Psidium Guajava: A Review of Its Traditional Uses,: Phytochemistry and Pharmacology

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Journal of Ethnopharmacology 117 (2008) 127
Review
Psidium guajava: A review of its traditional uses,

phytochemistry and pharmacology
Rosa Martha Perez Gutierrez a, , Sylvia Mitchell b , Rosario Vargas Solis c
a
Laboratorio de Investigacion de Productos Naturales, Escuela Superior de Ingeniera Qumica e Industrias extractivas IPN,
Punto Fijo 16, Col. Torres Lindavista C.P. 07708 Mexico, D.F., Mexico
b Medicinal Plant Research Group, Biotechnology Centre, 2 St. Johns Close, University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Jamaica
c Laboratorio de Investigaci
on de Fitofarmacologa, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco A.P. 23-181 Mexico, D.F., Mexico
Received 18 August 2007; received in revised form 26 January 2008; accepted 29 January 2008
Available online 3 February 2008
Abstract
Psidium guajava, is an important food crop and medicinal plant in tropical and subtropical countries is widely used like food and in folk medicine
around of the world. This aims a comprehensive of the chemical constituents, pharmacological, and clinical uses. Different pharmacological
experiments in a number of in vitro and in vivo models have been carried out. Also have been identified the medicinally important phyto-constituents.
A number of metabolites in good yield and some have been shown to possess useful biological activities belonging mainly to phenolic, flavonoid,
carotenoid, terpenoid and triterpene. Extracts and metabolites of this plant, particularly those from leaves and fruits possess useful pharmacological
activities. A survey of the literature shows P. guajava is mainly known for its antispasmodic and antimicrobial properties in the treatment of
diarrhoea and dysentery. Has also been used extensively as a hypoglycaemic agent. Many pharmacological studies have demonstrated the ability of
this plant to exhibit antioxidant, hepatoprotection, anti-allergy, antimicrobial, antigenotoxic, antiplasmodial, cytotoxic, antispasmodic, cardioactive,
anticough, antidiabetic, antiinflamatory and antinociceptive activities, supporting its traditional uses. Suggest a wide range of clinical applications
for the treatment of infantile rotaviral enteritis, diarrhoea and diabetes.
2008 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
Keywords: Psidium guajava; Myrtaceae; Clinical; Complementary medicine; Phytochemical constituents; Pharmacological actions
Contents
1.
2.
3.
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.1. Use in traditional medicine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Phytochemistry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.1. Fruits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.2. Fruit skins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.3. Leaves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Biological activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.1. Anti-diarrhoeal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2. Antimicrobial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.3. Acne lesions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.4. Effect on dental plaque . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.5. Antimalarial effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.6. Antitussive effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.7. Hepatoprotective effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Corresponding author at: Punto Fijo No. 16, Col. Torres de Lindavista, C.P. 07708 Mexico, D.F., Mexico.
E-mail address: rmpg@prodigy.net.mx (R.M.P. Gutierrez).
0378-8741/$ see front matter 2008 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

doi:10.1016/j.jep.2008.01.025
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3.8. Antioxidant, free radical scavenger and radioprotective activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.9. Antigenotoxic and antimutagenic effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.10. Anti-allergic effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.11. Anticancer/antitumour effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.12. Cardiovascular, hypotensive effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.13. Anti-hyperglycemic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.14. Effect on muscular system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.15. Anti-inflammatory/analgesic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.16. Antinociceptive effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.17. Wound healing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Toxicology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clinical trials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.1. Infantile rotaviral enteritis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.2. Infectious gastroenteritis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.3. Cardiovascular effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.4. Dysmenorrhea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.5. Hypoglycaemic effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix A. Constituents of Psidium guayava . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1. Introduction
Psidium guajava, which is considered a native to Mexico
(Rios et al., 1977) extends throughout the South America,
European, Africa and Asia. Based on archaeological evidence.
It has been used widely and known in Peru since pre-Columbian
times. It grows in all the tropical and subtropical areas of the
world, adapts to different climatic conditions but prefers dry
climates (Stone, 1970). The main traditional use known is as
an anti-diarrhoeal. Other reported uses include gastroenteritis,
dysentery, stomach, antibacterial colic pathogenic germs of the
intestine.
Its medicinal usage has been reported in indigenous system
of medicines in America more than elsewhere. Psidium guajava
Linn. (family Myrtaceae), is commonly called guave, goyave or
goyavier in French; guave, Guavenbaum, Guayave in German;
banjiro in Japanese; goiaba, goiabeiro in Portugal; araca -goiaba,
araca -guacu , guaiaba in Brazil; guayaba, guayabo in Espanol
and guava in English (Killion, 2000). Psidium guajava is a small
tree which is 10 m high with thin, smooth, patchy, peeling bark.
Leaves are opposite, short-petiolate, the blade oval with prominent pinnate veins, 515 cm long. Flowers are somewhat showy,
petals whitish up to 2 cm long, stamens numerous (Stone, 1970).
Fruit are fleshy yellow globose to ovoid berry about 5 cm in
diameter with an edible pink mesocarp containing numerous
small hard white seeds. There has been a tremendous interest
in this plant as evidenced by the voluminous work. Therefore,
we aimed to compile an up to date and comprehensive review
of Psidium guajava that covers its traditional and folk medicine
uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology.
1.1. Use in traditional medicine
More recent ethnopharmacological studies show that Psidium guajava is used in many parts of the world for the treatment
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of a number of diseases, e.g. as an anti-inflammatory, for diabetes, hypertension, caries, wounds, pain relief and reducing
fever (Table 1). Some of the countries with a long history of traditional medicinal use of guava include Mexico and other Central
American countries including the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.
Some of these uses will be outlined here.
Medicinal plants are an important element of the indigenous
medical systems in Mexico (Lara and Marquez, 1996). These
resources are part of their traditional knowledge. The Popoluca
Indians of Veracruz rely on medicinal plants for their health care.
They appear to have developed a system whereby they select
and continue to use plants that they find the most effective for
health care purposes. The folk use of guava has been documented
in the indigenous groups of Mexican Indians, Maya, Nahuatl,
Zapotec and Popoluca. A decoction of the leaves is used to cure
cough. According to communities of Nahuatl and Maya origin
and Popoluca of the region of the Tuxtlas, Veracruz, they use a
guava leaf decoction to treat digestive suffering associated with
severe diarrhoea. This is a frequent disease in rainy weather
(Heinrich et al., 1998).
P guajava (Myrtaceae) is widely used in Mexico to treat
gastrointestinal and respiratory disturbances and is used as an
anti-inflammatory medicine (Aguilar et al., 1994). Commonly
roots, bark, leaves and immature fruits, are used in the treatment
of gastroenteritis, diarrhoea and dysentery. Leaves are applied
on wounds, ulcers and for rheumatic pain, while they are chewed
to relieve toothache (Heinrich et al., 1998). A decoction of the
new shoots is taken as a febrifuge. A combined decoction of
leaves and bark is given to expel the placenta after childbirth
(Martnez and Barajas, 1991). A water leaf extract is used to
reduce blood glucose level in diabetics. This hot tea was very
common among the local people of Veracruz (Aguilar et al.,
1994).
The leaf of Psidium guajava is used traditionally in South
African folk medicine to manage, control, and/or treat a plethora
Table 1
Ethnomedical uses of Psidium guajava
Place, country
Part(s) used
Ethno medical uses
Preparation(s)
Reference(s)
Colombia, Mexico
Leaves
Decoction and poultice
Indigenous Maya,
Nahuatl, Zapotec and
Popoluca of the region
Tuxtlas, Veracruz,
Mexico
Latin America,
Mozambique
Mexico
Leaves
Gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, dysentery, rheumatic

pain, wounds, ulcers, and toothache
Cough, diarrhoea
Heinrich et al. (1998),

Aguilar et al. (1994)
Heinrich et al. (1998), Leonti
et al. (2001)
Leaves
Diarrhoea, stomach ache
Infusion or decoction
Pontikis (1996)
Shoots, leaves, bark

and leaves mixed, rip
fruits
Decoction, poultice
Panama, Cuba, Costa

Rica, Mexico,
Nicaragua, Panama,
Peru, Venezuela,
Mozambique,
Guatemala, Argentina
South Africa
Leaves
Febrifuge, expel the placenta after childbirth,

cold, cough hypoglycaemic, affections of the
skin, caries, vaginal haemorrhage, wounds,
fever, dehydration, respiratory disturbances
Antiinflamatory
Martnez and Barajas (1991),

