another from 2000 shows that it may be effective against certain parasites. Most impressive, perhaps, was a 1997 study conducted at Purdue University that suggested that graviola extract possesses a cytotoxic, or cell-killing, effect. The compounds that appear to be responsible for this ability are the anaceous ancetogenins, by-products of graviola’s cellular metabolism. Because this study seemed to indicate that graviola extract is selective about the cells it kills, sparing healthy cells and going after damaged ones, it suggested great potential for graviola extract as a cancer treatment.
However, this study was not conducted on human subjects, but in vitro, literally “in glass”: the results were obtained from test tubes. Animal and in vitro studies comprise the majority of research on graviola extract, and large-scale human studies have yet to be conducted. The conclusions of the Purdue study are particularly problematic as support for the anticancer effect of graviola extract because he did not examine Annona muricata, but rather a similar plant called Annona glabra, which contains the same antigen.
While anecdote supports the benefits of graviola extract, and some studies suggest promise, the US Food and Drug Administration has not approved it for medical use. However, as an alternative cancer treatment, it has received a lot of attention, and graviola extract is readily available in supplement form. However, because these are herbal remedies and are not regulated, there is no guarantee of their exact ingredients or potency. Additionally, animal studies have shown that compounds within graviola can cause damage to brain cells, and that consuming a large amount of it may contribute to Parkinson’s disease. Because graviola extract can induce uterine contractions, pregnant women should not take it. One of the applications of graviola is as a relaxant; This effect may be detrimental to people with pre-existing low blood pressure, and the extract is also contraindicated for people taking medications to treat high blood pressure. Graviola extract may also interfere with the serotonin uptake function of antidepressants. Other significant side effects include possible vomiting and, because it kills both good and bad microbes, yeast infections. Graviola extract is a powerful material that promises to do a lot of good; Its very potency makes it a supplement best taken under the guidance of a physician.
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