Rachels Health and Wellness at Hastings Farmers market

Rachel at Hastings farmers market in Barbados. Hear her explaining her natural health products grown in Barbados. Here she talks about Noni and Soursop leaves. Soursop is now being distributed in Canada and is said to help in treating cancer!

Its best know for making candies and ice cream but recent studies show some health benefits as well as some issues:

"The long, prickly fruit comes from the graviola tree, an evergreen native to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. It's also known as custard apple, guanabana and Brazilian paw paw. Practitioners of herbal medicine use soursop fruit and graviola tree leaves to treat stomach ailments, fever, parasitic infections, hypertension and rheumatism. It's used as a sedative, as well.

But claims of the fruit's anti-cancer properties have attracted the most attention. A study published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry in 1997 suggests that soursop compounds tested on breast cancer cells in culture were more effective than chemotherapy in destroying the cells. But, without clinical trials, there is no data to support the claim." Source https://www.cancercenter.com/discussions/blog/experts-caution-against-soursop/

n 2011, the journal Nutrition and Cancer revealed highly promising research on graviola and breast cancer. Researchers found that graviola fruit extract (GFE) suppressed expression of a breast-cancer causing oncogene known as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in animal models. According to the researchers, “a 5-wk dietary treatment of GFE (200 mg/kg diet) significantly reduced the protein expression of EGFR in breast tumors by 56%.... Overall, dietary GFE inhibited tumor growth, as measured by wet weight, by 32%.” https://beatcancer.org/blog-posts/graviola-soursop-anti-cancer-superfood

Rachel says that the medical profession knows of the these studies and of the cases where soursop leaves have helped others, but they are reluctant to approve or to use it other that in clinical trials.

Beatcancer.org points out that "many of the health benefits of soursop may be based on its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antiviral effects. "

The CancerCenter  cautions on its use and cites a  study in the French West Indies suggest that it could lead to movement disorders similar to Parkinson's disease.

However this is disputed by a Kenisha, a habitual user who says "I grew up eating this fruit and drinking the juice made from it as a child his claim is ridiculous and very much a scare tactic." Kenisha believes that the study is flawed:  noting that people with some form or sympotoms of the disease where were questioned about what they ate. "A conclusion was then drawn that some tropical fruits and teas can lead to Parkinson or Parkinson type symptoms. - I find that to be a joke. If that is the case, my study from family history shows way over 87 ppl that have consumed soursop and it's juices for over 30+ years and none have developed this."


 Whatever the controversy is natural product seem to be growing in popularity over chemical drugs with many segments of the population, and as Rachels says "God knows what he is doing".

I am not making any claims or advocating any use. I just admire farmers and artisans who are doing their thing bringing us local fresh products from the land for all to enjoy and benefit from.


 

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