Argueta et al. (1994), Linares
and Bye (1990), Leonti et al.
(2001), Heinrich et al. (1998)
Pardo (1999), Jansen and
Mendez (1990), Valdizan and
Maldonado (1972)
Leaves
Diabetes mellitus, hypertension
Diabetes mellitus
Diarrhoea, antiseptic, Diabetes mellitus
Astringent, ulcers, wounds, diarrhoea
Decoction and poultice
India
Ghana
Peru
Leaves
Leaves
Leaf, bark, unripe
fruit, roots
Leaves,
shoots
Flower buds, leaves
Decoction or infusion
Kinshasa, Congo
Leaves, bark
Febrifuge, antispasmodic, rheumatism,

convulsions, astringent
Heart and constipation, conjunctivitis, cough,
diarrhoea, digestive problems, dysentery,
oedema, gout, haemorrhages, gastroenteritis,
gastritis, lung problems, shock, vaginal
discharge, vertigo, vomiting, worms
Diarrhoea, antiamoebic
Senegal
Uruguay
Shoots, roots
Leaves
Fiji
Leaves, roots, ripe

fruit
Tahiti, Samoa
Whole plant, shoots
New Guinea, Samoa,

Tonga, Niue, Futuna,
Tahiti
Cook Islands
Leaves
Skin tonic, painful menstruation, miscarriages,

uterine bleeding, premature labour in women,
wounds
Itchy rashes caused by scabies
Leaves
Trinidad
Leaves
Latin America, Central

and West Africa, and
Southeast Asia
Panama, Bolivia and
Venezuela
Brazil
Leaves
USA
Leaf
Caribbean
China
Philippines
Bark and leaves

Ripe fruit, flowers,
and leaves
Decoction or infusion
Externally applied hot on

inflammations
Oh et al. (2005), Ojewole

(2005)
Meja and Rengifo (2000)
Teixeira et al. (2003)
Smith and Nigel (1992)
Hernandez
(1971)
Cabieses (1993)
Infusion or decoction,
tisane
Tona et al. (1999)
Juice, the leaves are

pounded, squeezed in salt
water
Infusion or decoction,
paste
Word Health Organization

(1998)
Boiled preparation

(1998)
Sores, boils, cuts, sprains
Bacterial infections, blood cleansing, diarrhoea,

dysentery
Gargle for sore throats, laryngitis and swelling
of the mouth, and it is used externally for skin
ulcers, vaginal irritation and discharge
Dysentery, astringent, used as a bath to treat skin
ailments
Anorexia, cholera, diarrhoea, digestive
problems, dysentery, gastric insufficiency,
inflamed mucous membranes, laryngitis, mouth
(swelling), skin problems, sore throat, ulcers,
vaginal discharge
Antibiotic and diarrhoea
Decoction

(1998)
(1998)
Meja and Rengifo (2000)
Decoction
Conway (2002)
Mashed, Decoction
Holetz et al. (2002), Cybele et

al. (1995)
Decoction
Smith and Nigel (1992)
Diarrhoea, dysentery
Vaginal and uterine wash, especially in
leucorrhoea
Diarrhoea, coughs, stomach-ache, dysentery,
toothaches, indigestion, constipation
Tona et al. (1999)

Conway (2002)

(1998)
of human ailments, including diabetes mellitus and hypertension

(Ojewole, 2005; Oh et al., 2005).
Guava has been used widely in the traditional medicine of
Latin America and the Caribbean in the treatment of diarrhoea
and stomach-aches due to indigestion (Meja and Rengifo, 2000;
Mitchell and Ahmad, 2006a,b). Treatment usually involves a
decoction of the leaves, roots, and bark of the plant. It also
has been used for dysentery in Panama and as an astringent in
Venezuela. A decoction of the bark and leaves is also reported to
be used as a bath to treat skin ailments. In Uruguay, a decoction
of the leaves is used as a vaginal and uterine wash, especially in
leucorrhoea (Conway, 2002). In Costa Rica, a decoction of the
flower buds is considered an effective anti-inflammatory remedy
(Pardo, 1999).
In Peru, it is used for gastroenteritis, dysentery, stomach pain
(by acting on the pathogenic microorganisms of the intestine),
indigestion, inflammations of the mouth and throat in the form
of gargles (Cabieses, 1993). In some tribes of the forest (Tipis),
the tender leaves are chewed to control toothaches by their
weak sedative effect. Tikuna Indians use the decocted leaves
or bark of guava for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. It is
also employed by the Indians of the Amazons for dysentery,
sore throats, vomiting, stomach upsets, vertigo, and to regulate
menstrual periods, mouth sores, bleeding gums, or used as a
douche for vaginal discharge and to tighten and tone vaginal
walls after childbirth. Flowers are also mashed and applied to
painful eye conditions such as sun strain, conjunctivitis or eye
injuries (Smith and Nigel, 1992). Guava jelly is tonic to the
heart and constipation (Conway, 2002).
In the Philippines the astringent unripe fruit, the leaves, the
cortex of the bark and the roots are used for washing ulcers and
wounds, as an astringent, vulnerary, and for diarrhoea. Leaves
and shoots are used by West Indians in febrifuge and antispasmodic baths; the dust of the leaves is used in the treatment of
rheumatism, epilepsy and cholera; and guava leaves tincture is
given to children suffering from convulsions (Morton, 1987).
In Latin America, Central and West Africa, and Southeast
Asia, guava is considered an astringent, drying agent and a
diuretic. A decoction is also recommended as a gargle for sore
throats, laryngitis and swelling of the mouth, and it is used externally for skin ulcers, vaginal irritation and discharge (Meja
and Rengifo, 2000). In Mozambique, the decoction of leaves

is mixed with the leaves of Abacateira cajueiro, to alleviate
the flu, cough and pressed chest. In Mozambique, Argentina,
Mexico and Nicaragua, guava leaves are applied externally for
inflammatory diseases (Jansen and Mendez, 1990).
The use of medicinal plants by the general Chinese population
is an old and still widespread practice. Psidium guajava leaves
are example of the plant commonly used as popular medicine
for diarrhoea which is also used as an antiseptic (Teixeira et al.,
2003).
In Brazil the fruit and leaves are considered for anorexia,
cholera, diarrhoea, digestive problems, dysentery, gastric
insufficiency, inflamed mucous membranes, laryngitis, mouth
(swelling), skin problems, sore throat, ulcers, vaginal discharge
(Holetz et al., 2002). In USA guava leaf extracts that are used in
various herbal formulas for a myriad of purposes; from herbal
antibiotic and diarrhoea formulas to bowel health and weight
loss formulas (Smith and Nigel, 1992).
Besides the medicinal uses Psidium guayava is employed as
food, in carpentry, in construction of houses and in the manufacture of toys (Table 2).
2. Phytochemistry
2.1. Fruits
These are characterized by a low content of carbohydrates
(13.2%), fats (0.53%), and proteins (0.88%) and by a highwater content (84.9%), (Medina and Pagano, 2003). Food
value per 100 g is: Calories 3650 kcal, moisture 7786 g,
crude fibre 2.85.5 g, ash 0.430.7 g, calcium 9.117 mg, phosphorus (Conway, 2002), 17.830 mg, iron 0.300.70 mg (Iwu,
1993), vitamin A 200400 I.U., thiamine 0.046 mg, riboflavin
0.030.04 mg, niacin 0.61.068 mg, ascorbic acid 100 mg, vitamin B3 40 I.U. (Fujita et al., 1985; Hernandez, 1971; Conway,
2002). Manganese is also present in the plant in combination with phosphoric, oxalic and malic acids (Nadkarni and
Nadkarni, 1999).
Hexanal (65.9%), -butyrolactone (7.6%), (E)-2-hexenal
(7.4%), (E,E)-2,4-hexadienal (2.2%), (Z)-3-hexenal (2%), (Z)2-hexenal (1%), (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate (1.3%) and phenol
Table 2
Commercial applications of Psidium guajava
Fruit
Wood and leaves
Wood
Wood
Wood
Wood
Leaves
Leaves
Bark
Wood flowers
Food: juice, jelly nectar, concentrated, stuffed of candies, gelatines,

pastes, tinned products, confectionery, etc.
Carpentry and turnery use the leaves to make a black dye for silk
Engravings
Spinning tops
Hair combs
Construction of houses
Employed to give a black colour to cotton
Serve to dye matting
Dyes, stains, inks, tattoos and mordants
The tree may be parasitized by the mistletoe, Psittacanthus calyculatus
Don, producing the rosette-like malformations called wood flowers
which are sold as ornamental curiosities. Also the tree is seeded to give
shade to the coffee and its wood is used in the construction
All the countries
Jimenez-Escrig et al. (2001)
Malaya
India
Guatemala
El Salvador
Nigeria
Southeast Asia
Indonesia
Africa
Mexico
Rodarte (1994)
Rodarte (1994)
Morton (1987)
Morton (1987)
Lucas et al. (2006)
Rodarte (1994)
Rodarte (1994)
Burkill (1985)
Argueta et al. (1994)
(1.6%) were reported from fresh white-flesh guayaba fruit oil.

