Soursop botany, chemical composition and medicinal prospects: a concise review

Abstract

Soursop (Annona muricata L.) belongs to the family Annonaceae and is reported to have the largest fruit in the genus, Annona. It is best known as “sawasop” in Nigerian vernacular. It is a fruit tree that was in almost every home garden in time past. The need for space, urbanization, inadequate knowledge about the fruit tree potentials, economic relevance and/or preference, has led to its fast eroding out of the urban and semi-urban areas, with relatively fewer stands, compared to decades ago.Soursop has been reported to originate from the American tropics but has been successfully introduced and domesticated around the world. Several past and current researches have been aimed at revealing the medicinal potential and other properties of soursop. Hitherto, the reported ethnomedicinal properties of soursop include but not restricted to analgesic, antibacterial, anticancer, antifungal, antioxidant, antitumor, antiulcer, antiviral, anti-arthritic, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anti-insomnia, anti-rheumatic, anti-stress, immune enhancing, as well as wound healing capacity. This review highlights a brief description of the botany, chemical composition and the burgeoning need for the utilization of soursop based on its inherent medicinal properties.