Guanabana ... This melodiously sounding word can be heard more and more recently. Still would! Indeed, recent studies by scientists have proved that the fruits of this plant effectively fight cancer cells. The news is simply amazing, but the question arises: "Where does guanabana grow and how to get it?" Let's talk about this in more detail.
Tropical Plant Residence
So the guanabana tree. Where does this miracle grow that has caused the genuine interest of many growers? The homeland of this tropical plant is Latin America. From Mexico to Argentina, you can meet many corners where guanabana grows. Residents of these countries are incredibly lucky. However, today this tree is distributed in other places. For example, in India and China.
Guanabana business card
The plant in question has many names. The most popular of them is “sour cream”. This name the fruit received for a special consistency of pulp, similar to sour cream, tender and soft. Also, this plant is called Graviola and Annulus prickly. It is no less known as sausep. It has an interesting shape: it looks like a melon, only its peel is green, covered with many small spikes. Unapproachable and unfriendly in appearance, the overseas fruit is remarkable for its amazing softness inside. Its flesh melts in the mouth, and in the heat it also quenches thirst well. According to experts, the fruit tastes like a mix of ripe strawberries, exotic pineapple and already familiar citrus fruits. Such a cocktail of sensations from tasting this product deserves to be tasted. It is a pity that we do not have regions where guanabana fruit grows. However, why not plant him? Yes, they forgot to say: inside the fruit there are black seeds, similar to persimmon seeds. It is from them that a plant can be grown. By the way, be careful: they are poisonous!
Attractive and the leaves of this representative of the tropical flora. The tree is related to the famous ylang-ylang, which is widely used in modern perfumery. Guanabana does not lag behind him: its leaves have the same pleasant, deodorizing smell. And one more nuance: the leaves are located not only on the branches, as is usual for us, but also on the trunk.
Plant features and cooking applications
Exotic graviola is sometimes striking in its size. First, small, as it grows, it grows to 30 cm. Moreover, the weight of one fetus can reach 7 kg!
Guanabana is a very healthy fruit. It contains such essential vitamins as B and C. In addition, it contains many necessary elements, including magnesium and phosphorus, calcium and iron. And in this fruit there is a lot of folic acid, which helps to restore immunity, improves skin and hair condition.
In countries where guanabana grows, it is often used to make sorbets and all kinds of creams. Add to ice cream, mash or deliciously delicious juice. In Indonesia, unripe fruits are consumed as vegetables.
Therapeutic properties of guanabana
Guanabana has many medicinal properties. It is recommended to eat for stomach diseases. It not only normalizes its microflora, but also stabilizes acidity. With guanabana, you will forever forget about heartburn and discomfort after eating.
Exotic fruit can also be used as an antidepressant. It calms the nervous system, promotes good sleep.
In addition, guanabana is an excellent antibiotic. It kills all kinds of germs and viruses.
Guanabana and cancer
As already mentioned, scientifically proven evidence has recently appeared that the plant in question has anti-cancer properties. Without regret, it destroys foreign cells, which are the cause of the formation of tumors. A tropical tree can defeat 12 types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, rectum, lungs, etc. Moreover, the use of sour cream is more effective than the use of adriamycin - the strongest chemotherapeutic drug. The most useful is the juice of the plant. In addition, it does not cause any negative consequences, such as, for example, hair loss after radiation therapy.
How to grow guanabana?
The inability to get this fruit from us is explained by the fact that it is rarely exported. Transportation is quite complicated, as the fruits of this tree are perishable. They are transported in an unripe state, but even then they are suitable for eating only for 3-4 days. But the plant itself is unpretentious. Therefore, in order to enjoy the fruit, it is not at all necessary to go where the guanabana grows. You can grow it at home.
Care Rules:
- For its cultivation, a small container or an ordinary decorative tub is suitable. If in nature a tree can reach a height of 6 meters, then at home this figure, as a rule, does not exceed 3 meters.
- Despite the fact that the plant tolerates good shading, it is better to put it closer to the window on the sunny side. In summer, graviola can be taken out to the balcony or to the garden.
- Guanabana is a deciduous tree. Therefore, seeds should be sown as early as possible. Better if you do this in late winter or spring. The fact is that in autumn the plant will drop its leaves. It is good if the seedlings have time to harden and become covered with bark. Soft, defenseless sprouts may not survive the winter.
- For planting, you need to choose well-drained soil. Sow seeds to a depth of 1 cm. The most important is high temperature (up to 30 degrees). Therefore, it is better to put the pot closer to the battery. Just have to watch so as not to dry the soil. The first sprouts usually appear after 15-30 days.
- Guanabana tolerates both drought and excessive watering, but it is better to comply with the measure. In winter, the plant is watered less abundantly, and if it completely throws off the leaves and remains naked, it is not watered at all until the first buds appear.
- Difficulties can arise with pollination, but there is a way out. You will have to do it manually. In the morning, collect pollen in an envelope and store it in the refrigerator. In the evening, apply pollen to the pestle, spraying it.
- With proper care, the tree begins to bear fruit in the third year.
As you can see, guanabana can be added to your "household" as a permanent resident. To grow this plant at home is not difficult. And how much benefit it will bring to you, you will be able to evaluate yourself.