Guava is a tropical fruit produced by the guava tree, it grows most in tropical climatic zones. Large quantities of the guava fruit are produced in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Mexico. The fruit is commonly eaten fresh or made into beverages, jams, and other foods. The fruit, leaves, and juice are also used as medicine. It is also grown in Africa but underutilized.
The fruit is round or pear-shaped with light green, yellow or maroon skin and white or maroon flesh that contains many small, hard edible seeds. It is soft when ripe with a sweet, musky aroma and creamy in texture.
Apart from the distinctive flavor and fragrance, guava is actually a super fruit because of its numerous health-promoting qualities. Along with the fruit, the bark and leaves of guava trees also provide numerous health benefits.
Guava has a high content of vitamins C and A. In fact, one guava fruit contains 4 times more vitamin C than an average-size orange and 10 times more vitamin A than a lemon.
Guava also contains vitamins B2, E and K, fiber, calcium, copper, folate, iron, manganese, phosphorus and potassium. With all the nutrition benefits that it provides, guava hardly contains any fats. Moreover, it is one of the least chemically treated and sprayed fruits, it has the ability to grow naturally without use of fertilizers.
Here are the top most health benefits and medical values of guava and guava leaves.
Maintains Oral Health
Guava leaves is known to keep oral or mouth health. It is believed that chewing guava leaf can protect mouth from developing dental plaque.The anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties in guava leaves also can protect from gum inflammation and get rid of bad breath.
Dental plaque is the principal factor in many oral health problems. The anti-plaque properties of guava leaves are effective in preventing and treating oral problems.
Herbalists recommend the use of tender leaves of guava (in paste form) to maintain oral hygiene. The leaves have anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antimicrobial properties that help reduce gum inflammation and leave your breath fresh and clean.
One can use guava leaves to cure toothaches, swollen gums and oral ulcers. You can also use the twigs of guava trees like a toothbrush or as a chewing stick for cleaning your teeth.
To maintain oral health, simply chew 1 or 2 tender guava leaves daily. You can also make a homemade mouthwash by boiling 5 to 6 tender guava leaves in water. Allow the solution to cool to a warm temperature and add some salt. Swish the mouthwash thoroughly around your mouth and teeth once or twice daily.
Improves Heart Health
According to a 1993 study published in the Journal of Human Hypertension, regular guava fruit intake can help decrease blood pressure and blood lipids. This is due to its higher potassium, vitamin C and soluble fiber content. Potassium helps maintain a steady heartbeat and control high blood pressure, while vitamin C keeps the small blood vessels healthy.
In addition, the lycopene found in pink-fleshed guava helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in people who eat this fruit on a regular basis.
Drinking guava leaf tea prepared by steeping the dried leaves in hot water helps lower total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol) levels and triglycerides. This helps keep your heart and vascular system healthy.
Treats Diarrhea
Guava leaf in medicinal purpose is mostly used to treat diarrhea. Diarrhea is a condition where the colon cant absorb water due to bacterial infection of Staphylococcus aureus. Study reported that guava leaf has strong anti-bacterial compound such as tannins and essential oil which very effective to fight against S. Aureus infection and inhibit those bacteria growth.
The way to use guava leaves to cure diarrhea is by taking 6 guava leaves, then wash it. Then, boil it through and squeeze the leaves. Next is you get the leaves extract. Then, just drink it straight once in two days until you feel much better. Guava leaf tea may help inhibit diarrhea-causing bacteria. According to a 2008 study published in the Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, guava leaf extract inhibits the growth of staphylococcus aureus bacteria, a common cause of diarrhea.
When suffering from diarrhea, drink guava leaf tea a few times a day. This tea will cause fewer stools, lessen abdominal pain, lessen watery stools and promote a quick recovery.
Guava fruit is also good for the digestive tract. Its antibacterial property helps clean the digestive tract, discouraging bacterial and microbial growth and its fiber content promotes digestion and proper excretion. To prevent stomach-related problems, chew guava leaves or eat a raw guava daily.
Controls Diabetes
Cathechin in guava leaf is not only can burn the fat but it also can control the blood glucose level or in other name it has hypoglycemic effect to the body. This may help to prevent the development of diabetes especially type 2 that also become a consequent along with developing obesity.
Chinese medicine has used guava for the treatment of diabetes for years. According to a 1983 study published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine, the hypoglycemic effect of guava juice is useful in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.
The rich fiber content and low glycemic index of guava are extremely beneficial for diabetic people. While fiber helps regulate sugar levels, the low glycemic index inhibits a sudden spike in sugar levels.
Eating 1 to 2 guavas without the peel can be helpful in maintaining your blood sugar level. Those who are at risk of developing diabetes can help prevent it by drinking guava leaf tea. To make the tea:
- Dry the tender guava leaves and crush them into a powder.
- Add 1 tablespoon of crushed guava leaves to a cup of hot water.
- Cover and allow it to steep for 5 minutes, then strain it.
- Drink this tea once daily.
- Improves Your Immunity
Due to its high vitamin C content, guava plays an important role in improving your immunity. Your immunity is your body’s defense mechanism that protects it from numerous diseases and infections. In addition, guava’s anti-inflammatory action and its ability to inhibit inflammatory molecules like prostaglandins help keep you disease free.
