A well-known prickly fruit throughout Central America, the soursop’s delicious white pulp, with tones of fruit candy and smooth cream can be found in fruit markets throughout Belize and is a very tasty treat.

The fruit is also known as guanabana in Spanish and can be hard to eat because of  its big black seeds and and tough membranes, however soursop juice and ice cream are easier ways to try the fruits.

According to researchers, the soursop fruits have been found to have many medicinal properties from breaking fevers to curing stomach sickness and recent research indicates that the cure for cancer might lie in the evergreen soursop tree.

Below is a list of healthy benefits of soursop:

– The seeds, which have emetic properties, can be used in the treatment of vomiting.

– The leaf decoction is effective for head lice and bedbugs.

– The crushed fresh leaves can be applied on skin eruptions to promote healing.

– The juice of the fruit can be taken orally as a remedy for urethritis, haematuria and liver ailments.

– The juice when taken when fasting, it is believed to relieve liver ailments and leprosy.

– To speed the healing of wounds, the flesh of the soursop is applied as a poultice unchanged for 3 days.

– A decoction of the young shoots or leaves is regarded as a remedy for gall bladder trouble, as well as coughs, catarrh, diarrhea, dysentery, fever and indigestion.

– Mashed leaves are used as a poultice to alleviate eczema and other skin problems and rheumatism.

– The root bark is use as an antidote for poisoning.

– Soursop flowers are believed to alleviate catarrh.

– Decoction of leaves used as compresses for inflammation and swollen feet.