Psidium guajava L.Family: Myrtaceae
Synonyms: Guajava pumila (Vahl) Kuntze , Guajava pyrifera (L.) Kuntze , Myrtus guajava (L.) Kuntze , Myrtus guajava var. pyrifera (L.) Kuntze , Psidium angustifolium Lam. , Psidium aromaticum Blanco [Illegitimate] , Psidium cujavillus Burm.f. , Psidium cujavus L. , Psidium fragrans Macfad. , Psidium guajava var. cujavillum (Burm.f.) Krug & Urb. , Psidium guajava var. guajava , Psidium guajava var. minor Mattos , Psidium guava Griseb. , Psidium igatemyense Barb.Rodr. , Psidium igatemyensis Barb. Rodr. , Psidium intermedium Zipp. ex Blume , Psidium pomiferum L. , Psidium pomiferum var. sapidissimum (Jacq.) DC. , Psidium prostratum O.Berg , Psidium pumilum Vahl , Psidium pumilum var. guadalupense DC. , Psidium pyriferum L. , Psidium pyriferum var. glabrum Benth. , Psidium sapidissimum Jacq. , Psidium vulgare Rich. , Syzygium ellipticum K.Schum. & Lauterb.
- English: Guava
- Bengali: Pyara
- Chinese: 番石榴
- Dutch: guave
- Finnish: Hedelmäguava
- French: Goyavier commun
- German: guave
- Hindi: Amrood अमरूद
- Italian: Guaiava
- Portuguese: araçá
- Spanish: guayaba
- Tamil: கொய்யா Goyya
- Telugu: జామ Jaama
Description: Trees, to 13 m tall. Bark gray, smooth, peeling in strips. Branchlets angular, pubescent. Petiole ca. 5 mm; leaf blade oblong to elliptic, 6-12 × 3.5-6 cm, leathery, abaxially pubescent, adaxially slightly rough, secondary veins 12-15 on each side of midvein and usually impressed, reticulate veins obvious, base rounded, apex acute to obtuse. Flowers solitary or 2 or 3 in cymes. Hypanthium campanulate, ca. 5 mm, pubescent. Calyx cap nearly rounded, 7-8 mm, irregularly opening. Petals white, 1-1.4 cm. Stamens 6-9 mm. Ovary adnate to hypanthium. Style as long as stamens. Berry globose, ovoid, or pyriform, 3-8 cm, with persistent calyx lobes at apex; flesh white or yellow; placenta reddish, well developed, fleshy. Seeds many.
Part Used: Leaf, Fruit. Guava is most commonly prescribed traditionally for diarrhea because of the astringent qualities of the leaves and unripe fruit. It is also useful to treat cases of blocked or irregular menstruation, and cases of chronic stress or anxiety.
Preparation: Flame-roast 10–15 leaves until yellow in color. Boil in 1 pint (500 ml) water. Take 1 / 2 cup (125 ml) decoction every 3 hours as needed. Powder may also be made from the unripe fruit by removing the seeds, drying, and grinding. Take 1 tsp dry or in hot water. For a gentler effect, the unripe fruit may also be eaten fresh, dipped into a mixture of sugar, salt, and chili powder. Or unripe guava may be juiced and drunk with a pinch of salt. [A Thai Herbal Traditional Recipes for Health and Harmony]
Used in Ayurveda, Unani and Sidha. Twigs decoction taken orally for malaria and fevers; juice from tender shoots given in dysentery. Leaves antimalarial, astringent, styptic, antibacterial, antiemetic, for wounds, ulcers, blisters in mouth, astringent for bowels; leaves eaten raw to treat diarrhea; young leaves chewed to cure mouth blisters; leaves juice or leaf paste taken for diarrhea and dysentery; young leaves boiled, honey added, and the decoction mixture drunk for diarrhea, especially in children; leaves decoction for stomachache, cough, cold, gargled for toothache. Tea from the bark or from the leaves an excellent remedy for diarrhea, dysentery, sores, vomiting, cuts and sore throat. Bark juice given in diarrhea and dysentery; paste of stem bark applied on burns; bark decoction or bark juice a remedy for stomachache, skin diseases; root bark pounded and plastered on bone fracture and in sprains. Fruits styptic, an infusion for dysentery; unripe fruit effective in bowel disorders, diarrhea, dysentery; powdered tender fruits mixed with water given for loose motions and as emetic. Fresh flowers along with juice applied as anthelmintic. [CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants]
Unripe fruit—antidiarrhoeal. Leaves—used for dysentery, diabetes, cough and cold. Flowers - anthelmintic. Guava juice may be helpful in regulating blood sugar in type 2 diabetes and syndrome X. [Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary]
Entire plant, infusion: for diarrhea Bark, infusion: emmenagogue, astringent, febrifuge; for hypertension, infections, malaria, rabies, stomachache, and antidysenteric. Dried leaf, decoction: anti-emetic. Fruit: antidiarrheal Dried fruit: anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity Fresh fruit: antimutagenic and antihyperglycemic activity [Medicinal flora of Argentina]
Preparation: Flame-roast 10–15 leaves until yellow in color. Boil in 1 pint (500 ml) water. Take 1 / 2 cup (125 ml) decoction every 3 hours as needed. Powder may also be made from the unripe fruit by removing the seeds, drying, and grinding. Take 1 tsp dry or in hot water. For a gentler effect, the unripe fruit may also be eaten fresh, dipped into a mixture of sugar, salt, and chili powder. Or unripe guava may be juiced and drunk with a pinch of salt. [A Thai Herbal Traditional Recipes for Health and Harmony]
Used in Ayurveda, Unani and Sidha. Twigs decoction taken orally for malaria and fevers; juice from tender shoots given in dysentery. Leaves antimalarial, astringent, styptic, antibacterial, antiemetic, for wounds, ulcers, blisters in mouth, astringent for bowels; leaves eaten raw to treat diarrhea; young leaves chewed to cure mouth blisters; leaves juice or leaf paste taken for diarrhea and dysentery; young leaves boiled, honey added, and the decoction mixture drunk for diarrhea, especially in children; leaves decoction for stomachache, cough, cold, gargled for toothache. Tea from the bark or from the leaves an excellent remedy for diarrhea, dysentery, sores, vomiting, cuts and sore throat. Bark juice given in diarrhea and dysentery; paste of stem bark applied on burns; bark decoction or bark juice a remedy for stomachache, skin diseases; root bark pounded and plastered on bone fracture and in sprains. Fruits styptic, an infusion for dysentery; unripe fruit effective in bowel disorders, diarrhea, dysentery; powdered tender fruits mixed with water given for loose motions and as emetic. Fresh flowers along with juice applied as anthelmintic. [CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants]
Unripe fruit—antidiarrhoeal. Leaves—used for dysentery, diabetes, cough and cold. Flowers - anthelmintic. Guava juice may be helpful in regulating blood sugar in type 2 diabetes and syndrome X. [Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary]
Entire plant, infusion: for diarrhea Bark, infusion: emmenagogue, astringent, febrifuge; for hypertension, infections, malaria, rabies, stomachache, and antidysenteric. Dried leaf, decoction: anti-emetic. Fruit: antidiarrheal Dried fruit: anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity Fresh fruit: antimutagenic and antihyperglycemic activity [Medicinal flora of Argentina]
220 Pharmacology / Pharmacy related Published articles of Psidium guajava
