The unusually shaped soursop fruit – it looks like an oversized strawberry grown with an apple and thorns – is native to Central and South America, and is a popular sweet treat there. Soursop tastes like a combination of strawberry, pineapple, and citrus.

A member of the custard apple family, the fruit comes from the Annona muricata broadleaf evergreen and is known for its health benefits, which may include reducing inflammation, improving the immune system and reducing indigestion symptoms.

Soursop Nutrition Facts

One cup of soursop pulp (225g) provides 149 calories, 2.3g of protein, 37.8g of carbohydrates, and 0.7g of fat. Soursop is an excellent source of vitamin C, fiber and potassium. The following nutrition information is provided by the USDA (source).

Carbohydrates in soursop

Soursop contains almost 38 grams of carbohydrates per cup. The carbohydrates in oxygen come from naturally occurring sugars, and it contains more than 7 grams of fiber per serving (about a quarter of your recommended daily intake). The glycemic index of soursop is low (source).

Fats in soursop

This fruit is very low in fat, and provides less than one gram per serving.

Proteins in soursop

Soursop, like most fruits, is not a good source of protein. A single serving contains only 2.3 grams of protein. That you need to include other protein sources, such as salmon, lean meats, and legumes, in your diet to meet your daily needs.

Vitamins and minerals

Soursop comes packed with micronutrients. One cup provides 46.4 mg of vitamin C. The USDA recommends an intake of 90 mg per day to support your immune system. Soursop also provides 626 mg of potassium for blood pressure regulation and rapid training recovery.

Soursop Health Benefits

Soursop, also called graviola as guanabana, can also provide a range of other health benefits. For example, graviola tea — made from the leaves (not the fruit) of the soursop plant — is often used to treat infections (both bacterial and viral) that cause cold-like symptoms. In addition, some people use it to treat sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes.

Insufficient scientific evidence supports this use, although studies show that some oxygen extracts may provide immune system support (source).

May Help for Cancer Prevention

A 2018 study reported that extracts of soursop fruit and the bark, roots and leaves of the tree had the therapeutic potential to fight cancer and other non-malignant diseases (source).

Insufficient human data support this claim, however. Experts from Cancer Treatment Centers of America warn against using soursop as a cancer fighter, and they note that soursop is associated with numerous unstable claims. Drugs developed from compounds in the oxygen plant are likely to be more effective than simply consuming the fruit as tea made from their leaves (source).

Promotes Digestive Health

Due to its high fiber content, soursop can help with good digestion. The juice of the fruit can also act as a diuretic and cleanse the gastrointestinal tract by removing too much sodium from the body. It has been shown that an extract of oxygen helps in curing stomach ulcers in lab animals (source).

Anti Inflation

Like most fruits and vegetables, soursop is a good source of antioxidants, which can help the body repair self-harm and fight inflammation (source).

Soursop Allergy

There have been no cases of oxygen allergy reported in the medical literature. But any food that contains protein can theoretically be allergenic. If you experience symptoms of food allergy (such as itching, swelling, or hives), consult a doctor for a diagnosis.

Adverse effects

You should avoid consuming oxygen or drinking the fruit in a tea if any of the following apply to you:

• You have diabetes because graviola has a blood sugar lowering effect in laboratory animals.
• You are taking medicines to reduce hypertension, as evidence shows that graviola has additive effects when taken with medicines for this health problem.
• You have liver disease.
• You have kidney disease.

Studies in laboratory animals have shown that compounds in graviola cause movement disorders and myeloneuropathy, a disease with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease.

Soursop Varieties 

In some regions both “sweet” (less sour) and “sour” soursop are cultivated. The sweet version is more likely to be eaten raw.

Sour tea is brewed from the leaves of the oxygen tree. It is traditionally used to relax the body and reduce stress.

When Soursop is Best?

This tropical fruit is most commonly found in Central and South America. However, some groceries carry frozen soup.

You can replace soursop with cherimoya, a popular alternative that is available online and in some groceries. Cherimoya tastes similar to soursop because it also comes from the custard apple family and offers similar nutritional value. However, Cherimoya does not have the potential for cancer control of soursop or the same anti-inflammatory properties.

If you can not find cherimoya or soursop, you can create the taste profile of soursop by mixing equal parts strawberries, pineapple, and bananas together.

Soursop Storage

You can store unripe, very oxygenated fruits at room temperature. Ripe fruit will keep in the fridge for a few days.

How to consume soursop?

Because the fruit is local to the tropics, you will not find any sorrel in abundance in North America. Once you get the fruit in your hands, you can eat it yourself, just like any raw fruit. You can also include soursop in syrups, smoothies, and other desserts such as ice cream, candies, and sweet drinks.