Tropical Fruit Guyabano

Image courtesy of http://guyabano.com

Sourspo, or guyabano as we call it, is another wonderful tropical fruit that is known locally to kill cancer cells. I used to think it's native to the Philippines or in Southeast Asia, but I found out from Wikipedia that it was actually brought here from Mexico via the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade. Funny how I don't remember Mexicans in history class, only Spaniards. Well, whoever brought the guyabano here, a million thanks fellas!!! Guyabano is now all over Southeast Asia, and I was even surprised to see preserved guyabano sweets in Bali. Yum! :)

So what does it taste like? Wikipedia describes it as this, which I find totally confusing: "Its flavor has been described as a combination of strawberry and pineapple with sour citrus flavor notes contrasting with an underlying creamy flavor reminiscent of coconut or banana." (To read more, click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soursop) Say what?? Well, to be honest, I'm not really that big of a fan of guyabano in terms of taste. It's sweet and sour at the same time, and just thinking about how sour it can be makes my jaw tingle. But if you like eating sour food, you will really enjoy eating this fruit!

More than the taste though, it's the health benefits that are really awesome. A study in 1976 suggests that it actually is tons more powerful than the chemo drug adriamycin. Of course, you can't rely on articles like these, so until there are more evidence from reliable sources, until your doctor says so, chemo's still best. However, if guyabano is available in your country, go ahead and indulge. There's no harm in it. Aside from the fruit, some people also boil the leaves and bark to make guyabano tea. They say that also gives the same healing effect as the fruit.