3-caryophyllene (24.1%), nerolidol (17.3%), 3-phenylpropyl
acetate (5.3%) and caryophyllene oxide (5.1%) were isolated
from essential oil extracted from the fruits (Paniandy et al.,
2000). Subsequently, the active aromatic constituents in pink
guava fruit the 3-penten-2-ol and 2-butenyl acetate were isolated
(Jordan et al., 2003). The fruit also contains glykosen 4.14%,
saccharose 1.62%, and protein 0.3% (Dweck, 2001; Hwang et
al., 2002).
The unripe fruit is indigestible, causes vomiting and feverishness. It changes in chemical composition and the activities of
hydrolytic enzymes (the activities of -amylase and -amylase
decreased significantly with ripening), chlorophyll, cellulose,
hemicellulose, and lignin content increased while carotenoid
content decreased. The unripe fruit is high in tannins, is astringent and has a tendency to cause constipation, but it is sometimes
employed in diarrhoea (Jain et al., 2003).
2.2. Fruit skins
Ascorbic acid is the main constituent of the skin, secondly in
the firm flesh, and a little content in the central pulp varies from
56 mg to 600 mg and may range between 350 mg and 450 mg
in nearly ripe fruit (Charles et al., 2006). Canning or other
heat processing destroys about 50% of the ascorbic acid. The
strong odour of the fruit is attributed to its carbonyl compounds
(Dweck, 2001).
2.3. Leaves
Leaves contain essential oil with the main components
being -pinene, -pinene, limonene, menthol, terpenyl acetate,
isopropyl alcohol, longicyclene, caryophyllene, -bisabolene,
cineol, caryophyllene oxide, -copanene, farnesene, humulene, selinene, cardinene and curcumene (Zakaria and Mohd,
1994; Li et al., 1999). Flavonoids, and saponins combined with
oleanolic acid have been isolated from the leaves (Arima and
Danno, 2002). Nerolidiol, -sitosterol, ursolic, crategolic, and
guayavolic acids have also been identified (Iwu, 1993). In addition, the leaves contain triterpenic acids as well as flavonoids;
avicularin and its 3-l-4-pyranoside with strong antibacterial
action (Oliver-Bever, 1986), fixed oil 6%, 3.15% resin, and
8.5% tannin, and a number of other fixed substances, fat, cellulose, tannin, chlorophyll and mineral salts (Nadkarni and
Nadkarni, 1999). Also have been isolated from the leaves
of Psidium guajava guavanoic acid, guavacoumaric acid,
2-hydroxyursolic acid, jacoumaric acid, isoneriucoumaric
acid, asiatic acid, ilelatifol d and -sitosterol-3-O--dglucopyranoside (Begum et al., 2002a,b). In mature leaves,
the greatest concentrations of flavonoids were found in July:
Myricetin (208.44 mg kg1 ), quercetin (2883.08 mg kg1 ),
luteolin (51.22 mg kg1 ) and kaempferol (97.25 mg kg1 )
(Vargas et al., 2006). Two triterpenoids, 20-acetoxy2,3-dihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (guavanoic acid), and
2,3-dihydroxy-24-p-z-coumaroyloxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid
(guavacoumaric acid), along with six known compounds
2-hydroxyursolic acid, jacoumaric acid, isoneriucoumaric
acid, asiatic acid, ilelatifol d and -sitosterol-3-O--dglucopyranoside, have been isolated from the leaves of
Psidium guajava. guajavolide (2a-,3-6-,23-tetrahydroxyurs12-en-28,20-olide, and guavenoic acid, were isolated from
fresh leaves of Psidium guajava.
Bark: It contains 1230% of tannin (Burkill, 1997), resin and
crystals of calcium oxalate (Nadkarni and Nadkarni, 1999).
Roots: They contain tannins, leukocyanidins, sterols, gallic
acid, carbohydrates and salts. Root, stem-bark and all leaves
contain a large percentage of tannic acid (Quisumbing, 1978).
Seeds: They contain 14% oil, dry weight, with 15% proteins and
13% starch (Burkill, 1997), phenolic and flavonoid compounds
including quercetin-3-O--d-(2 -O-galloyl-glucoside)-4 -Ovinylpropionate (Michael et al., 2002). Some isolated
compounds are cytotoxic (Salib and Michael, 2004).
Floral bud: Buds have the highest concentrations of
myricetin (256 mg kg1 ), quercetin (3605 mg kg1 ), luteolin (229 mg kg1 ), kaempferol (229 mg kg1 ) and apigenin
(252 mg kg1 ) (Vargas et al., 2006).
Twigs: Contain calcium (0.301.00%), magnesium
(0.060.30%), phosphorous (0.100.38%), potassium
(0.210.39%), and sodium (0.030.20%). The concentration of fluoride ranged from 0.02 ppm to 0.11 ppm, copper
(0.020.14 ppm), iron (2.865.14 ppm), zinc (0.310.57 ppm),
manganese (0.000.26 ppm), and lead (0.000.11 ppm)
(Okwu and Ekeke, 2003). Contains Flavonoid, sesqui-terpenes
alcohols and acids triterpenoids (Hegnauer, 1969).
3. Biological activity
Scientific investigations on the medicinal properties of guava
dates back to the 1940s. A summary of the findings of these
studies performed is presented below.
3.1. Anti-diarrhoeal
Diarrhoea has long been recognized as one of the most
important health problems faced globally particularly by the
population of developing countries. Each year diarrhoea is estimated to kill about 2.2 million people globally, the majority
of whom are infants and children below the age of 5 years
(Venkatesan et al., 2005). Ethanol and aqueous extracts of
Psidium guajava at a concentration of 80 g/ml in an organ
bath, exhibited more than 70% inhibition of acetylcholine
and/or KCl solution-induced contractions of isolated guineapig ileum. The rates of propulsion in the small intestine in male
SpragueDawley rats as a means of assessing antidiarrhoeal
activity of aqueous extracts of the leaf of Psidium guajava using
morphine as the standard drug of reference measured (Tona
et al., 1999; Lutterodt, 1992). A dose of 0.2 ml/kg fresh leaf
extract produced 65% inhibition of propulsion. This dose is equitable with 0.2 mg/kg of morphine sulphate. The antidiarrhoeal
action of the extract may be due, in part, to the inhibition of the
increased watery secretions that occur commonly in all acute
diarrhoeal diseases and cholera.
Quercetin showed significant anti-diarrhoeal activity on the

