HEALTH BENEFIT OF GUAVA LEAVES

Have you ever wondered what guava leave can do in terms of medical care aside you eating it? If no then you will be amazed to know this.

Guava as popularly called is a tropical fruit native to Central America, Northern South America and Mexico and is a plant in the myrtle family that is Myrtaceae genus Psidium which means "pomegranate" inlatin. It contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. When fully mature, its tree can attain a maximum height of 25 feet. But currently guavas are now cultivated and naturalized throughout the tropics and subtropics in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, subtropical regions of North America, and Australia.

The term "guava" was derived from Arawak guayabowhich is the "guava tree". Another term for guava is pera, derived from pear. It is common around the western Indian Ocean and probably from Spanish or Portuguese. In some Middle-Eastern regions, guava is also called amrood, possibly a variant of armoot meaning "pear" in Arabic and Turkish languages.

Some studies have shown that Guava is better than oranges as it contains more Vitamin C and is much cheaper.

Health treatment:

Guava is eaten raw or in forms of jams and jellies. Guava particularly its leaves – have been the subject for diverse research on their constituents, pharmacological properties and history in folk medicine since 1950. The health benefits of guava include treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery, constipation, cough, cold, skincare and skin itching, high blood pressure, weight loss and scurvy etc.

Guava is very rich in astringents which bind up loose bowels in diarrhoea. These astringents are alkaline in nature and have disinfectant and anti-bacterial properties, thus helping in cure of dysentery. Further, other nutrients in guava, such as vitamin C, carotenoids and potassium strengthens and tones up the digestive system and disinfect it. It is also beneficial in gastroenteritis.

 Guava is one of the richest sources of dietary fibre. Its seeds, if ingested whole or chewed, serve as excellent laxatives. Juice of raw and immature guavas or decoction of guava-leaves are very helpful in giving relief in cough and cold by loosening cough, reducing mucus, disinfecting the respiratory tract, throat and lungs and inhibiting microbial activity due to its astringent properties. Rich in vitamin C and iron also prevent viral infections.

Most research; however, have been conducted on apple guava (P. guajava). From preliminary medical research in laboratory models, extracts from apple guava leaves or bark are implicated in therapeutic mechanisms against cancer, bacterial infections, inflammation and pain. Essential oils from guava leaves display anti-cancer activity in vitro

Skin Problem:

Guava also improves skin texture and avoids skin problems more than the best of beauty creams or skin toner gels can do. This is chiefly due to the abundance of astringents in its fruits and leaves. One can benefit from it either by eating the fruits or by washing skin with the decoction of its immature fruits and leaves. It will tone up and tighten the loosened skin.

 Because guava is rich in vitamins A, B, C and potassium which are good anti-oxidants and detoxifiers, its keeps skin glowing and free from aging, wrinkles and other disorders.

May people thus have skin itching which can lead to more serious skin problem when not treated immediately. In many cases, the use of anti allergy drugs is common but in some cases, the use of these drugs are no longer needed when you know the basic medical cure for skin itchiness. For treatment of skin itchiness, guava leaves are use to get rid of the itch instantly.

Aside its medical treatment, guava leaves after being mixed with mango tree leaves, are used in dying clothes and are also used in tannage.

By: Francisca Stokes