Psidium guajava 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—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. (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...