Atis - Halamang Gamot / Herbal Medicine

Scientific name: Anona squamosa L.

English: Sugar apple, Sweet sop

Tagalog: Atis

 Small tree. 3 to 5 meters high. Leaves are hairy when young, oblong, 8 to 15 cm long, with a petiole 1 to 1.5 cm long. Flowers occur singly in the axils of the leaves, about 2.5 cm long, pendulous, three-angled, light green to yellow. Fruit is large, slightly heart-shaped, 6 to 9 cm long, the outside with polygonal tubercles. When ripe, the fruit is light yellowish-green, with a white, sweet soft and juicy flesh.

Parts used and preparation
Leaves, fruit and seeds.

Chemical constituents and properties
The leaves yield an alkaloid, chloroplatinate.
Seed yields an alkaloid, neurtral resin, fixed oil.
Seed contains a yellow, non-drying oil and an irritant which kills lice.
The leaves, fruit and seeds are vermicidal and insecticidal.
The unripe fruit is astringent, used for diarrhea and dysentery and dyspepsia.
The bark is astringent and tonic.
Roots make a drastic purgative.

Uses:
Salted bruised leaves used to hasten suppuration. Fainting

Crush fresh leaves and place over nose.
Infected Insect bites

Pound and extract the juice from one unripe fruit and apply the juice directly on the infected bites, 3 times daily.

Lice infestation of the head:

Atis in the herbal treatment regimen:
(1) Shampoo hair with gugo bark or any commercial shampoo daily for one week; with “suyod” combing twice daily.
(2) For lice eggs (nits), apply hot vinegar for half an hour after shampooing; then “suyod” (fine combing) thoroughly.
(3) Bedtime, pound 1/2 cup of atis seeds and mix with 1/4 cup of oil. Apply mixture throroughly to the scalp and hair. Wrap the hair and head overnight. Shampoo in the morning and follow with fine tooth combing. Do daily for 3-5 days.
(4) Paste of the crushed seeds in water, applied to the scalp. The same used as abortifacient applied to the os uteri.

Nutrition
Eaten raw or makes a delicious ice cream.
The fermented fruit used to make cider.