Amazing Custard Apple Health Benefits and Custard Apple Nutritional Facts

Custard Apple health benefits : A sweet tasting fruit that comes with black-coloured seeds covered with white layers, Custard Apple or Seethaphal or sharifa is widely available in India during winters. The white layers surrounding the seeds which are consumed have several health benefits containing Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese among other oxidants. Let us take a look at some of the key Custard Apple health benefits and Custard Apple nutritional facts in this post.

Custard Apple Scientific Name

Custard Apple scientific name is Annona reticulata belonging to the plant family Annonaceae. Annonaceae is also known as “soursop” family. The fruit is also known as bull’s heart, wild-sweetsop, ox-heart and bullock’s-heart.

Custard Apple Cultivation

The Custard Apple tree is a sub-tropical deciduous tree that grows to a height of ten to twenty metres. Custard Apple cultivation is done in many tropical countries and in several parts of the world like Southeast Asia, Taiwan, India, Australia, and Africa.

The plant is widely cultivated in India. The custard apple trees are native to South America and West Indies.

The fruits are oblong or irregular in shape and are yellowish in colour (ripened fruits) with a pleasant and sweet flavour.

Custard Apple Synonyms

• Bullock’s heart
• Bull’s heart
• Sugar Apple
• Cherimoya – Annona cherimola
• Sugar Apple – Annona squamosa
• Sweetsop – Annona squamosa
• Custard Apple Hindi name is Sharifa
• Custard Apple Sanskrit name is Sitaphal
• Custard Apple Bengali name is Ata
• Custard Apple name in Telugu is Seetaphalamu
• Custard Apple Malayalam name is Seethappazham

Useful Parts of Custard Apple Tree

Leaves, bark, root, fruits and seeds are the useful parts of the custard apple plant. Custard Apple can be used as fruit, decoction or root powder.

Dose of Fruit – 24 to 48 g

Dose of Root Powder – 0.2 to 0.5 g

Custard Apple Phytochemicals

Phytochemicals such as alkaloids, sugars, ascorbic acid, oil and acrid principles are present in the custard apple.

Custard Apple Medicinal Properties

There are many custard apple medicinal properties. The fruit possess useful properties like:

• Custard Apple is Anti-cancerous – Helps in treating Cancer
• Custard Apple Contains Astringent – Coagulates the protein and contracts the tissues
• Custard Apple Contains Anthelmintic – Used for expelling worms like helminths
• Custard Apple is Diuretic – To remove excess water from the body by urination
• Custard Apple is a Purgative – Used for relief from Constipation
• Custard Apple Tonic – Useful for staying healthy

Custard Apple Health Benefits

There are many Custard Apple health benefits like:

• It maintains optimum health.
• Vitamin A present in this fruit is good for the health of skin, hair and eyes.
• As the custard apple is rich in dietary fibre, it aids in digestion process by regulating the bowel movements.
• It acts as a coolant, expectorant and stimulant.
• It helps in healing process when flesh is applied to boils, abscesses and ulcers.
• Custard Apple protects the heart from cardiac diseases as it has high amount of magnesium.
• Custard apple has the property of relaxing the muscles. It also helps in fighting with muscle weakness as it also contains potassium.
• Custard apples are used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery.
• Custard apples are beneficial to anaemic people.
• Custard apple maintains the water balance in the body and removes acids from the joints.
• It is useful for patients suffering from arthritis and rheumatism.

Custard Apple Nutritional Facts

Custard Apples nutritional values are high as the fruit contains adequate quantities of iron, calcium, niacin to provides high calories. According to Custard Apple nutritional facts, the humble fruit also contains many other vitamins like ascorbic acid and vitamin B etc.

Eating Custard Apple is good for the people with hyperthyroidism and who want to gain weight. The fruit contains copper which helps in the formation of haemoglobin.

Custard Apple Anti Cancerous Properties

Custard Apple has anti-cancerous properties against Human Epidermal Carcinoma of the Nasopharynx in tissue culture.

When a bruised ripe fruit is mixed with salt and when it is applied to malignant tumours, it hastens the formation of pus, which is known as suppuration and thus helps in healing the tumour.

Custard Apple Medicinal Uses

• When these fruits are dried and powdered, they can be used for treating lice.
• When leaves are ground to paste without adding water and are applied to ulcers, they get healed quickly.
• When the seeds powder is made into paste and applied on uterus, it causes abortion.
• When the fresh leaves are crushed and applied on nostrils, they cut short the fits of fainting and hysteria.
• When flesh is applied on burns, they will be healed.
• Thick paste of flesh can be applied for treating skin infections.

Now that you have come to know the many Custard Apple health benefits and Custard Apple nutritional facts, make sure that you don’t miss out eating this seasonal fruit to keep your body healthy. Also check out Graviola health benefits, particularly on how this fruit can be a boon for cancer patients.