Psidium guajava Health Dictionary

Linn.

Family: Myrtaceae.

Habitat: Native to Central America; cultivated chiefly in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.

English: Guava

Ayurvedic: Peruka (non-classical), Amaruuda.

Siddha/Tamil: Koyya.

Action: Unripe fruit—antidiar- rhoeal. 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. (Sharon M. Herr.)

A residue obtained from methanolic fraction of unripe fruits was found to possess significant antidiarrhoeal activity. The fraction decreased gastric motility in an experimental animal model. The fraction was also found to inhibit significantly the growth of different strains of Shigella sp. and Vibrio cholerae.

In China and Taiwan, the leaf extract is administered for treating diarrhoea, dysentery, diabetes and inflammations. The leaf extract (containing quercetin) inhibits acetylcholine release in the gastro-intestinal tract which might account for us antidiarrhoeal activity. An extract of leaves with a little salt is given in relieve whooping cough.

In New Papua Guinea, decoction of new leaf tips is drunk to treat hepatitis.

Guava seed oil contains very higher proporation of linoleic acid (75.52%) than sunflower, groundnut, olive, soybean and coconut oil. The seeds from Pakistan yield 9.25% of a fatty oil.

Vitamin C content of the ripe fruit ranges from 100 to 1000 mg/100 g. It is highest in the skin and in the flesh next to it.

Psidium cattleyanum Sabine is equated with Straberry Guava and is known as Seemai Koyya in Tamil Nadu and Pahari Payaar in Bengal. The fruit contains vitamin C 15-44 mg/100 g.

Smaller var. of Guava is equated with Psidium guineense Sw. It is found in Tripura.