contraction of guinea pig ileum in vitro and the peristaltic
motion of mouse small intestine, and reduced the permeability
of abdominal capillaries (Heinrich, 1998; Zhang et al., 2003).
Quercetin and quercetin-3-arabinoside, extracted from the buds
and leaves of Psidium guajava at concentrations of 1.6 g/ml
showed a morphine-like inhibition of acetylcholine release in
the coaxially stimulated ileum, together with an initial increase
in muscular tone, followed by a gradual decrease (Lutterodt,
1989). It is also reported that the asiatic acid, also extracted
from the leaves, showed dose-dependent (10500 g/ml) spasmolytic activity in spontaneously contracting isolated rabbit
jejunum preparations (Conde et al., 2003). Methanol extract
from leaves (8 g/ml) of Psidium guajava showed activity
against simian (SA-11) rotavirus (93.8% inhibition) (Goncalves
et al., 2005). In addition, galactose-specific lectin in guayaba
was shown to bind to Escherichia coli (a common diarrhoeacausing organism), preventing its adhesion to the intestinal wall
and thus preventing infection resulting diarrhoea (Coutino et al.,
2001).
A methanolic leaf extract (8 g/ml) of Psidium guajava also
showed activity against simian (SA-11) rotavirus (93.8% inhibition) (Goncalves et al., 2005). In addition, galactose-specific
lectin isolated from guava fruit ripe were shown to bind to
Escherichia coli (a common diarrhoea-causing organism), preventing its adhesion to the intestinal wall and thus preventing
infection resulting diarrhoea (Coutino et al., 2001).
3.2. Antimicrobial
The inhibitory effects of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of
the Psidium guajava (root as well as leaves) on the growth
of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, Salmonella enteritidis, Bacillus cereus, Proteus
spp., Shigella spp. and Escherichia coli, causal agent of intestinal infections in humans were examined using the in vitro agar
well diffusion method (Chah et al., 2006).
Methanolic root extract was further separated by column
chromatograph, yielding four antibacterial compounds. Three
antibacterial substances have been detected in the leaves which
are derivatives of quercetin (Prabu et al., 2006; Arima and
Danno, 2002).
In another study, it was observed that methanolic extract from
fruit ripe have fungicidal action against Arthrinium sacchari
M001 and Chaetomium funicola M002 strains (Sato et al., 2000).
Aqueous and methanolic extracts of the leaves are effective
inhibitors of growth spore formation, and enterotoxin production of Clostridium perfringens type A. No enterotoxins were
detected when extracts were added to the media at less than the
MIC for growth (Garcia et al., 2002).
Psidium guajava leaf and bark tinctures were subjected to in
vitro sensitivity tests by serial dilution at concentrations ranging
from 5% to 15% against six test dermatophytes, viz., Trichophyton tonsurans, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichosporon beigelii,
Microsporum fulvum, Microsporum gypseum and Candida albicans. Bark tincture exhibited higher efficacy in controlling the
mycelial growth of dermatophytes than the leaf tincture.
The bark tincture showed fungicidal activity at different concentrations but exhibited only fungistatic property in case of
Candida albicans (Dutta and Das, 2000).
Ethanolic extract from the shell of ripe fruit presenting activity on Streptococcus mutans and Escherichia coli (Neira and
Ramirez, 2005). Results supported the utilization of Psidium
guajava in traditional medicine for intestinal diseases produced
by microorganisms.
3.3. Acne lesions
Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease involving
colonization of Propionibacterium acnes, plus activation of neutrophils and lymphocytes. Circumstantial evidence suggests that
antigen-independent and -dependent immune responses against
Propionibacterium acnes are involved in the pathogenesis of
inflammatory acne. Epidermal keratinocytes are also suggested
to be involved in initiation and progression of cutaneous inflammation. Psidium guajava leaf extracts have potent antimicrobial
activities against Propionibacterium acnes and may be beneficial in treating acne especially when they are known to have
anti-inflammatory activities (Qadan et al., 2005).
3.4. Effect on dental plaque
The adhesion of early settlers of dental plaque to the tooth
surface has a role in the initiation of the development of dental plaque. The hydrophobic surface properties of the bacteria
cell wall are indirectly responsible for the adhesion of the bacteria cell to the acquired pellicle on the tooth surfaces. Tooth
brushing is considered a superior technique for reducing plaque
accumulation. Chemical agents may be used to reduce plaque
accumulation on tooth surfaces. The treatment of the early
plaque settlers with 1 mg/ml aqueous extract leaf of Psidium
guajava reduced the cell-surface hydrophobicity of Staphylococcus sanguinis, Staphylococcus mitis and Actinomyces sp. by
54.1%, 49.9% and 40.6%, respectively (Razak et al., 2006).
These results provide some scientific rationale for its use in
the treatment of dental diseases and suggested that guava leaf
extracts may inhibit the caries-inducing properties of Streptococcus and thus may be beneficial for the dental care.
3.5. Antimalarial effects
The parasite lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) assay method,
a recently developed in vitro enzymatic method for evaluating
antimalarial compounds, was used to examine the antiplasmodial activities of the aqueous leaf, stem-bark and fruit
extracts of Psidium guajava. An in vitro antiplasmodial assay
carried out using a chloroquine-sensitive strain of malarial
parasite, Plasmodium falciparum D10 showed antigiardiasic
activity with trophozoite mortality (87% 1.0); guava stembark extract showed IC50 values of 1020 g/ml (Ponce et al.,
1994; Nundkumar and Ojewole, 2002). In another study, leaves
and stem bark of Psidium guajava inhibited Entamoeba histolytica growth with MAC < 10 g/ml (Tona et al., 1998).
3.6. Antitussive effects

In another report, the water infusion from Psidium guajava
leaves decreased the frequency of coughing induced by capsaicin
aerosol as compared to the control, within 10 min after injection
of the extract (Jaiarj et al., 1999). Infusion on isolated rat tracheal
muscle showed one directly stimulated muscle contraction and
also synergized with the stimulatory effect of pilocarpine. This
effect was antagonized by atropine (Pranee et al., 1999). These
results suggest that guava leaf extract could be recommended as
a cough remedy.
3.7. Hepatoprotective effects
The hepatoprotective effect of an aqueous leaf extract of
Psidium guajava was studied on rat liver damage induced by carbon tetrachloride by monitoring serum transaminase (aspartate
amino transferase and serum alanine amino transferase), alkaline
posphatase, serum cholesterol, serum total lipids and histopathological alterations. The leaf extract at doses of 500 mg/kg
produced significant hepatoprotection (Roy et al., 2006).
Pretreatment with asiatic acid (a triterpenoid extracted from
Psidium guajava leaves and fruit) at doses of 25 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg
or 100 mg/kg significantly blocked the LPS (lipopolysaccharide)
and (d-galactosamine) d-GalN-induced increases in both serum
aspartate aminotransferase and serum alanine aminotransferase
levels, showing improved nuclear condensation, ameliorated
proliferation and less lipid deposition (Gao et al., 2006). Several studies have indicated the ability of guava to reduce several
parameters associated with liver injury.
3.8. Antioxidant, free radical scavenger and
radioprotective activities
Cellular damage or oxidative injury arising from free
radicals or reactive oxygen species (ROS) now appears to
be the fundamental mechanism underlying a number of
human neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, inflammation,
viral infections, autoimmune pathologies and digestive system disorders. Free radicals are generated through normal
metabolism of drugs, environmental chemicals and other xenobiotics as well as endogenous chemicals, especially stress
hormones (adrenalin and noradrenalin) (Masuda et al., 2003).
Dried leaves of Psidium guajava were extracted with hot
water. The total phenolic content in the extract was determined spectrophotometrically according to FolinCiocalteus
phenol method and calculated as gallic acid equivalent (GAE).
A remarkably high total phenolic content 575.3 15.5 were
obtained (Qian and Nihorimbere, 2004). The antioxidant activity of lyophilized leaf extracts was determined using free radical
DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydryzyl) scavenging. The results
obtained showed that ascorbic acid was a substantially more
powerful antioxidant than the extracts from guava leaf (Qian
and Nihorimbere, 2004; Thaipong et al., 2005). These antioxidant properties are associated with its phenolic compounds
such as protocatechuic acid, ferulic acid, quercetin and guavin
B (Thaipong et al., 2005), quercetin, ascorbic acid, gallic acid
and caffeic acid (Jimenez et al., 2001). Guava leaf extracts are a
potential source of natural antioxidants (Ojan and Nihorimbere,
2004).
Other studies show that guava fruits also exert antioxidant
and radioprotective activity in the assay with technetium-99m
[(99m)Tc] (Abreu et al., 2006).
3.9. Antigenotoxic and antimutagenic effects
Generation of DNA damage is considered to be an important initial event in carcinogenesis. A considerable battery of
assays exists for the detection of different genotoxic effects
of compounds in experimental systems, or for investigations
of exposure to genotoxic agents in environmental or occupational settings. Treatment with the aqueous whole plant extracts
of Psidium guajava afforded protection (anti-genotoxic activity) against mitomycin C, nalidixic acid and hydrogen peroxide
(three genotoxins) (Bartolome et al., 2006). In another study,
a pre-treatment with an aqueous guava leaf extract was found
to be effective in inactivating the mutagenicity of direct-acting
mutagens 4-nitro-o-phenylenediamine and 2-aminofluorene in
the tester strains of Salmonella typhimurium. Therefore aqueous
leaf extracts of Psidium guajava show promising antigenotoxic/antimutagenic activity (Grover and Bala, 1993).
3.10. Anti-allergic effects
Th1 polarization is one of the mechanisms underlying the
therapeutic effects of herbal medicine. The action of anti-allergic
agents from Psidium guajava on T cell immunity in mice was
investigated. Studies were carried out on methanol and aqueous
extracts of Psidium guajava leaves. These extracts cause potent
inhibition of histamine release from mast cells, and blocked IL10-mediated, in vitro induction of T regulatory (Tr) cells from
CD4+ splenocytes of C57BL/6 mice. The extracts also shifted
the Th1/Th2 balance to a Th1 dominant status by directly attenuating Tr cell activity. Psidum guajava leaf extracts showed
anti-allergic activity on T cell immunity in mice (Seo et al.,
2005).
3.11. Anticancer/antitumour effects
An aqueous extract of Psidium guajava leaves inhibited (the
viability) of the cancer cell line DU-145 in a dose-dependent
manner. At 1.0 mg/ml, the extract reduced the viability of PCa
DU-145 (the androgen independent PCa cells) to 36.1% and
3.6%, respectively after 48 h and 72 h of incubations (Chen et al.,
2007). Essential oil extracted from leaves of Psidium guajava
was highly effective in reducing the growth of human mouth
epidermal carcinoma (KB) and murine leukemia (P388) cell
lines when they were treated with different concentrations of
the oil ranging from 0.019 mg/ml to 4.962 mg/ml. Guava leaf
oil showed the highest anti-proliferative activity with an IC50
value of 0.0379 mg/ml (four times more potent than vincristine)
on P388 cell lines (Manosroi et al., 2006); an effect mostly
attributed to the monoterpenes present in the essential oil (Cito
et al., 2003). A chemopreventive effect was also demonstrated
in another study of a methanol leaf extract on mice-induced cancer inoculated with B16 melanoma cells. A significant decrease
in the incidence and average number of animals with cancer
was found compared to the control group (Fernandes et al.,
1995). These findings suggest that Psidium guajava aqueous
leaf extracts are efficacious for the prevention of tumour development by depressing Tr cells and subsequently shifting to Th1
cells (Seo et al., 2005).
Furthermore, jacoumaric acid (isolated from guava seeds)
was evaluated for its antitumour effect; it was found to significantly reduce the incidence of tumours (Numata et al., 1989).
Phytochemical investigations of the acetone extract of Psidium
guajava seeds has led to the isolation of phenyl-ethanoid
glycosides
(1-O-3,4-dimethoxy-phenylethyl-4-O-3,4dimethoxy cinnamoyl-6-O-cinnamoyl-beta-d-glucopyranose
and
1-O-3,4-dimethoxyphenylethyl-4-O-3,4-dimethoxy
cinnamoyl-beta-d-glucopyranose) which showed cytotoxic
activities in vitro against Ehrlich ascites cells (EAC) and
leukaemia P3888 cells (Salib and Michael, 2004). These
finding suggested that Psidium guaijava extracts have the
potential to be developed as new chemotherapeutic agents to
prevent or to inhibit the growth of tumours and cancers.
3.12. Cardiovascular, hypotensive effects
The effect of an aqueous leaf extract of Psidium guajava on
myocardial injury was studied in the model of global ischemia
followed by reperfusion. High-energy phosphates and malondialdehyde in the reperfused hearts were significantly reduced
with the plant extract (Conde et al., 2003). In another study,
aqueous leaf extract of Psidium guajava exhibited cardioprotective effects against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in
isolated rat hearts. Augmentation of endogenous antioxidants,
maintenance of the myocardial antioxidant status and significant
restoration of most of the altered hemodynamic parameters may
have contributed to its cardioprotective effect (Yamashiro et al.,
2003). The cardio-inhibitory actions in rats and guinea pigs of
the aqueous leaf extract of Psidium guajava also appeared to
be due to cholinergic involvement in the mechanism of action.
Ojewole (2005) showed that the aqueous leaf extract caused
hypotension in the experimental animal model used via cholinergic mechanisms. Moreover, acute intravenous administrations
of the leaf extract (50800 mg/kg i.v.) produced dose-dependent,
significant reductions in systemic arterial blood pressures and
heart rates of hypertensive, Dahl salt-sensitive rats. Although
the exact mechanisms of action of the extract remain speculative at present, it is unlikely that the extract causes hypotension
in the mammalian experimental animal model used via cholinergic mechanisms since its cardiodepressant effects are resistant
to atropine pre-treatment (Ojewole, 2005).
Belemtougri et al. (2006) found that aqueous and ethanolic
leaf extracts of Psidium guajava inhibits intracellular calcium
release (Chiesi and Schwaller, 1994; Apisariyakul et al., 1999).
Aqueous leaf extract of Psidium guajava significantly and dosedependently (0.252 mg/ml) contracted the aorta rings. The
effect was evaluated also in the presence of nifedipine and phentolamine. The sensitivity of the aortic rings to cumulative doses
of Psidium guajava was significantly enhanced in the presence of

phentolamine suggesting that the effect of Psidium guajava was
to a large extent mediated by activation of an alpha-adrenoceptor
and to a lesser extent by acting via calcium ion channel (Olatunji
et al., 2007). A guava leaf extract may therefore be beneficial for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, also since its
traditional use in hypertension is well established.
3.13. Anti-hyperglycemic
The rapidly increasing diabetes mellitus is becoming a serious threat to human health in all parts of the world. The control
and treatment of diabetes and its complications mainly depend
on the chemical or biochemical agents, but the fact is that it
has never been reported that someone had recovered totally
from diabetes. With the distinctive traditional medical opinions
and natural medicines mainly originated in herbs, traditional
medicine offers good clinical opportunities and shows a bright
future in the therapy of diabetes mellitus and its complications.
The effect of Psidium guajava bark, leaves and fruit as antidiabetic agents has been studied by several authors. Mukhtar et
al. (2006) evaluated anti-hyperglycaemic activity of the ethanol
extract obtained from the stem bark of Psidium guajava on
blood glucose levels of normal, alloxan-induced hyperglycaemic
rats and normal glucose loaded rats. The results showed that
ethanol stem bark extract exhibited statistically significant hypoglycaemic activity in alloxan-induced, hyperglycaemic rats but
was devoid of significant hypoglycaemic effect in normal and
normal glucose loaded rats.
In another study, a decoction of Psidium guajava leaves
was screened for hypoglycaemic activity on alloxan-induced
diabetic rats. In both acute and sub-acute tests, the water
extract, at an oral dose of 250 mg/kg, showed statistically
significant hypoglycaemic activity (Mukhtar et al., 2004).
The treatment with Psidium guajava aqueous leaf extract
(0.010.625 mg/ml) showed significant inhibition on LDL
glycation in a dose-dependent manner. Tannins, flavonoids, pentacyclic triterpenoids, guiajaverin, quercetin, and other chemical
compounds present in the plant are speculated to account for
the observed hypoglycaemic and hypotensive effects of the leaf
extract (Ojewole, 2005; Wang et al., 2005).
Psidium guajava is an excellent anti-LDL glycative agent
whose potential therapeutic uses can be extended to the prevention of a variety of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative
diseases associated with glycations (Hsieh et al., 2007). Oh et
al. (2005) demonstrated that the methanol extract from Psidium
guajava leaves exhibited significant inhibitory effect on PTP1B
(protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B) in Lepr[db/Lepr[db] mice
homozygous for the diabetes spontaneous mutation (Leprdb )
become identifiably obese around 34 weeks of age. These
homozygous mutant mice are polyphagic, polydipsic, and
polyuric. Blood glucose lowering effect of the methanol extract
was observed after i.p. dose of 10 mg/kg, with an antidiabetic
effect via the inhibition of PTP1B.
In one study, oral administrations of 100 mg/kg, 150 mg/kg
and 250 mg/kg of juice from ripe guava fruit caused significant
hypoglycemia in normoglycemic and STZ-treated, diabetic rats
(Cheng and Yang, 1983). Although effective duration of guava is

less potent than chlorpropamide and metformin. Moreover, acute
intravenous administrations of the fruits juice produced significant reductions in systemic arterial blood pressures and heart
rates of hypertensive patients. Some investigators suggested that
the hypoglycaemic components in guava fruits might involve
ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, arjunolic acid and glucuronic acid
(Chang, 1982).
Anti-LDL (low density lipoprotein) glycative agents were
investigated using aqueous decoctions of Psidium guajava
fruit ripe at concentrations of 0.010.625 mg/ml (Hsieh et
al., 2005). The results have revealed that guava fruits exhibit
excellent antiglycation effect, being a rather powerful and effective inhibitor of LDL glycation in both glucose and glyoxal
induced models. The antiglycation activities of guava fruit
were relevantly and directly related to its polyphenolic content (extractable polyphenols 2.627.79%), yet it seemed to us
that Psidium guajava fruit also possesses a rather specific and
somewhat different degree of free-radical scavenging ability,
thus it was speculated that the reaction mechanism of guava
might have occurred in the initiation rather than the propagation
phase, a mechanism being quite different from the conventional
free-radical scavenging by the polyphenolics. This problem is
indeed worth exploring in further studies.
3.14. Effect on muscular system
Degenerative muscular diseases, such as muscular dystrophy,
have been the target of regenerative cell therapy. Although satellite cells play central roles in skeletal muscle regeneration that
intrinsically occurs after muscle injury, their application to cell
therapy is confronted with difficulties (Endo, 2007). Water and
methanolic leaf extracts from Psidium guajava showed antagonistic effects on caffeine induced calcium release from the
sarcoplasmic reticulum of rat skeletal muscle cells in a dosedependent-manner showing a clear calcium-antagonistic effect
(Belemtougri et al., 2006). Aqueous leaf infusions of Psidium
guajava could block the L-type calcium membrane channels
(Conde et al., 2003). Guava may therefore be beneficial for
patients with muscular dystrophy (Lamb, 2000).
3.15. Anti-inammatory/analgesic
A decoction of Psidium guajava leaves is used worldwide
for the treatment of various inflammatory ailments including
rheumatism. The numerous polyphenolic compounds, triterpenoids and other chemical compounds present in the plant
may account for the observed anti-inflammatory and analgesic
effects of the leaf extracts. The anti-inflammatory property of
the aqueous leaf extract was investigated in rats, using fresh
egg albumin induced pedal (paw) oedema, while the analgesic
effect of the plant extract was evaluated by the hot-plate and
acetic acid test models of pain in mice. Psidium guajava aqueous extract (50800 mg/kg, i.p.) produced dose-dependent and
significant inhibition of fresh egg albumin-induced acute inflammation (oedema) in rats. The leaf extract (50800 mg/kg, i.p.)
also produced dose-dependent and significant analgesic effects
against thermally and chemically induced nociceptive pain in

