Cherimoya, known scientifically as Annona cherimola, is an evergreen shrub or tree that grows naturally in South America's Andean highlands. Herbalists in the areas of its natural cultivation value cherimoya for its medicinal properties, which are similar to those of its close cousin, graviola, or Annona muricata. Preliminary scientific research has confirmed some of cherimoya's medicinal properties. Consult with your doctor before self-treating with cherimoya or any other herbal remedy.
Composition
Although it originated in the Andean highlands of South America, cherimoya grows well in most tropical highland and subtropical climates, such as those of Southern California and the Mediterranean coastal areas of Spain. As a tree, it can reach a maximum height of about 23 feet. In both its shrub and tree form, cherimoya bears a green-skinned, heart-shaped fruit of 5 to 7 inches in length at maturity. Like graviola, its tropical cousin, cherimoya is rich in acetogenins, which have medicinal properties, as well as bioactive alkaloids and a wide array of fatty acids, including arachidic, linoleic, alpha-linolenic, oleic, palmitic and stearic. Linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids are essential fatty acids, so called because the body needs them to function properly but cannot produce them on its own.
Antioxidant Properties
A team of researchers at Brigham Young University's Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology tested the flesh, juice and skin of the cherimoya fruit for their antioxidant properties. All components of the cherimoya exhibited antioxidant properties, but the juice seemed significantly more potent than the flesh and skin of the fruit. Researchers incubated extracts of the cherimoya flesh, juice and skin with Burkitt's lymphoma and colon cancer cells, after which they measured the samples for antioxidant uptake. In an article in the October 2010 issue of "Food Research International," researchers reported that the samples treated with cherimoya juice displayed the highest level of antitoxidant uptake.
Cytoprotective Properties
An Italian study conducted by researchers at the University of Messina further confirmed cherimoya's antioxidant properties and also demonstrated the fruit's cytoprotective benefits as well. Scientists extracted the pulp of ripe cherimoya fruits using three different organic solvents: ethanol, methanol and dimethylformamide. Extracts were then tested for cytoprotective activity on human peripheral blood lymphocytes that had been exposed to tert-butyl hydroperoxide. Their results, published in the February 2011 issue of "Food Research International," showed that all cherimoya extracts "could significantly enhance cell survival and clearly decrease the release of lactate dehydrogenase," or LDH. Cell levels of LDH normally increase when the cell has been damaged by injury or disease.
Delicious Fruit
In addition to its varied medicinal benefits, cherimoya is a tasty and nutritious fruit that Mark Twain described as "deliciousness itself," according to Renée Loux Underkoffler, author of "Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Food." The creamy, vanilla-colored flesh of the cherimoya fruit tastes "like a combination of mango, vanilla, banana, pineapple and coconut," writes Underkoffler. Further enhancing its nutritional appeal is the fruit's high level of potassium and dietary fiber, both of which have significant health benefits.
References
- Scintro: Cherimoya
- "Food Research International"; The Antioxidant Properties of the Cherimoya (Annona cherimola) Fruit; Gaytri Gupta-Elera et al.; October 2010
- "Food Research International"; Evaluation of the Antioxidant and Cytoprotective Properties of the Exotic Fruit Annona Cherimola Mill. (Annonaceae); Davide Barreca et al.; February 2011
- "Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Food"; Renée Loux Underkoffler; 2004
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