What Is Soursop?

Soursop is a tropical oval- or heart-shaped fruit that's both green and spiny, and it also is known as the graviola. Its sweetness makes it a prime candidate for flavoring some popular South American ice creams, drinks, and other foods. Its parent tree is found throughout the West Indies and all the way from southern Mexico to Argentina and Peru. It's now grown in many areas of the world, and is available in the markets of Southeast Asia and Malaysia.

The tree usually grows between 25 and 30 feet tall, and the fruit itself can be up to 12 inches long. Soursop contains vitamin C, riboflavin, calcium, and phosphorus, and some herbal medicine practitioners recommend soursop as treatment for a variety of health conditions. It's even been said that soursop could potentially slow or prevent cancer growth or suppress inflammation.