Annona squamosa L.

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 6-7

Annona squamosa L.

Names.

Myanmar: awzar, awsa (Kachin), azat (Chin), sot-maroat (Mon), mai-awza (Shan). English: custard apple, sugar apple, sweetsop.

Range.

New World tropics. In Myanmar, originally a cultivar primarily of the central region; now found growing wild all over the country.

Uses.

Whole plant: Flowers, bark, leaves, fruit, seed, and root support vascular, respiratory, digestive, and excretory functioning, as well as alleviating fever symptoms and fever-related disorders. Bark: Tonic from the bark ingested for strength. Leaf: Crushed and consumed to expel intestinal worms, particularly threadworms; applied externally as a poultice for stiff, sore muscles; and the vapors from crushed leaves inhaled to ease dizziness and sinusitis. Flower and Fruit: Soups made from the flowers and the young fruit, combined with other ingredients, such as goat testes, pork, and/or beef, used to restore sexual functioning, strength, alertness, and wellbeing. Fruit: With binding properties, the green fruits are used to alleviate diarrhea, dysentery, and loose bowels. Seed: Pulverized into a powder and applied to sores as an antiseptic. Inhalation of the smoke from crushed and burned seeds provides an epilepsy treatment. Root: Consumption of root paste clears urinary infection and improves urinary functioning.

Notes.

Medicinal uses of this species in India are discussed in Jain and DeFilipps (1991). Pharmacognostic characters and Thai ethnomedical use of this species are discussed in Somanabandhu et al. (1986). Chemical constituents, pharmacological action, and medicinal use of this species in Indian Ayurveda are discussed in detail by Kapoor (1990). Indigenous medicinal uses of this species in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India) are described by Dagar and Singh (1999). The chemistry, pharmacology, history, and medicinal uses of this species in Latin America are discussed in detail by Gupta (1995). The seeds have post-coital anti-fertility activity; the most abundant free amino acids in the fruit pulp are L(+)citrulline, L(+)arginine, L(+)ornithine and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid); and, the predominant constituent of the essential oil from the bark is aromadendrene ( Mors et al. 2000).

Data on the propagation, seed treatment, and agricultural management of this species are given by Katende et al. (1995).

Reference.

Agricultural Corporation (1980).