Graviola (Soursop)
Graviola and cancer
Graviola is a tree prevalent in the rain forests of Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia. The fruits, also known as soursop, are consumed as food. The leaves and stems are used in traditional medicine for symptoms associated with inflammation and infection. Graviola is also available as a dietary supplement and widely promoted as an alternative treatment for cancer, although clinical evidence is lacking. In some Caribbean countries, it is among the most common herbal remedies used in among prostate, breast and colorectal cancer patients.
Natives Call this Natural Cancer Treatment the “Tree of Medicine”
Source: Natural Cancer Treatments Guide
Graviola is a tree found in the innermost regions of the Amazon forest. For centuries, the natives have been using the tree as medicine. Not only has it been known to fight off bacteria and parasites but cure a number of major diseases. Up until two decades back, no one in the medical world was quite aware of the potential of Graviola but when research was conducted, it showed that Graviola is one of the perfectly viable natural cancer treatments.
The reason why Graviola has been found to be so effective against cancer is because of the presence of acetogenins.
The acetogenins are primarily a complex of different botanical ingredients which have the potency to destroy cancerous cells.
Up till now, graviola has been found to be effective against no less than a dozen types of cancers and that too without causing any damage to the body.
Once the medical manufacturers harness the potential of Graviola, they could be the ultimate solution to chemotherapy.
Yet, there is some way to go before that happens. The contents of the plants are such that they are difficult to develop into medicine which would be effective against cancer. So, despite being one of the best natural cancer treatments, Graviola is not widely available to the general public.
How Graviola Works
The contents of the Graviola tree are such that they contain certain elements that target cancerous cells. When they enter the system, they go after the harmful cells and kill them off.
The best part about it is that your normal healthy cells aren’t affected in the least by it. Graviola works wonders for patients who aren’t responding to chemotherapy. The root cause of the resistance is more often than not the presence of a tumor. By destroying the cells, Graviola immunizes the tumor.
A Word of Warning
Despite being considered one of the best natural cancer treatments available to people today, there are some potential side effects of Graviola.
- First of all, Graviola has been known to cause nausea and ultimately vomiting. However, this is experienced primarily by people who have been taking large quantities of it
- Though there is no conclusive evidence yet, it is claimed by a number of medical experts that graviola causes hypertension
- When taken with CoQ10, antioxidants or thyroid stimulants, the effects of graviola are negated completely
- Prolonged use of graviola could cause digestive problems
- Since Graviola is a food type, there is a risk that some people might be allergic to it.
Studies
This study says: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is an oncogene frequently overexpressed in breast cancer (BC), and its overexpression has been associated with poor prognosis and drug resistance. EGFR is therefore a rational target for BC therapy development. This study demonstrated that a graviola fruit extract (GFE) significantly downregulated EGFR gene expression and inhibited the growth of BC cells and xenografts.
This study says: Our experiments revealed that Graviola induced necrosis of PC [pancreatic cancer] cells by inhibiting cellular metabolism… In vitro functional assays further confirmed the inhibition of tumorigenic properties of PC cells. Overall, the compounds that are naturally present in a Graviola extract inhibited multiple signalling pathways that regulate metabolism, cell cycle, survival, and metastatic properties in PC cells.
This study says: Over 212 phytochemical ingredients have been reported in graviola extracts prepared from different plant parts. The specific bioactive constituents responsible for the major anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and other health benefits of graviola include…alkaloids, flavonoids, sterols, and others.
Studies have linked A. muricata-derived compounds…to a variety of anticancer effects including cytotoxicity, induction of apoptosis, necrosis, and inhibition of proliferation on a variety of cancer cell lines, including breast, prostate, colorectal, lung, leukemia, renal, pancreatic, hepatic, oral, melanoma, cervical, and ovarian cancers.
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Page updated 2024