Guyabano: There’s so much more to this fruit than Vitamin C

Guyabano

CEBU CITY, Philippines — In today’s Presyo Markado, its all about guyabano.

This fruit may be rough on the inside but has a totally sweet taste on the inside. More importantly, it packs a lot of good stuff.

In a fruit stall in Barangay Tisa in Cebu City,  guyabanos are sold from P50 to P60 per kilo.

What are the benefits of consuming guyabano?

According to a post from the Department of Science and Technology, guyabano or soursop  (Anona muricata),  is rich in carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and Vitamins C, B1, and B2.

Bu studies by the Chemicals and Energy Division (CED) of the DOST’s Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI) showed that guyabano actually has more benefits that mentioned over.

Guyabano generally has high content of flavonoid, a phytochemical that have been found to inhibit or even prevent the growth of viruses, carcinogens, and allergens.

Traditionally, guyabano has been consumed by diabetics to lower their blood sugar, and tests showed that it even outperforms Metformin, the most commonly used maintenance drug of diabetics, in lowering blood glucose levels, according to the DOST study.

DOST added:

“In addition, guyabano has been scientifically and traditionally proven to have great natural benefits. It helps lower fever, spasms, heart rate, and blood pressure. It also helps relieve pain, inflammation, and asthma. Consuming guyabano extract can also safely prevent cancer cells from forming while effectively slowing down tumor growth. It also helps stop the growth of harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, even as it stimulates digestion and stop convulsions.”

Here are other another interesting findings by the ITDI’s CED researchers:

“… the green unripe guyabano fruit contains more flavonoids than the yellowish ripe fruit. The leaves meanwhile are rich in tannins, fats and oils, unsaturated steroids, and triterpenes, and again, more flavonoids.” /elb