Guava - Rich in Vitamin A and C

Scientific Synonym - Psidium

Also Known As - guayaba, Guave, goyave, gujawa, goiaba , jwafa,amrud,guaba,goiyaa, kuava

Native to - Mexico and Central America, northern South America

Rich Source of - Vitamin C, Vitamin A and B, Calcium, Nicotinic Acid, Phosphorus, Potassium, Iron, Folic acid and Fiber

Tastes like - The outer skin may be rough, often with a bitter taste, or soft and sweet
Guava pulp may be sweet or sour

Propagation - Guava trees can be nursery propagated by grafting, by budding, by stem cutting (succulent green stems), or by root cuttings

Interesting Facts -

• Guava is better than orange because guava contain more Vitamin C than orange
• Guava should be had when it is just ripe to gain the maximum nutrients from it. Once it is overripe it becomes pulpy and emits unpleasant odour, it also loses its Vitamin C content.
• This fruit is very good for weight watchers as it makes you full and is low in calories.

Availability - Fruit matures almost year round, with the peak season during the summer months.

Health Benefits -

• Anti-Cancer: Essential oils from guava leaves have shown strong anti-cancer activity in vitro.
• Diarrhea & Dysentery: Guava is very rich in astringents (compounds those make your gums feel tighter and fresh after you chew guava leaves or eat a raw guava or use some toothpaste) which binds up loose bowels in diarrhea. These astringents are alkaline in nature and have disinfectant and anti-bacterial properties, thus help cure dysentery by inhibiting microbial growth and removing extra mucus from the intestines.
• Diabetics: Guava is low in sugar content making it a good choice for diabetic individuals.
• Skin Care: Guavas can help improve your skin texture and avoid 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 (more in immature ones) and in leaves. You can benefit from it either by eating the fruits (this help tighten your muscles apart from your skin) or by washing your skin with the decoction of its immature fruits and leaves. It will tone up and tighten the loosened skin. In addition to the astringents, guava is very-very rich in vitamin-A, B, C and potassium which are very good anti oxidants and detoxifiers and keep your skin glowing and free from aging, wrinkles and other disorders.
• Cough & Cold: Juice of raw and immature guavas or decoction of guava-leaves is 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.
• Constipation: Guava is one of the riches sources of dietary fiber. Its seeds, if ingested whole or chewed, serve as excellent laxatives. These two properties of guava help forming bowels, retaining water and clean your intestines and excretory system thoroughly.
• High Blood Pressure: Guava helps reduce cholesterol in blood and prevents it from thickening, thereby maintaining fluidity of blood and reducing blood pressure.
• Scurvy: Guava can outdo many other fruits, including orange and other citrus fruits, when it comes to concentration of vitamin-C, whose deficiency causes scurvy and which is the only remedy to it
• Prolonged menstruation
• Poor circulation (strengthen the heart)
• Congestion of the lungs
• Acidosis
• Asthma
• Catarrh
• Obesity
• protects prostrate