The Medicinal Properties Of Guava And Its Leaves [INFOGRAPHIC]

What Is Guava and How Can It Improve Your Health

If pineapple is the king of the fruits, guava should be the queen.

A ripe guava is juicy, sweet, and fragrant and can be eaten as it is. You can also add it to salads, squeeze it for its juice, or make guava jams or jelly.

Aside from its delicious taste, guava also offers amazing health benefits!

According to data, when compared to the same amount of pineapple, guava has three times more protein, four times more fiber, and almost five times more vitamin C. It also has more potassium than bananas and five times more vitamin A than oranges! 

When they’re ripe, they’re soft and sweet, yet they actually lower your blood glucose levels! They can also help with weight loss while still making it seem like you’re having a sugary snack. The guava fruit may be small and insignificant-looking, but it packs quite a punch.

Moreover, it’s filled with vitamins, antioxidants, and dietary fiber content. Those bring amazing health benefits to the body!

Let’s look at all the properties locked inside this super fruit (popular in Mexico, South and Central America, and even in tropical countries), and help you take your health to the next level.

The Health Benefits of Eating Guava

1. Gives a Strong Immunity Boost from Its Vitamin C Content

The immunity-boosting effects of guava are directly related to its vitamin C content. A serving of guava provides over 350% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C. 

Vitamin C offers many benefits to the immune system, including fighting off infections, tissue repair, and wound healing. An abundance of this vitamin keeps the body healthy overall.

Since this water-soluble vitamin can’t be stored in the body, eat a little guava every day for a heightened effect.

2. Guards Against Viral Respiratory Infections Thanks to Vitamin C

Guava reduces mucus, helps ease sore throats, and keeps the respiratory tract free from infection. The vitamin C content does wonders for the body when you’re experiencing viral infections like the common cold, but guava’s iron content acts as the last nail in the coffin. 

Drink the guava leaves as tea, too, for that extra guava power. Guava leaf extract  is full of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and antibacterials which are great for fighting off viral respiratory infections.

Goodbye sniffles!

3. Promotes Better Eyesight Due to Its Vitamin A Content

Research in India into the effects of specific fruits and vegetables suggests that guavas, black grapes, coriander, and mint leaves should be the doctor’s prescription for good eyesight. 

Why guava? The vitamin-A content is thought to help slow down the appearance of cataracts, macular degeneration, and improve general eye health. 

4. Controls Diabetes as It Helps Reduce Blood Glucose

Guava has been used to treat diabetes mellitus in Chinese Medicine for centuries and studies have been carried out to back up this ancient knowledge.

The Taiwanese researchers Cheng and Yang looked at the effect of guava on type 2 diabetes and found it effectively  helps lower blood sugar levels in humans and may be employed to improve and/or prevent the disease. 

In 2013, another group of researchers reported in Phytotherapy Research that the guava leaf polyphenol present in guava leaf tea helps regulate the absorption of dietary carbohydrate within the intestines. This helps suppress a rapid increase in blood sugar after meals.

They also found no drug interactions, suggesting guava leaf tea is a useful complementary medicine for medicated diabetics. 

Controlling blood glucose levels in people with diabetes helps regulate blood pressure, prevent the formation of cataracts, and other possible complications of the disease.

5. Prevents Hair Loss and Even Boosts Hair Growth

If you’ve been experiencing hair loss due to elevated stress levels or other reasons, you’re not alone. These days, around 7 out of 10 people suffer from this problem, but a guava remedy can help boost growth and prevent further hair loss, according to experts. 

It’s one of the many hair loss remedies esteemed by Ayurvedic medicine practitioners. Here’s how you can use the guava plant to prevent hair loss:

• You need to boil a handful of guava leaves in a liter of water for 20 minutes, let it cool and then massage it onto the scalp.
• Leave it on for three hours, then wash it off, or leave it on during the night underneath a shower cap.
• If the situation is critical, you can also apply it to clean, wet hair roots after washing.
• Do this regularly, and the leaf preparation will strengthen both follicles and roots. 

6. Protects Against Cancer

Several studies have been carried out on the anti-cancer effects of guava extract, guava seed, and the whole plant. They have found that it can fight human cancerous cells, including colon and prostate cancer, breast cancer, and epidermal cancers, as well as leukemia and melanoma. 

Thanks to its high lycopene content, which is known for its cancer-fighting properties, guava fruit can protect your body against this deadly disease. That’s on top of its powerful antioxidant and micronutrients content.

As stated earlier, guavas are also rich in polyphenols which are powerful antioxidants that kill free radicals generated in the body, preventing the growth of cancer cells. 

Not bad for a humble guava tree!

7. Makes Great Pregnancy Food as It Maintains Blood Pressure

Many of the benefits discussed above make guava a great pregnancy food.

Guava contains folic acid or vitamin B-9 (which is great for baby’s nervous system), iron, calcium, thiamine, magnesium, and phosphorus, making it a beneficial food during this important time. It also maintains blood pressure, which pregnant women are more susceptible to.

One guava daily is recommended to keep it stable. It also relieves stress, helps ease gastric reflux, and aids digestion. 

Overall, these guava health benefits help pregnant mothers deliver their babies safely after nine months.

8. Relaxes You with Its Magnesium Content

Yes, if you’re stressed out, guava can help you relax. The magnesium content acts as a muscle and nerve relaxant. 

Enjoy guava juice benefits when you’re feeling anxious or stressed. Just add a handful of spinach, two frozen bananas, and a guava fruit into a blender with a little water to make a great anti-stress smoothie!

You can also try making guava juice if you prefer that, or a guava leaf tea for something hot to sip.

9. Helps with Diets Since It’s Filled with Micronutrients

The nutrition facts of a 100-gram guava say it’s very low-calorie but high in nutrients. It only has 68 calories with 14.3 grams of carbohydrates, 2.6 grams of protein, 228.3 mg of vitamin C, 5.2 mg of lycopene, 5.4 grams of dietary fiber, and other trace minerals. This means consuming one will help you fill the micronutrients your body needs and still enjoy a delicious snack without compromising your diet.

If you’re on a ketogenic diet to either lose weight or become healthier, drinking guava tea can assist you in your goal of getting rid of sugar from the body.

10. Promotes Good Heart Health

Eating a bit of guava every day can keep your heart healthy. It can help prevent serious heart disease like hypertension (chronic high blood pressure) which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. 

Guava helps with heart health by lowering cholesterol levels and keeping blood pressure in check. 

11. Helps Maintain a Healthy Gut

The high fiber content of guavas make them very beneficial for your digestive health. Guava, and especially guava seeds, can prevent constipation and by making sure you have regular bowel movements. 

Final Thoughts

Did you know guavas were so cool? Most people aren’t aware of the essential nutrients we can get from this tropical fruit – but guavas are well worth adding to your daily nutritional routine, even just for their flavor. Just don’t forget to make sure your guava is ripe!

Take a flavor trip to the tropics while taking care of your health by adding guavas to your personal menu.

Don’t forget to download, save, or share this handy infographic for reference:

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