Soursop, an alternative treatment for cancer

Soursop a herbal remedy for cancer !!!

An alternative medicine that is known for its purported use in the treatment of various types of cancers including Prostate cancer, breast cancer, live and ovarian cancer is Graviola or Soursop. Featured below is the origin, medicinal properties and research carried out on Soursop in the treatment of cancer.

Soursop - Origin & History

 Graviola, which is indigenous to the rain forests of Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia, is a broad-leafed, evergreen tree that produces flower and fruit. The scientific name of this tree is Annona muricata.  It belongs to muricata species of trees, which is classified in the Annona sub-division of the Annonaceae tree family. 

SOURSOP TREE

The fruit is called by different names in different regions. Some commonly used names of this fruit are Guanabana (Spanish), Graviola (Portuguese), Brazilian pawpaw (Brazil), Mullatha (Tamil & Malayalam) and Shuk-Ram-fal or Lakshman Phala or Hanuman phal (Telugu). All parts of this tree are used as alternative medicine including the bark, leaves, root, fruit and fruit seeds. The fruit appears in large, heart-shaped forms with a yellow-green, spiky skin and white fleshy interior.

 SOURSOP FRUIT

 The fruit is apparently large and comes in heart shaped form with yellow-green prickly skin and white fleshy interior. Soursop contains high level of carbohydrates, fructose, and significant levels of vitamins B1, B2 and C and minerals which make for a healthy addition to anyone’s diet. The fruit is fairly acidic with a tangy taste.

The aborigines used the Soursop fruit, leaves seeds and bark for a variety of medicinal purposes.

Soursop Benefits

Part of Fruit	Medicinal Purpose
Pulverized Seeds	As Skin Astringents, reduce muscle spasm, To kill bedbugs and lice.
Concoctions from leaves	For alleviating Arthritis Pain, Joint inflammation, and reducing Inflammation in nasal passages and the respiratory tract as a whole.
Fruit Juice	As Diuretic, for scurvy and Dysentery.
Bark, leaves and root portion	As a sedative or tranquilizer and treat symptoms related to diabetes.

 

Research on Soursop as an alternative medicine to treat Prostate cancer, breast Cancer, liver, Ovarian cancer etc.

But, it is the Annonaceous acetogenins, phytochemicals obtained from the leaves, bark, and twigs of Graviola that has caught the attention and of the Medical and Scientific fraternity for their varied medical benefits. This has raised a storm in the medical circles and an everlasting hope in the afflicted people for its potential to cure the dreaded CANCER disease.

From 1976, when National Cancer Institute conducted a screening of Soursop leaves and Stem and found the active toxicity of Graviola against cancer cells; to this day, the Fruit had prepped the interest of multitudes of researchers. Several reports and research papers were submitted in leading journals, highlighting the different acetogenins found and their anti-tumorous properties against different types of cancer cells.

According to a study by Prabhakaran.K and et al from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India, PMID: 27262333 the bio-active compound from Leaf the extract was found to produce a cell inhibition activity of 98% on Breast Cancer cell lines, MCF-7. 

Annonaceous acetogenins found only in the Annonaceae family are found have potential to kill malignant cells of 12 different types of cancer including Breast, Ovarian, Colon, Prostate, Liver, Lung, Pancreatic and Lymphoma. 

In a citation submitted by Sun S and et al from Wayne State University, U.S. PMID: 27499453,  the group postulated that the bio-assay fractionation of fruit powder of Graviola yielded 3 novel bio-active compounds that demonstrated more potent anti-proliferative activities against human cancer PC-3 cells.

It is noted that the acetogenins found in Graviola destroy the drug resistant cancer cells by blocking the transfer of ATP – the prime source of cellular energy- into them. It is also observed that Graviola attacks only the cancerous cells while leaving the healthy cells unaffected.

As per Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Care, U.S., Graviola can be used for the following illnesses.

• To treat Cancer***
• To treat Herpes***
• To fight Infections & parasitic Infections***

*** Indicate Human studies have not been conducted.

Side Effects Of Soursop:  

• Graviola increases the effects of the blood pressure drugs
• Graviola increases the effects of diabetic medications.
• Graviola causes liver and kidney toxicity with repeated use.
• Graviola reduces platelet count.
•  Graviola should not be used during pregnancy and lactation. 
•  Graviola can reduce tissue uptake of radiopharmaceuticals used for diagnosis or treatment.
• Movement disorders and myeloneuropathy (neuropathy that affects the myelin sheath), with symptoms similar to those of Parkinson’s disease.

Herbal treatment preparations come in capsule, tea or tincture forms. The fruit stem and leaves are considered more suitable for treatment as compared to seeds and root, as seeds and root contain alkaloids that have shown preliminary in vitro neurotoxic effects.

Standard dosages for Soursop based on the type of preparation are:

• Capsules/tablets – 2 grams, three times a day
•  Tinctures – 2 to 4 milliliters, three times a day
• Teas – 1 cup, three times a day.

 Soursop / Graviola Leaves, Stem, and Fruit is available in Hyderabad, India at Nature’s ChemoCare and ALAVI .

Pros:

• Nature provided edible fruit that is a PANACEA against the life-threatening cancer disease.
• Affordable treatment cost.
•  Less side effects compared to Chemotherapy-induced.

Cons:

• Bottlenecks in tweaking the chemical to be patentable.
• Still no Human trials after decades of commencement of research.

DISCLAIMER: The information provided in this blog is taken from various resources and sites. This Web site is not to be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any health condition or problem. Users of this Web site should not rely on information provided on this Web site for their own health problems. The intent is only to offer health information to help you in your quest for health. The blogger/author does not guarantee the efficacy of the drugs or their outcomes. The author is not liable for any mishap. The interested parties are requested to get in touch with respective institutes, organizations, Hospitals, clinics, doctors and any other concerned parties to verify the authenticity, potency, contraindications, and dosage.