mice (Ojewole, 2006).
The anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of 70%
ethanolic extract of leaves of Psidium guajava were also investigated in rats using the carrageenan induced hind paw oedema
model. Extracts which exhibited anti-inflammatory activity
were screened for analgesic activity using the RandallSelitto
method in rats. The extracts were administered at a dose of
300 mg/kg, p.o. Aspirin (300 mg/kg, p.o.) was employed as the
reference drug. Psidium guajava leaves showed significant antiinflammatory activity with an inhibition of 58% (Muruganandan
et al., 2001).
The essential oil, steam-distilled from leaves of Psidium
guajava, was given orally to rats to study its effects on the
exudative and proliferative phases of the inflammatory reaction
(carrageenan induced paw oedema and cotton pellet induced
granuloma models). The essential oil (0.8 mg/kg) significantly
reduced oedema formation induced by carrageenan while at
0.4 mg/kg and 0.8 mg/kg the oil also significantly reduced granuloma formation induced by cotton pellets (Kavimani et al.,
1997).
3.16. Antinociceptive effects
The hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of Psidium
guajava leaves showed activity on the central nervous system in
mice. The three extracts exhibited mostly antinociceptive effects
in chemical and thermal tests of analgesia. The extracts also produced dose-dependent prolongation of pentobarbitone-induced
sleeping time (Shaheen et al., 2000). Shortly after intraperitoneal
administration of this methanol extract, typical narcotic-like
effects were observed including catalepsy, analgesia, straub tail,
shallow respiratory movements and exophthalmos. Doses of
3.36.6 mg/kg i.p. depressed spontaneous locomotor activity
and tunnel running was curtailed. Higher doses abolished the
spontaneous locomotor reflex action (Lutterodt and Maleque,
1988).
These results lend pharmacological credence to the uses of
the plant in the management and/or control of painful, arthritic
and other inflammatory conditions.
It was also reported in another study that the antinociceptive effect of leaf essential oil from Psidium guajava and its
constituent, -pinene produced a significant antinociceptive
effect in the formalin test probably mediated by endogenously released adenosine (Santos et al., 1998). Hexane, ethyl
acetate and methanol extracts of Psidium guajava leaves on
the central nervous system in mice exhibited mostly dosedependent antinociceptive effects in chemical and thermal tests
of analgesia. The extracts also produced dose-dependent prolongation of pentobarbitone-induced sleeping time. However,
they had variable and mostly non-significant effects on locomotor coordination, locomotor activity or exploration (Shaheen
et al., 2000). A bio-guided fractionation of the hexane extract
obtained from Psidium guajava leaves led to the isolation of
sesquiterpenes with depressant activities on the central nervous system. The relaxant properties of the Psidium guajava
hexane extract are largely due to the presence of terpenes,
10
especially caryophyllene-oxide and -selinene, which potentiated pentobarbital sleeping time and the latency of convulsions
induced by leptazol in mice. Calcium concentrationresponse
curves showed a rightward displacement when hexane extract
was added to isolated guinea-pig ileum depolarized with K+
(60 mm) and cumulative concentrations of CaCl2 , suggesting
that caryophyllene-oxide, a known Ca2+ antagonist agent could
be responsible for the blockade of extracellular Ca2+ (Meckes
et al., 1996).
diarrhoeal of the treated group (25.1 9.5 h) was significantly

shorter than that of the control group (38.7 15.2 h, P < 0.01).
The content of Na+ and glucose in stool was reduced obviously
in the treated group, while the reduction in the control group was
insignificant; the treated group was significantly superior to the
control group. The rate of negative conversion of HRV in faeces
of the treated group was 87.1%, significantly better than that of
the control (58.1%). The treatment with PG has good curative
effect on infantile rotaviral enteritis (Wei et al., 2000).
3.17. Wound healing
5.2. Infectious gastroenteritis
The wound healing properties of a methanolic leaf extract

of Psidium guajava were determined using the excision wound
model. More than 90% wound healing was observed after 14
days post-surgery, whereas 72% healing was observed in the
distilled water treated group (Chah et al., 2006).
In the Laboratory of Medicinal Plants Research Unit of Neurological Diseases, Mexico, a randomized double-blind trial
examined the efficacy of a standardized aqueous leaf extract
Psidium guajava ([QG-5] estimated at quercetin-equivalent
1 mg per 500 mg capsule) versus placebo in 100 patients
with infectious gastroenteritis. The experimental group (n = 50)
received 1 capsule of QG-5 orally every 8 h for 3 days, while the
control group (n = 50) received the same regimen with matching placebo capsules. Conventional oral rehydration therapy
was initiated in both groups. Outcome measures included number of daily stools, consistency, presence of mucus, degree of
abdominal pain, number of spasms in 24 h, fever, and number of
vomiting episodes. Results indicated a significant difference in
outcome measures favouring the experimental group, mostly due
to an antispasmolytic effect, which helped reduce the number of
episodes of abdominal pain. No adverse effects were reported
for patients treated with QG-5 (Lozoya et al., 2002). Besides
constipation, no serious adverse reactions have been reported in
patients taking QG-5. Guava is commercially available in capsules, liquids, powders, and tablets in a standardized form for
gastroenteritis.
In Cuba, a longitudinal randomized double blind study was
carried out among 100 adult patients with acute diarrhoea. The
effect of an oral treatment with 10 ml tincture from Psidium
guajava dissolved in water, every 8 h, on the treatment of diarrhoea was determined. The results revealed that this 20% leaf
tincture significantly reduced the time to ceasing diarrhoea and
no adverse reactions were detected (Echemendia and Moron,
2004). Guava offers an effective and safe alternative treatment
for patient with diarrhoea disease.
4. Toxicology
This toxicologic study was conducted using dry leaves of
Psidium guajava L. In this plant material, acute toxicologic
study by the following methods: mean lethal dose LD50 test
in Swiss mice and alternative toxicology (acute toxic classes)
in Wistar rats. We also made the genotoxic of 2 extracts, one
of aqueous type, and the other of henaxic type in an in vitro
system of short-term somatic segregation induction assay in the
Aspergillus nidulans fungus and an in vivo assay of the dry drug
in mouse bone marrow micronuclei induction test. No deaths
were observed in the toxicological results of the two experimental models in the dose range using up to 2 g/kg/b.w. Acute
toxicity tests in rats and mice have proven the LD50 of guava leaf
extracts to be more than 5 g/kg. In vitro genotoxicity and mutagenicity tests on Psidium guajava in human peripheral blood
lymphocytes found no disturbances in cell division (Jaiarj et al.,
1999; Manosroi et al., 2006). The histological results did not
suggest any damage attributable to toxicity of the studied plant
material. In the in vitro study with Aspergillus nidulans D-30,
results indicated a lack of genotoxic effect of these extracts,
as well as in the mouse bone marrow micronucelus induction
system (Martinez et al., 2001).
5. Clinical trials
5.3. Cardiovascular effects

