Soursop/Graviola juice.

Last week I had an older gentleman cycle up to our house carrying a large green object under his arm. I had only seen this once before in a local supermarket. He was carrying what we call here in Brazil, a graviola. In the States it is called Soursop. It is about the size of a football and covered in thorn-like spikes.

This is one of my husband's favorite fruits for making juice. The large fruit which can weigh over 5 lbs has white sacks full of juice and black seeds which I remove before juicing in the blender.

I have only ever bought one of these. When I bought one it was 14 Brazilian Reals. About $7.00. I have never spent so much on a piece of fruit. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw the price! I knew my husband would enjoy it so I bought it.

I have only seen them a few times as they are difficult to produce. I have been told, the tree is easy to grow, getting it to fruit is something else. I have planted some here on our farm as the conditions are perfect. They like humidity and warm winters.

To juice this I peel it and put all the pulp and seeds into a large bowl. Then the messy part starts. The seeds are cocooned within the pulp and I find the easiest way is to use my hands and manually remove the seeds. Seeds in one bowl and pulp into the blender.

When the blender is about half full, I turn it on. I let this run for a couple of minutes breaking up the fibers. I then pour this into a large mouth jug through a fine sieve. The juice is white and has the consistency of hand lotion. It is necessary to press this through the sieve with either a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula.I continue doing this until all the pulp is used.

I prefer to make the juice a bit thinner and sweeter. I use honey to sweeten it and water and milk to thin it out. It is common here in Brazil to have many different juices combined with milk.

To read about the health benefits that this tree offers, is nothing short of amazing. The various parts of the tree, the fruit, leaves, bark, and roots are purported to cure illnesses ranging from cancer to coughs, and heart disease to leprosy.

Cancer Research UK says, " In laboratory studies, graviola extracts can kill some types of liver and breast cancer cells that are resistant to particular chemotherapy drugs. But there haven’t been any large scale studies in humans. " To read the full article click here.

As with so many untested alternative remedies, some may work and some may not. Unfortunately we also know that if a drug company can't make money from a product, often it will never be approved for medical use.

Graviola can be bought in capsules or in powder form. If in powder form, this can be mixed with a juice, such as orange juice or taken with some syrup or honey.

Kalyx supply powdered extract and capsules from the leaf and the fruit. It is your choice. They also supply bulk sized products if you prefer up to 220lbs..

The photo to the right are just examples of their bottles. Please visit their website for more prices and information.

You can also buy graviola or soursop seeds from traders on Ebay. If you live in the southern states you should be able to grow this if you protect it from any potential frost. It is a tropical plant but can be grown with proper precautions in a temperate climate.

As always with Ebay, the stock is constantly changing so it is a good idea to check back often. If you see something you like, buy it because it may not be there the next time you login.

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