Graviola

Annona muricata · Soursop

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Blood pressure support¹ Colorectal cancer cytotoxicity² Traditional use for infections³	Pregnancy or breastfeeding⁴ Parkinson's disease⁵ Regular graviola fruit or tea use⁴ Hypotension⁵

Graviola (Annona muricata), also called soursop, is a tropical tree whose fruit is eaten and whose leaves and stems are used in traditional medicine for inflammation and infection³. Its acetogenin constituents are proposed to act by depleting cellular energy³. Supplementation is driven by perceived antioxidant effects, and the uses that follow are cancer, blood pressure, and blood glucose.

Human research is limited to about three small trials, covering colorectal cancer, prehypertension, and Parkinson's disease severity. Cancer evidence rests mainly on cell and animal studies, and there is no proof of benefit for cancer patients³. A 2020 systematic review judged leaf extract tolerability favorable, while noting that animal toxicity doses may not translate to humans⁶. In tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell lines, a 2023 in vitro study found leaf extract was cytotoxic and shifted apoptosis markers; no human trial has tested this⁷. Products are mostly capsules and tablets of whole or powdered leaf, with a few liquids, and 144 products list graviola; see Form comparison.

The most consequential caution is neurologic: a 2026 comparison found more severe motor and cognitive symptoms in Caribbean Parkinson's disease patients, who were nearly all exposed to Annonaceae fruits⁸. Per product labeling, concurrent antihypertensive or monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor use is flagged, and additive blood pressure and glucose effects with medications are listed as of unknown clinical relevance^{3, 5}.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

38 sources, 26 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources