Guava

Scientific Name(s): Psidium guajava L.
Common Name(s): Goiabeira, Guava, Guayabo, Guyava, Kuawa, Red guava

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on May 23, 2022.

Clinical Overview

Use

Clinical trials are lacking. Very limited evidence exists to support guava's use in treating diarrhea, type 2 diabetes, dysmenorrhea, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension.

Dosing

Limited clinical trials guide dosage recommendations. Diarrhea: Eight hourly doses of guava extract standardized to 1 mg of quercetin per 500 mg capsule for 3 days. Dysmenorrhea: Daily guava leaf extract standardized to 6 mg flavonoid content/day. Hyperlipidemia and hypertension: 0.4 to 1 kg/day of guava fruit added to the diet for 4 to 12 weeks.

Contraindications

None identified except hypersensitivity.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Information regarding safety and efficacy in pregnancy and lactation is lacking.

Interactions

None well documented.

Adverse Reactions

No serious adverse reactions have been reported in limited clinical trials.

Toxicology

Data are limited.

Scientific Family

• Myrtaceae (myrtle)

Botany

P. guajava is a large evergreen shrub or small tree that grows up to 15 m in height. It is native to and widely distributed in Mexico and Central America and is common throughout all warm areas of tropical America and the West Indies. Today, the plant is cultivated from Asia to the west coast of Africa, with varieties originally introduced over the past 300 years from the United States. The guava berry, also known as guava, is an important tropical fruit that is primarily consumed fresh. The berry contains several small seeds and consists of a fleshy pericarp and seed cavity with pulp.1, 2

History

The young leaves of the plant have been used as a tonic to treat digestive conditions such as dysentery and diarrhea in the indigenous medical systems of Brazil and Mexico. Mexican medicinal data document the treatment of acute diarrhea, flatulence, and gastric pain by using a guava leaf water decoction for oral administration 3 times daily. A decoction of young leaves and shoots has been prescribed as a febrifuge and a spasmolytic. In Bolivia and Egypt, guava leaves have been used to treat cough and pulmonary diseases; they have also been used to treat cough in India and as an anti-inflammatory and hemostatic agent in China.

Guava bark has been used medically as an astringent and to treat diarrhea in children, while the flowers have been used to treat bronchitis and eye sores and to cool the body. The fruit has been used as a tonic and laxative and for treatment of bleeding gums. The plant has been used in Africa and Asia to prevent and treat scurvy and to treat hypertension in western Africa. Ethnomedicinal reports document use of the plant in treating malaria. Scientific investigations of the medicinal properties of guava leaf products date back to the 1940s.

Pakistan, India, Brazil, and Mexico are the major commercial producers of guava fruit. Hawaii is the largest producer in the United States. Processed guava products include beverages, cheese, ice cream, jams, jellies, juice, syrup, toffee, wine, and dehydrated and canned products.2, 3

Chemistry

Phytochemical analyses of guava leaf reveal alkaloids, anthocyanins, carotenoids, essential oils, fatty acids, flavonoids (especially quercetin), lectins, phenols, saponins, tannins, triterpenes, and vitamin C (80 mg per 100 g of guava).3, 4, 5<...