You’ve probably seen articles being circulated in social networking sites and via emails about the Graviola (Sour Sop) tree (Scientific name: Annona muricata) as a “miraculous natural cancer cell killer 10,000 times stronger than Chemo.” Really?!!! That was my first reaction. I’ve also read a Manila Bulletin news article refuting that statement because there is no real scientific evidence to back it up. My take on this then is to pass judgment based on personal experience.
Long before I’ve read raves about this “miraculous” tree, also known locally as Guabana, Guyabano or Babana, a friend was already telling me about it as an effective remedy for stomach cramps whenever my monthly girl thing comes. She told me to get some leaves from one of the Babana trees in our backyard, boil them and drink the liquid as a natural pain reliever.She didn’t even get information from the Internet, she just learned its benefits from others as well. In fact, one of her friends going abroad had to bring lots of Graviola tree leaves for personal use as they don’t have it there.
The Graviola trees are native to most Latin American countries, some areas in Southeast Asia such as the Philippines, and can adapt to countries with warm winters and high humidity; you can’t find these evergreen trees growing in countries with extremely cold seasons. I’m not sure if Sour Sop fruits are being sold in Europe, if they are importing such from Brazil or Mexico. If you check out eBay, the Graviola leaves, bark, and seeds are being sold; and they don’t come cheap. Even a 1/2 lb pack of Soursop leaves and bark sells for almost $50! Thank God we have three Graviola trees here at home; we’re getting our leaves fresh and FREE. 😉
You can also conveniently order Graviola products at Amazon
Well, after reading about raves from the Internet and because of the constant prodding of my friend, I decided to make the liquid concoction one time I felt some sort of heartburn or chest pain. We picked some leaves, even if it was already late in the evening. True enough, the pain was gone after I drank the tea from the boiled leaves.
Since then, we try to make it a habit here at home to drink Graviola tea, particularly after meals. Usually, I feel a lot of chest pain or heartburn during my monthly period, but not anymore. I still do have the stomach cramps but the hyperacidity is gone. I just need to continue drinking Graviola tea regularly and I’m sure my monthly cramps will be a thing of the past.
So, the Graviola tree leaves do offer some benefits for me personally; it can heal hyperacidity, heartburn and other stomach pains. I’ve also read others sharing their personal experiences, attesting to its healing properties for patients with hypertension, diabetes, and other medical conditions, even cancer. I will be posting soon how to make a Graviola tea, from preparation to boiling. If you have some personal experience or story regarding Graviola as a natural medicine, feel free to share in the comments section below.
Related Posts:
How to prepare Graviola Tea (Sour Sop/Guyabano/Babana)
Where to buy Graviola products (tea, capsules, leaves and more)
23 replies on “Sour Sop/Graviola/Guyabano/Babana: Natural Cancer Killer?”
guyabano is my fave fruit
same here, it’s one of my faves. 🙂
This make interested in Graviola tea as I tend to have hyperacisity at times, esp when I’m stressed.
In my case, the result was instant, I was immediately relieved of my heartburn which I got after drinking soda on an empty stomach. You can also try Sodium Ascorbate as an anti-stress supplement, it is Vitamin C in alkaline form.
wow! that a good review! i might have some as well very soon for my tummy! xx
Yes, do try it. One friends would regularly visit us to get leaves from our tree. 🙂
I have heard a lot about it as a natural cancer killer and if I only knew about it earlier, I should have saved my late aunt who have a breast cancer.
I should used myself to it Babana one of these days to avoid such illness. Thanks for the informative post! 🙂
I’ve also read lots of good reviews about it. There are other power veggies that we can find in our backyard though. I have a friend who’s a breast cancer survivor, and I forgot really if it was malunggay or tanglad (lemongrass) that she included in her diet. These greens are also known to be potent natural cancer killers.
Actually, if you have a healthy diet of fruits and veggies rich in Vitamin C, you’re making yourself less at risk of having cancer.
I often have heartburn..thanks for sharing this!
you’re welcome!
wow.. thanks for sharing this 🙂
you’re welcome! 🙂
hi! 🙂 i remember saying that i wish guyabanos were more abundant and easy to find! 🙂 i love the fruit actually especially if it’s made into a shake. yum!
too bad, your first comment didn’t get through. thanks for taking time to comment again.
yeah I agree, guyabanos are seasonal fruits. I have not tried guyabano shake yet, but I do remember there used to be a Tang Guyabano juice before… it was one of our favorite drinks, really tasted like real guyabano juice with some texture on the liquid. Too bad, they don’t have this flavor anymore.
I used to drink freshly-boiled Graviola leaves, too. I was surprised that the tea looks red, and it was odorless and has no taste, too. It could even pass as iced tea if you just put some sugar on it.
Oh, so you have already tried it. Yeah, it’s basically tasteless. My mom would put few teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar (Bragg organic) then sugar on her Babana drink. I think the red indicates the potency of the concoction. If you allow it to steep for about 10 minutes after boiling and turning off the fire, the reddish color deepens. Me, I drink it plain, no sugar or vinegar added.
I really love guyabano. Most of the time I eat it fresh or make a shake out of it.
I love the fruit also esp. the sweet variety. Too bad, our guyabano trees here at home don’t always bear fruit, so we just buy from the market. But the leaves, we are blessed that we can have it anytime. The only challenge is who will prepare the concoction. 🙂
Wow! A Graviola concoction! Sadly, we’ve already lost our Guyabano tree (years now). This would’ve gone very handy to us since the adults in the house love fresh, organic drinks. Do share your preps soon, sis! Would love to know how long it should be prepped and boiled. 🙂
Aw, sad to hear that. You can buy guyabano seedlings and plant some in your backyard. Yeah, like you our family also enjoys fresh organic drinks. We also have coconut trees here at home, sometimes we have coconut juice as well. I also keep prodding my dad to plant some veggies in our backyard, like alogbate, tanglad, etc. hehehe…. organic is the way to go. Maybe you can also share your family’s organic drinks. Yup, I will be posting the preparation soon. I always forgot to take pics of the process, so the post keeps being postponed, lol.
actually i didn’t like the taste of guyabano, i don’t know why. i would like to share this to one of my schoolmates who has a mom with stage 3 colon cancer. i hope they’ll try it.
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