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How to Read a Graviola Label: Extract Ratios and Equivalent mg
In this article
- What should a graviola label tell you?
- What does "equivalent" milligrams mean?
- Why does "standardised" rarely appear?
- Fruit or leaf? Why the plant part matters
- Which warnings should you expect, and usually not see?
- What can a label not tell you?
- Who should be careful?
- What we don't know
- Frequently asked questions
A graviola label tells you less than it seems to. "13,500 mg equivalent" on a 450 mg capsule means the maker says 450 mg of extract was made from 13,500 mg of raw plant, a 30:1 ratio; it is not 13,500 mg of anything in the capsule, and it is not a measure of any active compound. The figures that matter are the botanical name (Annona muricata), the plant part (fruit or leaf), the actual milligrams of extract or powder per daily portion, the extract ratio if there is one, and the warnings. In a review of 16 UK soursop supplement labels on 14 October 2026, 9 named the plant by its botanical name, 4 disclosed an extract ratio, none stated an annonacin or acetogenin amount, and one carried a neurological warning.1 Graviola is the supplement-trade name for soursop; the plant is the same, and this page is one spoke of the Wellgard soursop guide.
Evidence at a glance
- Law: GB supplement labels must state the daily portion, the amount per portion in numbers, and four standard warnings; nothing requires the plant part, an extract ratio or an acetogenin figure.1
- Labels: 16 UK soursop supplements reviewed, 14 October 2026; counts above, no product named.1
- Safety: no agency has set a safe intake for any soursop preparation.6
Sources checked on 17 October 2026.
What should a graviola label tell you?
| What to look for | Why it matters | Required in Great Britain? |
|---|---|---|
| Botanical name: Annona muricata | "Graviola", "soursop" and "guanabana" are the same plant; other Annona species are not, and the research does not transfer between them | An ingredients list is required; the Latin name is not, though most reputable labels give it1, 2 |
| Plant part: leaf, fruit, or a mix | The leaf is the basis of most capsules and the part with no human benefit trial; the fruit is a food. Without the part, the product cannot be matched to any study | No; 2 of 16 labels contradicted themselves on it1 |
| Actual milligrams per daily portion | The only quantity that describes what is in the capsule | Yes: the amount of each characterising substance per daily portion, in numbers1 |
| Extract ratio, such as 30:1 or 5:1 | Converts an "equivalent" claim back into real extract; says nothing about potency | No; 4 of 16 labels gave one1 |
| Warnings | Pregnancy, medicines, neurological conditions are the ones the evidence points to | Four generic warnings are required; a neurological warning is not, and 1 of 16 carried one1 |
The law behind the third and fifth rows is the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003, regulation 6: a product sold as a food supplement must be labelled with the name of the category of nutrient or substance that characterises it, the portion recommended for daily consumption, a warning not to exceed that dose, a statement that supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied diet, a statement to store out of reach of young children, and the amount of each characterising substance, in numerical form, per daily portion.1 Food information must also not be misleading as to the nature, composition or quantity of the food.2
What does "equivalent" milligrams mean?
It is a multiplication, not a measurement. A 450 mg capsule of a 30:1 extract is labelled "13,500 mg equivalent" because 450 multiplied by 30 is 13,500: the maker is saying that 13,500 mg of dried plant went into making 450 mg of extract. A 500 mg capsule of a 5:1 extract becomes "2,500 mg equivalent" by the same arithmetic. Neither figure tells you how much of any compound the capsule contains, because extraction does not scale evenly: the solvent, temperature and time decide which compounds come across and which stay in the leaf. A high "equivalent" figure is therefore not a stronger product, only a more concentrated one by weight, and the regulations require the real figure, the milligrams of extract per daily portion, to be on the label beside it.1
Why does "standardised" rarely appear?
Because nobody publishes the number it would need. A standardised botanical extract states the amount of a marker compound per dose; for soursop the obvious markers are the acetogenins, and no UK product we reviewed states an acetogenin or annonacin figure.1 The research shows why that number matters and why it varies: seven soursop fruits analysed in 2017 ranged from 14 to 226 micromoles of acetogenins per 100 g of pulp, a sixteen-fold spread, and in a 2015 study, extracts of commercially sold Annonaceae supplements killed human neurons in culture at 1 to 10 micrograms per millilitre, with three products strongly reducing cell viability at 1 microgram per millilitre.3, 5 Absence of a number on the label is not absence of the compound in the capsule. It is absence of information.
Fruit or leaf? Why the plant part matters
The fruit pulp is a food with a long history of eating; the leaves are the basis of most teas, capsules and "graviola" extracts, and no human trial has shown a benefit from them. Both contain acetogenins: one analysis found about 15 mg of annonacin in an average fruit and 140 micrograms in a cup of leaf infusion.4 A label that says "soursop 500 mg" without the part could be fruit powder, leaf powder or a leaf extract, three different things by composition and by evidence. The full comparison is on soursop fruit vs soursop leaves.
Which warnings should you expect, and usually not see?
