Soursop fruit has a green skin, quite thick, and spiny. While the content or flesh of the soursop fruit has a distinctive taste, slightly sour, chewy, and white. On the inside of the soursop flesh, you will find black soursop seeds.
Soursop thrives in the tropics. How to consume it, can be eaten directly, made juice, to additional drinks. The texture of soursop flesh tends to be soft and juicy.
Soursop Fruit Content
Soursop fruit contains vitamins and minerals that the body needs. Soursop Latin name is annona muricata, and still family annonaceae or custard apples.
One of the content in soursop is vitamin C, which functions as an antioxidant to increase immunity. The benefits of soursop fruit for health is to strengthen the immune system against pathogens.
Other benefits of soursop fruit for beauty, namely protecting the skin and cells from free radicals. Quote from Webmd.comOne soursop fruit contains 215% of the recommended daily requirement of vitamin C.
Contents in One Soursop Fruit Include:
- Calories: 413
- Protein: 6 gram
- Fat: 2 grams
- Carbohydrates: 105 grams
- Fiber: 21 grams
- Sugar: 85 grams
- Vitamin B1
- Vitamin B2
- Vitamin B3
- Vitamin C
- Folate
- Calcium
- Iron
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Phosphor
- Zink
- Copper
Soursop Fruit Benefits for Health
Soursop can also be used as a traditional medicine for health and disease. This fruit has a strong taste like pineapple or strawberry. Soursop can be cut in half and eaten directly. Here are the benefits of soursop fruit for health:
1. High in Antioxidants
Soursop fruit is good for skin health, because it contains high antioxidants. These compounds can neutralize free radicals that cause cell damage. Several studies have found that antioxidants can also cure heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. The content of vitamin C in soursop fruit can be used for skin care, including overcoming acne, brightening the skin, and preventing inflammation of the skin.
2. Can Kill Cancer Cells
Quotes Healthline.comSome studies have found soursop has the potential to eliminate cancer cells. One study found, the reaction of breast cancer cells to soursop fruit extract. The research results are interesting, because the extract can reduce tumor size, kill cancer cells, and increase immune activity.
Another study found soursop extract can also stop the growth and formation of leukemia cells. However, it requires a strong reaction and dose of soursop extract. In addition, further research is also needed to determine the direct effect on the effect of human cancer cells.
3. Fights Bacteria
Several studies have found soursop extract contains antioxidants that can kill bacteria. Soursop extract can reduce cholera and staphylococcus bacterial infections (bacteria that attack the nose and skin in humans). Other studies have found soursop extract can also be used to treat bacteria that cause oral diseases.
4. Reduces Inflammation
Inflammation is a normal immune response to injury and prevents chronic inflammation in certain diseases. The study was conducted on experimental rats treated with soursop extract. Another study found soursop extract could reduce swelling in mice by up to 37%.
Soursop has an inflammatory content that can treat arthritis. The levels in this fruit extract can reduce arthritis in the bones.
5. Stabilize Blood Sugar
One study found that soursop extract could reduce blood sugar levels by as much as 75% in mice. But it still needs to be proven by other studies in humans, related to the effectiveness of the benefits of soursop fruit on humans to treat diabetes. Soursop can also be used for a healthy diet and lifestyle.
6. Healthy Digestion
Soursop contains 83% of the recommended daily fiber intake. Fiber is useful for preventing digestive problems such as constipation.
7. Improve Skin Health.
Soursop leaves can be used for traditional medicine. This leaf can treat abscess skin conditions. Quoting from alodokter.com, abscess is a natural reaction of the body. This occurs due to the immune system’s resistance to infections that can attack certain tissues.
The resistance of the immune system is represented by white blood cells. These cells will move through the walls of blood vessels, then gather in the damaged tissue. The anti-inflammatory content in soursop leaves can maintain healthy skin. Some studies have found that wounds and inflammation in the skin can be cured by decoction of soursop leaves.
8. Improve Health
Drinks from soursop leaf decoction are considered to be able to combat several diseases, such as coughs, nausea, and parasitic infections. Soursop leaf decoction can reduce weight and stress.
How to Choose Soursop Fruit
Soursop has a variety of benefits and nutrients for health. In Indonesia, this fruit is found in many markets and fruit shops. You can eat it directly by cutting it into two parts, or make soursop juice with a mixture of other fruits.
You can choose a quality soursop fruit in terms of size and maturity. Choose soft fruit or leave it for a few days before eating it straight. Put it in the refrigerator to keep the fruit fresh to eat for a few days. You can chop, remove the flesh from the skin, and enjoy it.
Eliminate soursop seeds that contain annonacin and neurotoxin. Soursop seeds can also contribute to Parkinson’s disease. This neurological disease can affect the brain and make it difficult for sufferers to regulate body movements such as writing, speaking, and walking.
Making Soursop Juice
Fresh soursop will be more delicious consumed during the day or when the weather is hot. One of the healthy fresh drinks is juice from soursop fruit. How to make soursop fruit juice, namely:
1. Wash the soursop fruit, cut it, then peel the outer skin
2. Provide a container to separate the fruit flesh and seeds
3. Once separated from the skin, prepare blender, little or no sugar
4. Blender soursop fruit together with ice until thin for a few minutes
5. After that, remove the contents of the juice into the glass
6. You can also make soursop juice without blender. The trick, put a filter on top of the container. Squeeze the soursop meat by hand for 5 minutes. Wait until the bottom of the filter leaves a lot of water, then discard the soursop pulp.
7. You can add flavoring such as 1 slice of lime or lemon. You can also add vanilla, nutmeg, and salt as a flavor enhancer
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