Atis

Scientific name: Anona squamosa L.
English name: Sugar apple/ Sweet sop.

-its is a small tree but used as a medicinal herd, the leaves and seeds are usual used in treatment of diarrhea, dysentery and fainting.
Atis us we called here in the philippine than Sweet Sop and Sugar Apple. And atis is native to central America the Carribbean and northern South America. Atis was introduced here at the philippines during the time of Spanish.
Atis is just a small tree it grows between 10 to 20 feet high when it is fully matured, with oblong leaves and green hear-shaped with polygonal tubercles. The atis fruit has white sweet flesh and black seed.
Atis tree is easy to grow,just plant a seed on almost any soil and atis will grow .However, it require a tropical or near tropical weather. Atis will bear fruit about 3 times a year, and the sweetest fruits are those borne during summer time.

Toxic Properties of the Atis Fruit
All parts of the atis tree have medicinal value. The seeds however are poisonous. The seeds are pounded and made into paste. This can be applied to the scalp of the head to kill hair lice. Care should be taken when applying atis seed paste on the scalp as this is extremely irritating to the eyes and can even cause blindness. The paste when applied into the uterus can cause abortion.

Atis Use as Herbal Medicine

• A decoction (boiling in water) of the leaves induces or hastens menstrual flow and used to treat dysentery, colds and fever.
The decoction is also used for bathing to alleviate rheumatic pain.
• Crushed leaves are inhaled for dizziness and fainting.
• The bark of the atis tree is used as a decoction for diarrhoea.
• The root is a strong purgative and used to treat dysentery.
• Infected insect bites can be cured by applying the juice from an unripe atis fruit.