5.1. Infantile rotaviral enteritis
A pilot study was carried out at the Nanfang Hospital, First
Military Medical University, and Guangzhou on Psidium guajava (PG) leaf decoction for treating infantile rotaviral enteritis.
Sixty-two patients of rotaviral enteritis were randomly divided
into the verum group treated with PG and the control group
treated with Gegen Qinlian decoction. The time for ceasing diarrhoeal, the content of Na+ in blood, the content of Na+ and
glucose in stool, and the rate of negative conversion of human
rotavirus (HRV) antigen were observed. The rate of recovery
in 3 days for the treated group was 87.1%, significantly higher
than that of the control group (58.1%). The time of ceasing
Evidence from a randomized, single-blind, clinical trial suggests that by adding moderate amounts of guava fruit to the diet,
changes in dietary fatty acids and carbohydrates may decrease
lipoprotein metabolism and blood pressure. Two groups of
patients (N = 120) were assessed over 12 weeks; each group
received ripe guava fruit, preferably before meals. At the end of
the period, approximately half of the patients had a net decrease
in serum total cholesterol (9.9%), triglycerides (7.7%), and
blood pressure (9/8 mm Hg), with a net increase in high-density
lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (8%) (Singh et al., 1992).
A single-blind, randomized, controlled trial of 145 hypertensive patients found similar results. Patients received a fibre and
potassium enriched diet containing 0.51 kg of guava daily or

their usual diet; alcohol, caffeine, cholesterol, fat, and salt intake
were similar in both groups. After 4 weeks, systolic and diastolic
pressures improved, decreases occurred in serum total cholesterol and triglycerides, and there was a mild increase in the ratio
of total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol in the guava group (Singh
et al., 1993).
In another trial conducted for a 9-week period in Institut
Kemahiran Belia Negara, Hulu Langat, Selangor, Malaysia,
a randomized double-blind study of 122 people examined the
effects of consuming 400 g/day of guava fruit on total antioxidant status and lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglycerides,
low-density lipoprotein [LDL] and HDL cholesterol). Consumption of guava fruit reduced oxidative stress and blood cholesterol
levels. Thus, it could reduce the risk of disease caused by free
radical activities and high cholesterol in the blood (Rahmat et
al., 2004).
5.4. Dysmenorrhea
A double-blinded randomized clinical trial was conducted
in 197 women with primary dysmenorrhea. Four intervention groups were defined: two leaf extract doses (3 mg/day
and 6 mg/day); ibuprofen (1200 mg/day); placebo (3 mg/day).
Participants were followed up individually for 4 months. The
main outcome variable was abdominal pain intensity measured
according to a visual analogue scale (VAS). The average age of
participants was 19 years; menarche occurred around 12 years
of age. Participants had menstrual cycles of 28 or 29 days, with
menstruation lasting 5 days and pain intensity mean of 8.2 on
the VAS. During each successive treatment cycle, participants
experienced a lower pain intensity score. Multiple regression
analysis, after adjusting each cycle for baseline pain, treatment compliance and other variables, showed that the group
receiving 6 mg/day leaf extract had significantly reduced pain
intensity (p < 0.001). This effect was maintained in cycles 2 and
3, although the reduction in the mean of pain intensity was lower.
The group receiving the 3 mg/day extract did not show a consistent effect throughout the three cycles. The guava leaf extract
standardized to 6 mg flavonol/day, reduced menstrual pain significantly compared with conventional treatment and placebo
(Vladislavovna et al., 2007; Svetlana et al., 2007).
5.5. Hypoglycaemic effect
In China, a multicentric randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of guava in the management of
diabetes. The mean age of participants was 59.6-year-old and
average duration of diabetes was 5.4 years. Oral administration
capsules containing 500 mg of aqueous leaf extract from Psidium guajava to 50 diabetic patients showed hypoglycaemic less
potent than chlorpropamide and metformin. Thus, it is suggested
that guava may be employed to improve and/or prevent diabetes
mellitus (Cheng and Yang, 1983).
Guava is a tropical fruit that contains high levels of dietary
fibre and could have health potential in the management of blood
glucose level in diabetic subjects. Oral administration of cap-
11
sules containing 500 mg of Psidium guajava fruit in 40 patients

showed a reduction in blood glucose level in weeks 3, 4 and 5
with changes in glucose level of 12.3%, 24.79% and 7.9%
respectively as compared with the diabetic control group. This
study showed that supplementation of 0.517 g/day could reduce
fasting blood glucose level but the mean was not significant
(Yusof and Said, 2004).
6. Summary
Psidium guajava is a well-known medicinal plant that is frequently prescribed in various indigenous systems of medicine
especially those of Central America and Africa. Guava extracts,
traditionally prepared (infusions, decoctions, tinctures of the
barks and leaves and ripe fruit) by many widely separated
cultures for eons of time for various uses (Table 1) have, as summarised in this review, been shown by the application of modern
scientific methods to indeed possess multiple disease ameliorating properties. Such properties have been further explained by
several studies detailing the specific bioactivity of individual
phytochemicals extracted from guava and on clinical studies.
Extracts and phytochemicals isolated from Psidium guajava
leaves have been shown to have multiple disease ameliorating effects caused by microbial pathogens (Table 1). Its most
widespread traditional use has been for the treatment of diarrhoea. Leaf extracts of Psidium guajava, as reviewed here, have
been found to have antimicrobial activity against several bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites, with proven ability to ameliorate
diarrhoeal, and also gastroenteritis, dental plaque, acne, infantile
rotaviral enteritis and even malaria suggesting wide antimicrobial activity. The activity guided purification resulted in the
isolation of quercetin, quercetin-3-arabinoside, and asiatic acid
which showed significant anti-diarrhoeal activity.
Another traditional use of guava has been in the treatment
of coughs; experimental data presented here show that guava
leaf extract do indeed exert an inhibitory effect on frequency of
coughing.
Research summarised here also indicates that guava leaves
provide antioxidant and other effects providing beneficial protective properties to the heart and liver with an improvement in
myocardial and muscular function. In other animal studies guava
leaf extracts showed anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic,
sedative, and central nervous system (CNS) depressant activity.
While these are not known folk uses per se, they help to explain
such folk recipes as the use of leaf extracts for rheumatic pain,
convulsions, vomiting and menstrual pain. The effect on diarrhoeal, for example seems to be due to its antimicrobial activity,
but also in other ways as discussed in Section 3.1.
Leaves are the part of the plant that is most frequently used
in the forms of decoction. The studies performed by the authors
have been discussed. Most of the pharmacological and chemical work has been carried out on the leaf, reveals the connection
between medicinal herbs and cultural beliefs toward healing.
Guava leaves contain tannins as well as -sitosterol, flavonoids,
triterpenoids, volatile oil. The main traditional use is for the treatment of the gastrointestinal disorders (diarrhoea, stomach pain,
gastroenteritis, indigestion, and dysentery) and dermatologic
12
conditions (boils, skin, infection, and ulcers). The recommended

dosage for acute diarrhoea is 0.51.0 cup of decoction (take a
handful of leaves to make a decoction with 1 l of water) 35
times daily.
The ripe guava fruit, on the other hand, has been shown here
and in other reviews (Hwang et al., 2002) to be a very useful nutraceutical with important properties that can affect the
maintenance of health and prevention of many diseases. All
parts of the fruit can be eaten, with the skin actually possessing the highest vitamin C level. The fruit and its juice have
been documented to lower blood sugar levels in normal and diabetic animals and humans, ameliorate rheumatism (analgesic
and anti-inflammatory effects), while reducing blood pressure,
triglycerides and cholesterol levels. Interestingly, guava bark and
leaves have also been shown to have important antioxidant and
anti-diabetic properties with the bark being more active. This
lends pharmacological credence to the folkloric, ethnomedical
uses of the plant in the management or control of adult-onset,
type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension in some rural communities.
As well as the traditional preparations, individual chemicals
have been shown to exhibit previously unknown properties. The
inherent cytotoxicity of triterpenes in the seeds and leaf is the
most promising and should be better explored in the search for
new antineoplastic agents because the leaf oil has been shown
to be four times more potent than vincristine.
Most importantly, Psidium guajava has been used for a long
period of time with no serious adverse effects reported or documented.
7. Conclusion
The pharmacological studies conducted on Psidium guajava
indicate the immense potential of this plant in the treatment of conditions such as diarrhoeal, gastroenteritis and
rotavirus enteritis, wounds, acne, dental plaque, malaria, allergies, coughs, diabetes, cardiovascular disorder, degenerative
muscular diseases, inflammatory ailments including rheumatism
and menstrual pain, liver diseases, cancer, etc. Not surprisingly,
guava also exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects as
oxidative injury underlies many of these diseases. However, the
diverse pharmacological activities of guava extracts and isolated
phytochemicals have only been assayed in in vitro tests using
laboratory animals, and the results obtained may not necessarily
be portable to the situation in humans. While there are gaps in
the studies conducted so far, which need to be bridged in order to
exploit the full medicinal potential of guava, it is still very clear
that this is a plant with tremendous widespread use now and also
with extraordinary potential for the future. On the basis of the low
toxicity of guava extracts and derived phytochemicals and their
use as nutraceutical (fruit) and medicinal (leaves, bark, seeds,
roots) agents, backed by proven activity of both the traditional
formulations (infusions, decoctions, tinctures) and their derived
phytochemicals (phenolics, flavonoids, carotenoids, triterpenes,
essential oil constituents and others), further research, clinical
trials and product development can only cement Psidium guajava as a very important part of our biodiversity to respect and
sustainably use for generations to come.
Appendix A. Constituents of Psidium guayava
Structure
Source
Activities
Leaf and roots, Okuda et al. (1984),

Quisumbing (1978)
Cardioprotective effects against

ischemia-reperfusion. Antioxidant, Yamashiro et al.
(2003).
Leaf and fruit, Okuda et al. (1984).
Antioxidant, Thaipong et al. (2005)
Leaf, Liang et al. (2005)
Antibacterial activities. Antioxidant, Zhou et al.

