A. muricata, known as guanabana, soursop, graviola, or Brazilian paw paw [1,2], is a native plant of Central America [3]. This plant is distributed widely throughout Southeast Asia, South America, and the rainforests of Africa [1]. A.muricata is commonly known as soursop because of the sweet and sour taste of its fruit. In Portuguese, A.muricata is known as graviola; in Latin America, it is known as guanabana; and in Indonesia, it is known as nangka belanda or sirsak. Other traditional names include annone, araticum, araticum-manso, anona, anoda, coronsol, grande, grand corossol, gurusulu, quanabana, sauersack, taggannona, and zuurzak. A.muricata is a fruit-bearing plant that belongs to the kingdom Plantae, the division Angiospermae (Magnoliophyta), the class Magnolid, the order Magnoliales, the family Annonaceae family, and the genus Annona [6,7].
The A.muricata tree grows at altitudes below 1200 m above sea level, at a relative humidity of 60%–80%, a temperature ranges of 25–28 °C, and with more than 1500 mm of annual rainfall [6,7]. A.muricata is an evergreen plant that blooms and bears fruit almost throughout the year [6]. The leaves are obovate, oblate, and acuminate, with a dark green, thick, and glossy upper surface. Figure 1 shows the A.muricata tree, leaves, fruit, and flowers. The fruit is green and heart-shaped, with soft prickly skin containing juicy, aromatic, and acidic pulp [1,4].
A.muricata has been widely used to treat many disorders, such as parasitic infections, inflammation, diabetes, and cancer [8]. All parts of A.muricata are used in traditional medicine by people who live in tropical areas, with the leaves, stem bark, roots, and seeds primarily used as medicinal ingredients [9]. A.muricata leaves are used to treat headaches, insomnia, cystitis, and cancer, the seeds are used to treat parasitic infections [1], and the fruit is used to treat diarrhea and neuralgia, eliminate worms and parasites, increase milk production in lactating women, and reduce fever [10].
