Custard apple (Ata or nona)

The fruit of the common custard apple or bullock's heart of the West Indies is dark brown in colour and marked with depressions giving it a quilted appearance; its pulp is reddish yellow, sweetish and very soft; the kernels of the seeds are said to be poisonous. The sour-sop is produced in West Indies. The sweet-sop is grown in Tropical America. Alligator­apple or cork-wood is grown in South America and West Indies which is favoured for its wood. This wood is used as cork. The fruit alligator-apple is not eaten fresh but is sometimes used for making jellies.

Benefit and uses of Custard apple.

• This is one fruit that can be exceptionally useful for conditions like low blood pressure with its natural sugars and exceptional taste.
• Custard apples provide sugars that give sustained energy and do not over react the body's insulin output like processed sugars.
• Custard apples are a well-balanced food having protein, fibre, minerals, vitamins, energy and little fat.
• The Custard bark is very astringent and the decoction is taken as a tonic and also as a remedy for diarrhea and dysentery.
• The alkaloid-rich leaves as a general bracing tonic and also to treat a bunch of illnesses that include the common cold, fever, indigestion and various menstrual disorders.