(2007)
Phenolic compounds isolated from Psidium guajava
13
Appendix A (Continued )
Structure
Source
Activities
Leaf, Zhu et al. (1997)
Antioxidant, Misra and Seshadri (1968), Qian and

Nihorimbere (2004)
Leaf, Liang et al. (2005), Qian and

Nihorimbere (2004)
Antioxidant, capacity radical scavenging activity,

antimutagenic/anticarcinogenic effect, inflammation
inhibiting and endothelial protective properties, Li
and Chang (2005)
Leaf, stem-bark, and roots, Misra and

Seshadri (1968)
Possesses analgesic and antiinflammatory

properties, Ojewole (2006)
Leaf and fruit, Okuda et al. (1984), Zhu

et al. (1997)
Antioxidant, Okuda et al. (1984)
Leaf flowers and fruit, Liang et al. (2005)
Antidiarrhoea effect, Zhang et al. (2003). Exhibited

antioxidant and spasmolytic effects, Formica and
Regelson (1995), Yamashiro et al. (2003). Also
showed inhibition on skeletal muscles contraction,
Chaichana and Apisariyakul (1996); Induced
reduction of presynaptic molecular activity,
Apisariyakul et al. (1999) Also showed vasodilator
effects, Duarte et al. (1993)
Flavonoids isolated from Psidium guajava
14
Structure
Source
Leaf, flowers and fruit Nadkarni and

Nadkarni (1999)
Leaf flowers and fruit Liang et al. (2005)
Acylated flavonol glycoside
Seeds, Michael et al. (2002)
Leaf and fruit Liang et al. (2005)
Leaf and fruit Liang et al. (2005)
Activities
15
Structure
Source
Activities
Leaf and fruit, Prabu et al. (2006)
Showed antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus

mutans, Prabu et al. (2006)
Leaf and fruit, Arima and Danno (2002)
Showed antimicrobial activity against Salmonella

enteritidis and Bacillus cereus, Arima and Danno
(2002)
Leaf and fruit, Arima and Danno (2002)
Showed antimicrobial activity against Salmonella

enteritidis and Bacillus cereus, Arima and Danno
(2002)
Leaf and fruit, Liang et al. (2005)
16
Structure
Source
Activities
Leaf and fruit, Liang et al.

(2005)
Carotenoids isolated from Psidium guajava
Leaf and fruit,

Mercadante et al. (1999)
Leaf and fruit,

Leaf and fruit,

Leaf and fruit,

Leaf and fruit,

Leaf and fruit,

Leaf and fruit Mercadante

et al. (1999)
Acts as a chain-breaking
antioxidant and thus protects
cell against photo-oxidation
Palozza and Krinsky (1992)
17
Structure
Source
Leaf and fruit, Mercadante et al. (1999)
Cytokinins isolated from Psidium guajava
Leaf and fruit, Nagar and Rao (1981)
Zeatin riboside
Zeatin nucleotide

Triterpenes isolated from Psidium guajava
Leaf and fruit, Siddiqui et al. (2002)
Leaf and fruit, Begum et al. (2002a)
Leaf and fruit, Begum et al. (2002a)
Activities
18
Structure
Source
Leaf and fruit, Begum et al. (2004)
Leaf and fruit, (Begum et al., 2002a,b)
Leaf and fruit, (Begum et al., 2002a)
Leaf and fruit, (Begum et al., 2004)
Leaf, (Begum et al., 2002a)
Activities

Structure
Source
Activities
Leaf and fruit, Begum et al.

(2004)

(2002a)

(2002a,b)
Leaf and fruit, (Begum et al.,

2002a,b)

(2002a,b)
Showed spasmolytic, Conde-Garcia et al. (2003),

antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and
hepatoprotective activities, Gao et al. (2006)
19
20
Structure
Source
Activities
Leaf and fruit, Begum et al. (2004)
Seeds, Salib and Michael (2004)
Showed cytotoxic activities in vitro

against Ehrlich ascites Carcinoma
cells (EAC) and leukaemia P3888
cells Salib and Michael (2004)
Fruit, Li et al. (1999)
Content: 18.81%. Cytotoxic to brine

shrimp larvae, Cito et al. (2003)
Fruit, Li et al. (1999)
Content: 11.80%. Antiinflammatory

and inhibition of nitric oxide
production; in vitro antitumour, Siani
et al. (1999)
Leaf, Li et al. (1999
Content 10.27%, Li et al. (1999)
Constituents from the essential oil of Psidium guajava
21
Structure
Source
Activities
Leaf, Oliver-Bever (1986)
Content 7.36%, Oliver-Bever (1986)
Leaf, (Li et al., 1999)
Antiinflammatory and inhibition of

nitric oxide production; in vitro
antitumour (Siani et al., 1999)
Leaf, Kenneth et al. (1970)
Fruit, Kenneth et al. (1970)
22
Structure
Source
Leaf, Li et al. (1999)
Fruit, (Jordan et al., 2003)
Fruit, Jordan et al. (2003)
Fruit, Jordan et al. (2003))
Fruit, Jordan et al. (2003)
Activities
23
Structure
Source
Micellaneous
Flowers, roots, Jordan et al. (2003)
Leaves, fruit, Fujita et al. (1985)
Leaves, fruit, Fujita et al. (1985)
Leaves, fruit, Radha and Chandrasekaran

(1997)

(1997)
Activities
24
Structure
Source
Activities

cells (EAC) and leukemia P3888

(1997)
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Journal of Ethnopharmacology 117 (2008) 127

Psidium guajava: A review of its traditional uses,

0378-8741/$ see front matter 2008 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

R.M.P. Gutierrez et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 117 (2008) 127

3.8. Antioxidant, free radical scavenger and radioprotective activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

R.M.P. Gutierrez et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 117 (2008) 127

Ethno medical uses

Decoction and poultice

Gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, dysentery, rheumatic

Heinrich et al. (1998),

Diarrhoea, stomach ache

Shoots, leaves, bark

Panama, Cuba, Costa

Febrifuge, expel the placenta after childbirth,

Martnez and Barajas (1991),

Diabetes mellitus, hypertension

Febrifuge, antispasmodic, rheumatism,

Leaves, roots, ripe

Whole plant, shoots

New Guinea, Samoa,

Skin tonic, painful menstruation, miscarriages,

Latin America, Central

Bark and leaves

Externally applied hot on

Oh et al. (2005), Ojewole

Tona et al. (1999)

Juice, the leaves are

Word Health Organization

Word Health Organization

Sores, boils, cuts, sprains

Bacterial infections, blood cleansing, diarrhoea,

Word Health Organization

Holetz et al. (2002), Cybele et

Smith and Nigel (1992)

Tona et al. (1999)

Word Health Organization

R.M.P. Gutierrez et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 117 (2008) 127

of human ailments, including diabetes mellitus and hypertension

and Rengifo, 2000). In Mozambique, the decoction of leaves

Food: juice, jelly nectar, concentrated, stuffed of candies, gelatines,

All the countries

Jimenez-Escrig et al. (2001)

R.M.P. Gutierrez et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 117 (2008) 127

(1.6%) were reported from fresh white-flesh guayaba fruit oil.

R.M.P. Gutierrez et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 117 (2008) 127

Quercetin showed significant anti-diarrhoeal activity on the

R.M.P. Gutierrez et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 117 (2008) 127

3.6. Antitussive effects

R.M.P. Gutierrez et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 117 (2008) 127

of Psidium guajava was significantly enhanced in the presence of

R.M.P. Gutierrez et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 117 (2008) 127

(Cheng and Yang, 1983). Although effective duration of guava is

against thermally and chemically induced nociceptive pain in

R.M.P. Gutierrez et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 117 (2008) 127

diarrhoeal of the treated group (25.1 9.5 h) was significantly

3.17. Wound healing

5.2. