Botanical Name : Annona squamosa Linn.
Family : Annonaceae
Identification No.: SDACH/HG/119
Introduction :
Latin name: annona = word from native name; squamosa = scaly.
Names in different Indian languages :
English : Custard Apple, Sugar Apple, Sweet-sop.
Hindi : Sitaphal
Kannada : Sitaphala
Malayalam : Sitaphalam, attachaka
Sanskrit : Sitaphalam
Tamil : Sitaaphalam, Atta
Telugu : Sitappalam
Unani : Sharifaa
Synonyms :
सीताफलम् मधुरं स्निग्धं गुरु वातकफापहम्।बल्यं वृष्यं रसायनं हृद्यं तृप्तिकरं स्मृतम्॥
Gandagaatra, Sitaa phala
Varieties & adulterants – (CV – controversy, AD – adulterants) :
Curcurbita maxima – cv
Annona glabra
Morphology :
This tree grows 3 to 8 mts. high and is well known to all Indians. (Its origin is in South America).
Leaves – 6-9 cms. simple, opposite, lanceolate.
Flowers – 3 cms. long and always with three petals.
Fruit – fleshy and contains multiple oblong seeds. Surface of the fruit shows round blebs.
Annona reticulata (Ramphala) belongs to the same family but is smooth externally.
Distribution & Habitat :
A native to South America and theWest Indies; now cultivated throughout India
Chemical constituents :
Quinoline, Squamone , bullatacinone
Properties :
Rasa: Madhura:
Guna: laghu. snigdha;
Virya :sheeta:
Vipaka: madhur;
Dosha: vatapittashamak and kaphakarak.
Karma :
Tarpanam, raktakrit, hridyam
Abortifacient, purgative, invigorating, sedative to heart, antibilious, antiemetic, expectorant.
Indication :
Daham
fever, skin disease, cough, piles, leucorrhoea,vomiting, dysentery,gout, burning sensation, dyspepsia, cephalgia, worm infection
Part used :
Bark, leaf, fruit
Dosage :
Leaf juice 10-15 ml
Powder 2-4 g
Decoction 50-100 ml
Uses :
Leaves and seeds are antihelmintic and anti-inflammations. Paste of leaves is used to eradicate lice from the scalp. Fruit is useful in bleeding disorders. dysuria. pyrexia. burning sensation, sexual debility and thirst. Ripe fruit is laxative.
IUCN Status : Least Concern
Research updates:
1. 2021 – Annona squamosa extract shown to have anti-diabetic potential in in-vivo models.
2. 2020 – Antioxidant activity of custard apple peel studied and validated.
3. 2019 – Acetogenins isolated from seeds studied for cytotoxic effects on cancer cell lines.
