How to Make Soursop Leaf Tea and How Often to Drink It

Most soursop tea recipes end the same way. "Drink two to three cups a day." None of them say where that number came from, because it did not come from a study. No human trial has ever set a dose for this tea.

So this guide does two things. It shows you how to brew a good cup from dried leaves, tea bags or fresh leaves. Then it answers the how-often question with the research that does exist.

What you are brewing

Soursop (Annona muricata) is the tree behind the big, spiky green fruit that Peruvians call guanábana and Brazilians call graviola. The tea is made from the leaves, not the fruit. It tastes mild and earthy with a faint sweetness, nothing like the tangy pulp.

In Peru the tree grows in warm jungle valleys such as Chanchamayo. Juice stalls in Lima markets blend the fruit with milk, and herb sellers a few stalls down sell the dried leaves in bundles for tea.

What you need

• Dried soursop leaves, whole or cut, or soursop leaf tea bags
• Fresh water
• A small pot with a lid, or a mug and saucer
• A strainer

Method 1: dried whole leaves (simmered)

Whole leaves are thick and leathery. A quick steep barely colors the water, so a short simmer works better.

1. Rinse 2 to 3 dried leaves and tear them into pieces.
2. Add them to 1.5 cups (350 ml) of cold water in a small pot.
3. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low.
4. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Take it off the heat and let it rest, covered, for 5 minutes.
6. Strain into a mug. You will have about one cup.

The tea should be pale gold to light amber. If it is dark brown and bitter, you used too many leaves or boiled it too long.

Method 2: tea bags or cut leaf (steeped)

Cut leaf has more surface, so it gives up its flavor without a simmer.

1. Put 1 tea bag, or 1 heaping teaspoon of cut leaf, in a mug.
2. Pour 8 ounces (240 ml) of water just off the boil over it.
3. Cover the mug with a saucer and steep 5 to 8 minutes.
4. Remove the bag or strain.

Method 3: fresh leaves

If you have a tree nearby, pick 3 to 5 mature, dark green leaves. Wash them well, tear them, and simmer in 2 cups of water for 10 to 15 minutes. Fresh leaves hold more water than dried ones, which is why you need more of them.

Ways to flavor it

Soursop leaf tea is gentle, so it takes additions well. A squeeze of lime brightens it. A cinnamon stick in the pot makes it feel like a winter drink. Honey is fine. It is also good iced: brew it double strength, cool it, and pour over ice with a slice of lime.

Brewed tea keeps for a day in the fridge. After that, make a fresh batch.

How often should you drink it?

Here is the part most recipes skip. Soursop leaves and fruit contain annonacin, a compound that harms nerve cells in lab and animal studies. That finding has a real-world backstory.

On the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, doctors noticed an unusual number of patients with atypical forms of parkinsonism. A 1999 study in The Lancet looked at 87 of them. Nearly all of the patients with the atypical forms reported eating soursop-family fruit regularly, and most drank herbal tea from the leaves as a daily habit.

That is a link, not proof. It does not show the tea caused the illness. But it is enough to take seriously.

A 2005 follow-up in Movement Disorders measured the compound. A cup of leaf tea held about 140 micrograms of annonacin. An average fruit held about 15 milligrams, roughly a hundred times more. So the tea is the low-exposure way to take soursop. The pattern tied to trouble was heavy use, every day, for years.

Since nobody has tested a safe schedule, a cautious one makes sense:

• One cup a day is plenty. Brew it light, not dark.
• Take breaks. A few weeks on, then a week or two off, is a common approach.
• Do not make it a years-long daily habit. Rotate with other herbal teas.

This is a careful convention, not a tested dose. If you have been drinking three strong cups a day because a recipe said so, cutting back costs you nothing.

Who should skip soursop leaf tea

• Anyone with Parkinson's disease or another movement disorder
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women
• Children
• People on blood pressure or diabetes medicine, unless a doctor agrees. Animal studies suggest the leaf may lower both.

One more thing. Soursop is heavily marketed online for cancer. No human trial supports that, and we lay out the evidence in our honest look at soursop and cancer research. Please do not use this tea in place of medical care.

Leaves, bags or capsules?

Tea bags are the easiest to measure: one bag, one cup. Our graviola (soursop) tea bags hold hand-selected Peruvian leaves, 25 to a box. If you like the ritual of the pot, soursop loose leaf works with Method 1 or 2.

Not sure which form suits you? We compare them in graviola tea vs. capsules. You can also browse all of our herbal teas to find something to rotate with.

Common questions

How many soursop leaves do I need for one cup?

Two to three dried whole leaves, or three to five fresh ones, or one tea bag.

Can I drink soursop leaf tea every day?

For a few weeks, one light cup a day is a cautious amount. Daily use for years is the pattern linked to nerve problems in Guadeloupe, so build in breaks.

When is the best time to drink it?

It has no caffeine, so any time works. In the Caribbean it is a traditional evening drink, though no human trial has tested it for sleep.

Can I reuse the leaves?

A second brew will be weak. It is better to start fresh.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article is for education and does not replace advice from a qualified health professional.