Four warnings are required on every supplement and tell you nothing specific: do not exceed the stated dose, not a substitute for a varied diet, keep out of reach of young children, and the category of substance.1 The warnings the evidence points to are different. Observational studies in the French Caribbean associate soursop fruit and leaf tea with an atypical parkinsonism, and in a 2022 analysis of 180 patients any herbal-tea consumption was associated with more severe disease; the French food safety agency in 2010 and an EFSA-hosted review in 2020 declined to set a safe intake.6, 7 Of the 16 labels reviewed, 7 carried any specific warning and 1 mentioned the nervous system.1 The NHS advice on herbal products covers the rest: not in pregnancy or breastfeeding, not with kidney or liver problems, and a pharmacist's check first if you take medicines for blood pressure or diabetes.8 The medicines, by UK generic name, are on soursop side effects and who should avoid it.
What can a label not tell you?
Three things. Whether the product is safe to take for years: no long-term human study of any soursop supplement exists.6 Whether it is lawfully on sale: a novel food is one not eaten to a significant degree in the UK or EU before 15 May 1997 and needs authorisation before sale; the EU Novel Food Catalogue classes soursop leaves, seeds, peel and roots as novel foods needing pre-market authorisation, the GB register of novel food authorisations held no soursop entry on 17 October 2026, and the FSA treats the catalogue as indicative in Great Britain, so being on sale online settles nothing; the position is set out on is soursop legal in the UK?.9 And whether it carries a traditional herbal registration: the NHS says to look for the THR mark on herbal medicines, and soursop products are sold as food supplements, not registered herbal medicines.8
Who should be careful?
Anyone with Parkinson's disease or another neurological condition, anyone pregnant or breastfeeding, anyone taking medicines for blood pressure or diabetes, and anyone having cancer treatment should talk to their GP, pharmacist or specialist team before taking soursop leaf, tea, capsules, extracts or bitters.6, 8
What we don't know
- The acetogenin content of any UK capsule, tea bag or bitters: none is disclosed and none has been published.1
- Whether the EU catalogue's leaf classification binds in Great Britain or only informs; no GB authorisation or Article 4 ruling exists.9
- Any safe or effective daily amount: no agency and no trial has set one.6
Frequently asked questions
How much graviola should I take daily?
No safe or effective amount has been established for any soursop product; the directions on a label are the maker's, not a studied dose.6
Is a higher mg equivalent stronger?
No. It means more raw plant went into making the extract, by the maker's ratio. It does not measure any compound in the capsule.1
How do I use soursop capsules?
This page can only tell you what the label should say, and that no agency has set an intake. Whether to take them at all is the question for your pharmacist, with the label in hand.6, 8
Which soursop supplement is best?
We do not name products. The method is above: botanical name, plant part, actual milligrams per portion, extract ratio, specific warnings. A label that gives all five is doing more than most.1
What is a 30:1 extract?
One where 30 parts of dried plant were used to make 1 part of extract by weight. It describes the process, not the strength.1
Sources
- The Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003, regulation 6 (labelling). legislation.gov.uk, read 17 October 2026. Wellgard review of 16 UK soursop supplement labels against these requirements, 14 October 2026; counts only, no product named.
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 as assimilated, Article 7 (fair information practices). legislation.gov.uk, read 17 October 2026.
- Höllerhage M, et al. Neurotoxicity of dietary supplements from Annonaceae species. Cell culture of supplement, pulp and seed extracts; two authors at the US FDA. International Journal of Toxicology, 2015. PubMed 26405269.
- Champy P, et al. Quantification of acetogenins in Annona muricata. Chemical analysis of fruit, nectar and leaf preparations. Movement Disorders, 2005. PubMed 16078200.
- Bonneau N, et al. qNMR quantification of acetogenins in Annona muricata fruit pulp. Chemical analysis, seven fruits. Phytochemical Analysis, 2017. PubMed 28092423.
- Agency assessments. AFSSA (now ANSES). Avis relatif aux risques liés à la consommation de corossol et de ses préparations, saisine 2008-SA-0171, 28 April 2010 (French). anses.fr. Raclariu-Manolica AC, Bakhiya N, Hirsch-Ernst KI. Risk assessment regarding the use of Annona muricata in food supplements. EU-FORA technical report, 2020; EFSA fellowship funding. EFSA Journal, 2020. doi.org.
- Cleret de Langavant L, et al. Annonaceae consumption and severity in degenerative parkinsonism. Observational, 180 patients; non-commercial funding. Movement Disorders, 2022. PubMed 36210778.
- NHS. Herbal medicines and complementary therapies. Reviewed 1 May 2026. nhs.uk.
- Food Standards Agency. Novel foods authorisation guidance, published 30 May 2018. gov.uk; Register of novel food authorisations (Great Britain), queried 17 October 2026 for annona, soursop, graviola and guanabana: no results. data.food.gov.uk. EU Novel Food Status Catalogue, entry Annona muricata L., last updated 27 May 2024, read 17 October 2026, ec.europa.eu.
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