Eat 1 guava daily to develop resistance against common diseases like coughs, colds and the flu. You can also enjoy guava in smoothies or salads, or drink a cup of tea made from guava leaves daily.
A study reported that ethyl acetate compound in guava leaves extract can inhibit the chemokine expression in keratinocytes which lead to dermatitis ( skin inflammation ) and other skin disease.
Guava leaf contain quarcetin is known as anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory which can inhibit the development of allergy such as food allergy, asthma and skin reaction. Quercetin makes guava leaf tend to be one of best natural way to fight allergy.
Arthritis is a condition as a symptoms of autoimmune disorder and causing joint pain. The quercetin in guava leaves has significant effect to reduce the pain of arthritis. It is also reported that quercetin can help to lower the effect of infection and remove its pain.
Cancer Cure
Many studies have been conducted to found the components and benefits of guava leaf. One of best benefits that you may found in guava leaf is anti-cancer activity. It has been proved that guava leaf can reduce the risk of several types of cancer such as gastric, breast, oral and prostate cancer. This benefits performed by the antioxidant contains in guava leaf such as quercetin, lycopene and Vitamin C. Those components can induce the apoptosis or self-killing activity of cancer cells according to a study which published in 2011
Guava leaves contain methanol extract that composed by volatiloill, flavonoid and saponine which can be useful to treat stomach ulcer. This methanolic extract of guava composed by tannins and flavonoids also can promote healing effect of gastric wound
The anticancer or antitumor properties of guava come from the compounds like lycopene, quercetin, vitamin C and various polyphenols present in it. These compounds work as potent antioxidants that help neutralize free-radical damage in the body, which can cause cancer.
According to a 2010 study published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer, researchers concluded that guava extract could help reduce the size of prostate tumors. In fact, regular intake of guava extract can help reduce the incidence of prostate cancer in men.
Regular intake of guava can also help prevent other types of cancer, including breast, mouth, skin, stomach, colon and lung cancer.
Decreases Cholesterol level
It is surprising that guava leaf can reduce the level of cholesterol in blood which can cause many health problems. Studies reported that guava leaf contains active phytochemical compounds such as gallic acid, cathechin and epicathecin which can inhibit pancreatic cholesterol esterase which slightly reduce cholesterol level.
Obesity is being an epidemic nowadays since the change of people lifestyle. Obesity can cause many health problem such as diabetes and heart disease which are the main cause of mortality in most countries such as United State. Guava leaf contains compound called quarcetin which can inhibit the fat cell formation and the cathechin that has fat burning effect in the body.
Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke
Quercetin has a strong antioxidant effect to the body. It can help to reduce oxidative stress which caused by free radicals. This effect of quercetin is lead to inhibit the LDL or low density lipoprotein formation. LDL is known as bad fat which can cause atherosclerosis or plaque in the blood vessels. By consuming guava leaf, you can reduce the risk of develop atherosclerosis and prevent you from heart disease.
Beauty Tricks with Guava Leaves
Prevents Hair Loss
It is believed that crushing guava leaves and rub them on scalp can prevent hair loss and promote hair growth.
Relieves Itchy skin
Itchy skin is sign of allergy or other infection. If its not being cure, it will be serious problem, guava leave contains anti-bacterial and anti-inflammation properties which can reduce skin itching. Just crush the leaves and rub to itchy skin to get this benefits.
Keeps Skin Young
Strong antioxidant effect of guava leaves can protect the skin from damage which caused by free radicals. Free radicals can be harmful to skin, since its damage the skin cell and the main culprit in aging. Consuming guava leaves tea regularly can keep your skin firm and young.
Increases Man Fertility
A study which published in the African Journal of Medicine showed that guava leaves has potential effect in increasing the sperm count in Wistar rats and improve fertility.
Treats Dengue Fever
A study also reported that guava leaves can be used to treat dengue fever since it has an effect to increase the trombocyte or platelet level in blood serum. This makes guava leaves as an effective alternative home remedy to cure dengue fever.
How to Process Guava Leaves for Traditional Medicine
Take 4-5 guava leaves
Wash the leaves till it gets clean
Then, boil the guava leaves with 1 liter water
When it gets boiled, then filter it
Pour the water, that’s the extract water
It’s ready now to drink
Also, you can add honey to make it perfect.
Meanwhile, the recommendation is you need to drink 100 ml guava leaves extract water for once in two days. Also, drinking it in routine may bring benefits to cover body health. Then, there is also another alternative to consume guava water, which is making it as tea.
How to Make Guava Leaves Tea
To get all those benefits you can start to consume it by making guava leaves as tea. Below is several steps to make guava tea :
Dry some young guava leaves
After they got dry, crush them into powder
Use one tablespoon of guava leaves and add it to one cup of hot water
Let it brew for 5 minutes then you can strain it
Drink guava leaves tea regularly, once a day
Those are all benefits that you may get from guava leaves. You can consider it as natural remedy which has many good effect to your body and of course low cost medicine which you can get almost anywhere.
How does it work?
The guava FRUIT is a source of vitamin C, fiber, and other substances that act like antioxidants. Antioxidants slow down or stop the harmful effects of oxidation. Oxidation is a chemical reaction in which oxygen is added to a chemical element or compound. Guava LEAVES also contain chemicals with antioxidant and other effects. It is not known how guava works for medical conditions.