Soursop / Graviola

Caution!!!
There seems to be a correlation between Soursop fruit or leaf extract/tea consumption and Parkinson’s Disease.
This correlation started when people in the French West Indies started reported typical Parkinson’s symptoms. The Doctors researched this because it was a high number in a small region.
They came to the conclusion that the diseased individuals consumed a lot of Soursop fruit and tea made from the leaves.
Further studies were done in other parts of the world in animal models and it confirmed the possible correlation that Soursop leaves extract kills brain cells and on top of that it causes liver toxicity.
Click here for the rat study
Here is an another in rats but at a lower dose for 28 days that caused Parkinson’s
There are studies that show Soursop leaf extract compounds have neuroprotective effects. 
So who knows, maybe those people in the French West Indies were predisposed to Parkinson’s.
There are a lot of testimonials of people curing their cancer with Soursop but the question arises, at what cost.
There are many people in the Caribbean who regularly consume Soursop tea and the fruit because it grows in their backyard and they’re healthy.
The particular compound that is in question in regards to neurotoxicity is Acetogenin.
However as we said there’s studies that show it has neuroprotective properties like this study here
The tea is easy to make.
2 Liters of water
12 Soursop dried leaves
Wash the leaves first to clean of any dirt or debris
Bring water to a boil
Add the leaves
Bring boil to medium heat and cook for 10 minutes
Drink 1 cup in morning, 1 cup at night
We recommend buying dried leaves vs capsules or tinctures.
At least with leaves you know you’re making the real stuff.
There are many sellers on Amazon. Just go with lots of reviews and good reviews.
Here’s a good brand to buy on Amazon

Please read this part about more in detail about Acetogenins and toxicity:

Since Soursop also has this neurotoxic Acetogonins compound but at much lower levels then PawPaw that we believe Cancer patients should steer away from using PawPaw and consider using Soursop instead but even with that if one decides to use Soursop it should be for a short duration until their cancer clears. 
Ok, it’s true that Acetogonins kill cancer cells effectively. However Acetogenins are not highly selective for cancer cells as in it affects healthy cells at the same time, it does not distinguish cancer cells and healthy cells even though cancer cells have an altered metabolism.
See, cancer cells have an altered metabolism. Cancer cells are stressed out cells functioning below 100% whereas healthy cells are functioning at 100% and are stress-free. 
So when you inhibit a cells function with a drug or supplement, it’s going to affect cancer cells more because the cancer cells are already stressed out and functioning below 100% whereas healthy cells can take that hit of inhibition and still survive.
Acetogenins inhibit mitochondrial complex I and therefore suppress ATP
production which is all part of the Mitochondria(engine of a cell).

Think of it more like:

• Healthy cells: Functioning optimally, with reserve capacity. They can handle some stress without collapsing.
• Cancer cells: Already operating near their metabolic limits due to their altered metabolism and rapid growth. They have less reserve capacity, so inhibiting a key process like complex I pushes them over the edge more easily.

The altered metabolism of cancer cells creates a state of increased vulnerability, making them potentially more susceptible to the effects of complex I inhibition compared to healthy cells.
However like we said and we’ll say it again, Acetogenins are not highly selective for cancer cells. 
Here is an example, the drug Avastin is used in Cancer. It’s not a chemo drug. It’s a drug used to block VEGF which is an angiogenesis where cancer uses to spread to blood vessels so blocking this works for some patients.
Does blocking VEGF with the drug Avastin affect healthy cells. The answer is Yes.
Then why isn’t Avastin different then Acetogenins, why doesn’t Avastin cause toxicity? Here is the answer:
Acetogenins block Complex I which is a fundamental component of mitochondria(engine of cells) and essential for ATP(energy) production.
All cells still rely on Complex I to some extent.
Acetogenins are potent inhibitors of complex I, but they don’t discriminate between complex I in cancer cells and complex I in healthy cells. They indiscriminately block the enzyme wherever it’s found.
Avastin is more selective than acetogenins for several reasons:
Indirect Target: Avastin doesn’t directly target a fundamental metabolic process within cells. Instead, it targets a signaling pathway that is more important for cancer cells than for most healthy cells. While healthy tissues also require angiogenesis for wound healing and tissue repair, the rate of angiogenesis is generally much higher in tumors.

• Differential Dependence: Cancer cells are often more dependent on angiogenesis than healthy cells. They rely on the formation of new blood vessels to sustain their rapid growth. Healthy tissues are less dependent on angiogenesis under normal conditions.
• Therapeutic Window: The difference in dependence on angiogenesis between cancer cells and healthy cells is large enough to create a therapeutic window. Avastin can effectively inhibit tumor growth while causing manageable side effects in most patients.

Key Differences Summarized:

Although we mention PawPaw and is included in the treatments. We do not recommend the use of it.
Acetogenins inhibit mitochondrial complex I which is crucial for energy production.
This causes selective death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and striatal lesions — hallmark features of Parkinson’s disease.
Check out the 2 rat studies in the Soursop page.

Soursop has much less levels of Acetogenins.
Yes, the evidence shows that this compound is not selective of cancer cancers of healthy cells so it will affect all cells at the same time and it’s also known to kill healthy brain cells and can cause liver damage but at least with Soursop the level of this compound is way less than PawPaw.
In one of the rat study, the dose that was used was 3.8 mg/kg/day of annonacin orally for 28 days.
The human dose of this is 36.97 mg
1 Soursop leaf weights approximately 1.5 grams
There is roughly 2.5 mg Acetogenins per 1 gram of soursop leaf
To make tea for one day requires 12 leaves which equals 45 mg Acetogenins which should mean it WILL cause neurotoxicity.
The fruit itself contains approximately 150 mg of Acetogenins which is over the toxic threshold.
But then we have Soursop fruits sold in stores worldwide. 
It’s probably the dose that makes the toxicity.
Half life of Acetogenins is 5 hours. 
We guess, that if someone eats soursop fruits once a week should be fine but this is a guess.
It’s still a risk considering the rat studies and the people of West Indies who ended up with Parkinson’s.