Guyabano, or soursop as it’s more commonly known in English, is a small tropical fruit tree bearing a sweet heart-shaped fruit with green outer skin and soft pulpy white flesh. It has been used as a refreshing fruit juice and tea for hundreds of years. You can mostly find this fruit in Central America, some sub-Saharan parts of Africa, and Southeast Asia.
The leaves of this little-known plant are also incredibly good for us. They’re packed full of healthy carbohydrates, dietary fibre, and Vitamins C, B1, and B2, which offer a whole host of benefits to the body. Stay tuned for the top 6 health benefits of drinking guyabano leaves tea, plus how to make it yourself.
1. Immune System Building
The importance of a healthy immune system is not lost on any of us. Guyabano leaf, which is used to make soursop tea, is loaded with nutrients, making it a great way to naturally boost your immune system.Â
These nutrients include naturally occurring compounds such as anncatacin, annonacin, linoleic acid, acetogenins, and gentistic acid.
2. Good Natural Energizer
Soursop tea is a great source of carbohydrates, which can replenish your low energy without the addiction that comes with caffeine. The leaves also have a high fibre content, which brings additional benefits, including facilitating digestion and detoxification.
Not only that, these nourishing leaves are a great source of iron and vitamin C. Iron helps more energy-releasing oxygen to reach the bloodstream, while vitamin C helps keep your endurance levels at an optimum.Â
For this reason, drinking guyabano leaf tea will help your body’s systems and processes to function as they should: optimally.
3. Alleviates Tummy Troubles
Soursop leaves have been used traditionally as a source of relief for a range of stomach ailments, including ulcers. The antiviral and anti-parasitic properties of the leaves can also deter intestinal worms and other parasites in the digestive tract.
4. Relaxes Muscles, Bones, and Skin
One of the things that made guyabano leaves a favourite among the native tribes of South America is their anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties. Consuming soursop tea can help to naturally soothe tensions and spasms, and can even reduce pain from injuries or exercise.
What’s more, soursop tea is a powerful natural anti-microbial agent. This is why you’ll find it being used as a home remedy to treat damaged skin and other conditions like skin irritation, inflammation, and itchiness.
5. Eases Back Pain
Another of the many soursop tea benefits is its potential to ease back pain without the adverse effects that can sometimes crop up with chemical drugs. Drinking guyabano leaf tea on a regular basis can minimize trips to the chemist in search of analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs.Â
This is thanks to the high nutritional content present in the leaves, which makes them such potent herbal medicine.
6. Mild Sedative
Soursop has long been known to have sedative effects. The leaves and bark of the plant are especially famed for these qualities. Ancient tribes of the South American rainforest used to crush and sprinkle leaves from the guyabano plant around sleeping areas to promote more restful sleep.
Side effects
There are a few side effects of guyabano leaves tea that you should know of before you start drinking it yourself. It’s strongly advised that you don't consume guyabano tea or guyabano leaves if you’re taking blood pressure medication or diabetes medication. It’s also been found that there is a risk of liver and kidney toxicity with repeated overuse of soursop.
Making guyabano leaves tea
To make guyabano leaves tea yourself, first, boil 1 litter of water, then take 15 fresh or dried guyabano leaves and 1 small stem if you have it. Cut the leaves into small pieces and put them into the boiling water.Â
Continue to boil the water on a small flame for 30 minutes to brew the tea, until the water evaporates to around 500 millilitres.
When the tea has cooled, filter out the leaves and drink a cup of the tea 3 times every day for the best results. If three cups a day is a bit excessive for you, just drink one cup in the morning to start your day off right. You might want to add lime juice or honey for a sweeter taste.
Conclusion
Guyabano leaves tea is one of the simplest and most beneficial beverages, yet many of us have never heard of it before. If you’d like to make the tea at home, you will find the leaves available in health stores or online.Â
They may be called either guyabano leaves or soursop leaves, so search for both if you want to find the best value for money! It doesn’t matter whether you buy them fresh or dried, as they offer the same benefits. Happy drinking!
