Soursop Bitters: The Health Benefits You May Not Know About

People are being more careful about their after now. The trend for natural ‘superfoods’ is growing. Superfoods are natural, nutrient-dense, low calorie and give stronger health. Although different superfoods have different properties, all of them give many common benefits.

One such food that can comfortably sit in a list of superfoods is the soursop fruit. Originating from South America and also known as Annona muricata or guanabana – you may know it better by the name of paw-paw or even custard apple tree – it is full of good natural fiber, minerals and vitamins that are highly beneficial, like vitamin C, magnesium and potassium. Generally, it is consumed in liquid form as a ‘bitters’ but what exactly is soursop bitters and what are its health benefits?

The soursop fruit native to the tropical regions of the Americas and the Carribbean

What is a soursop?

The soursop fruit is high in what are called antioxidants. These protect your body’s healthy cells from damage from other foods and drinks we consume, as well as from particles in our environment that are also harmful.

The oval shaped fruit comes from the Annonaceae tree, or custard apple tree, and it has a prickly green outside but the flesh of the fruit inside is white and fibrous. It has been medicinally used for centuries for the treatment of a variety of illnesses and ailments. Being high in vitamin C – one soursop fruit is said to contain as much as 215% of your recommended daily vitamin C allowance.

Vitamin C is well-known for promoting a healthy immune system and the destruction of free radicals, and contains a wide range of antioxidants that will boost your health. Other benefits of the soursop fruit are:

• Boosted digestion – one soursop fruit contains about 83% of your daily fiber allowance, helping to prevent IBS and constipation.
• Reduces inflammation – antioxidants fight your body’s free radicals, reducing the potential damage caused by oxidative stress, and therefore inflammation.
• Combats high blood pressure – the potassium in the soursop fruit helps to get rid of sodium in your body, a contributory to high blood pressure, and promote lower blood pressure.
• Helps to fight bacteria – the soursop fruit has antibacterial effect which can help to fight bacteria in the body.

What are bitters?

Bitters are probably more well-known as an alcohol that has been infused with a variety of spices, herbs, roots and leaves. There are two types of bitters; those that are used to flavor drinks, like cocktails, and those that are a digestive aid.

Digestive bitters have long been used in Chinese medicine and are, essentially, a tincture which contains a variety of other ingredients, most commonly:

• Burdock root.
• Dandelion.
• Artichoke leaf.
• Genetian root.
• Bitter melon.
• Licorice root.
• Wormwood.

The aim of bitters in helping improve digestion is that in encourages your mouth to produce more saliva, which aids the breakdown of fats and starches in the body. This is why it is believed that taking a daily shot of bitters can also help with weight loss, particularly when it includes ingredients that help to stimulate hormone production and suppress appetites. Bitters can help with:

• Suppresses the appetite – either by the act of stimulating the release of gut hormones which encourage you to feel you are full up.
• Stimulates saliva production – the more saliva you produce, the greater the number of enzymes that will break down the fats and starch in the food you eat.
• Releases stomach gastric juices – which contain natural body chemicals that break down the food you eat, helping with indigestion, heartburn and stomach cramps.

The benefits of soursop bitters

Consuming soursop in bitters is a popular option in recent years with people wanting to maintain their overall health. But it is also used for colon cleansing and the prevention of a variety of other illnesses.

When you combine soursop and bitters with a plethora of other highly beneficial natural herbs, leaves, spices and roots in bitters, it’s health benefits are multiplied, such as:

• Boosting your immune system.
• Reducing inflammation.
• Reducing high blood pressure and hypertension.
• Detoxing and an aid to weight loss.
• Boosting your immune system.
• Reducing inflammation.
• Reducing high blood pressure and hypertension.
• Detoxing and an aid to weight loss.

At Africa Imports, our Soursop Bitters is one of our most sought-after ideas and our customers find many of the above benefits through the use of Soursop Bitters. Made with soursop fruit and 21 natural herbs and roots, including black seed, nim tree, lemon root, goatweed, tamarind, Irish moss hibiscus, garlic, honey and cinnamon, it helps to balance your body to keep it healthy and strong.

People love the natural way that soursop helps to give and keep health.

How to take soursop bitters

The recommended dose for adults is two teaspoons after each meal. However, because the soursop fruit is combined with such strong flavored herbs and roots, soursop bitters can be a rather sharp taste. Therefore, it may be better to mix it with your favorite drink, a fruit juice or perhaps mix it with a wholesome smoothie, but avoid mixing it with alcohol.

It must be remembered that soursop bitters is not regulated or approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the US. This is because if taken in large quantities, and largely due to the herbs and roots included rather than the soursop fruit itself, there may be side effects, such as stomach cramps, nausea and possibly diarrhoea.

In addition, it may also reduce the effect of some medications. If you are suffering from some conditions, like epilepsy, liver, gastrointestinal or kidney disease, bleeding disorders or low blood pressure, are pregnant or breast feeding, it may be better to avoid using soursop bitters as you may find that some of the ingredients may cause problems.

If you are allergic to any of the ingredients in our Soursop Bitters, take a look at our Soursop Living Bitters which contains different ingredients, such as fresh ginger, Senna, aloe, vanilla, flaxseed, black pepper and fennel seed. As well as having the same healthy benefits as Soursop Bitters, because of the different herbs, roots and spices, it can also help with insomnia, back pain, coughs and colds.

Alternatively, you can opt for our Soursop Graviloa Leaf Powder which has the same health benefits but in a powder form that can be mixed with all sorts of drinks, smoothies and shakes.