Psidium guajava
Guava fruit
- Scientific name: Psidium guajava L.
- Botanical family: Myrtaceae / Other names: Guava, Guava Maroon, Guava of Peru
- The guava is a shrub or small tree up to 7 m high, sparsely branched. It has aromatic leaves, opposite, entire, 4-8 cm long, with prominent veins on the underside, resembling ribs. White attractive flowers, grouping from 1 to 3; numerous stamens arranged on a width disk. The guava fruit is fleshy, variable in shape and size depending on the variety.
- Guava is native to tropical America. Cultivated and naturalized in the Old World tropics in rural and urban areas.
Content and active ingredients
- It is known the presence of gallic acid, ellagic acid, catechin, epicatechin, rutin and quercetin.
- Pentacyclic triterpene, guajanoico acid and B-sitosterol, uvaol, olenólico acid and ursolic acid.
- Guava leaves contain an essential oil rich in caryophyllene, nerolidiol, beta bisabolene, aromandreno, p-selinene. Also contain flavonoids, beta sitosterol, titerpenoides, leucocyanidins and about 10% of tannins.
Guava benefits – Medicinal properties
- The high presence of tannins give to Guava antidiarrheal properties, also have demonstrated pharmacological activity as antibacterial, antioxidant, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, anti-anemic, hemostatic and sedative.
- It is indicated in cases of dyspepsia, edema, swelling, dizziness, diarrhea, nausea, nervousness, HIV, skin conditions.
- Guava is a fruit prized for their nutritional value and high in various vitamins.
- It antiscorbutic because they are high in vitamin C. In naturally has many nutritional and preventative properties in diseases like anemia.
Formulations
- The guava can be used in the form of tincture 20% following the general procedures of obtaining this preparation.
- To prepare it as talc, crush 50 g of dried leaves and mix it with 100 g of talc common.
- Guava leaves can be used as astringent baths for treating wounds, sores and skin ulcers. It must be taken 20 leaves specially selected and carefully washed. It boils in 2 liters of water for 8 minutes, then cool it at ambience temperature and applies it as a fomentation on the damage skin for 30 minutes. In foot wounds, foot must be soaked in a vessel containing this water cool and freshly prepared. In other parts of the body is applied with a wet dressing with the preparation. It is very useful in cases of diabetic foot and ulcers.
- In Mexico guava´s bud infusion is used to fight diarrhea.
- The juice of the guava fruit boiled and strained is mixed with one part of pulp and two parts of sugar becoming a syrup recommended for diarrhea.
- To improve the dropsy, is prepare an infusion with a piece of guava root in water and should be drunk two glasses of this brew daily.
Usage warnings. Contraindications of guava
- Rarely causes disorders of the gastrointestinal tract mucosa.
- For its potassium content should be used under medical observation in case of patients with cardiac treatment.
- It should not be used in children, pregnancy and lactation.
Preparation and Dosage
- For internal use prepare an infusion as follows: boil for 3 minutes 10-20 g of fresh guava leaves in one liter of water. Drink 120 mL, 6 times a day. The infusion should be prepared daily.
- Tincture: 200g of dried leaves in 1000 ml of alcohol, prepared it by percolation for internal use. Take 20 drops in half a glass of water 3 times a day.
- Dried leaves powdered are used for dermatological conditions such as antibacterial and antifungal, (athlete’s foot, eczema). Do not use for more than 30 days.
Article Source: medicinalplants-pharmacognosy