Annona squamosa

HABIT: A. squamosa, a small deciduous tree about 3-5 m tall, produces its first branches near the base of the trunk. The branches are irregularly spreading and the young growth is densely pubescent. The leaves are alternate, ovate-oblong or elliptic-oblong, thin, sparsely downy, dark green above, 8-15 cm long and 2-5 cm wide. When young, leaves are pubescent and give a peculiar smell when crushed. The petiole is about 1.0-1.5 cm long. The small, pendulous flowers occur singly or in pairs in the leaf axils of young shoots or opposite the leaves. (Carangal et al 1961, Leon 1917, and Coronel 1983)

CONSERVATION STATUS: Evaluated as 'Least Concern' by IUCN.

MEDICINAL USES: Leaves of Annona squamosa have a number of chemical compounds belonging to diverse groups, including phenolics, annonaceous acetogenins, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, alkaloids, steroids, and terpenoids. , Annona squamosa is reported to have enormous pharmacological properties, including antimicrobial activity, owing to the presence of different secondary metabolites, such as glycosides, phytosterols, alkaloids, oils, saponins, phenols, and flavonoids. In several research studies, the leaf extracts of Annona squamosa were identified to have remarkable antibacterial activity and antifungal activities. Significant antimicrobial activities were exhibited by an active acetogenin compound known as annotemoyin isolated from chloroform leaf extract and by certain flavonoid compounds purified from aqueous leaf extract of the plant. Annona squamosa Leaf Extracts (ASLs) exhibit very high antioxidant activity. The presence of flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, alkaloids, and phenolic compounds was reported by Rajeshkumar et al. in ASLs. Paracetamol is the most common medicine used in the treatment of various diseases, but it has many negative impacts on various body parts. Consumption of paracetamol causes hyperlipidaemia, which is a common sign of liver damage. Rajeshkumar et al.

(Kumar, M., Changan, S., Tomar, M., Prajapati, U., Saurabh, V., Hasan, M., ... & Mekhemar, M. (2021). Custard apple (Annona squamosa L.) leaves Nutritional composition, phytochemical profile, and health-promoting biological activities. Biomolecules, 11(5), 614.)

ETHNOBOTANICAL USES: Species from the Annona (Anonaceae) genus are used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases. Ethnobotanical studies provide information regarding the plant part and the preparation method being used, while scientific studies such as in vitro, in vivo, and clinical tests can provide evidence supporting ethnopharmacological reports, directing studies towards the isolation of compounds which may be active for specific pathologies. Annona muricata and Annona squamosa were the most commonly reported species from those studied, with Annona cherimola and Annona classiflora also standing out. Acetogenins were the most commonly isolated metabolite class due to their cytotoxic properties, with flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids, and peptides also reported.

(Leite, D. O., de FA Nonato, C., Camilo, C. J., de Carvalho, N. K., da Nobrega, M. G., Pereira, R. C., & da Costa, J. G. (2020). Annona genus: traditional uses, phytochemistry and biological activities. Current Pharmaceutical Design, 26(33), 4056-4091.)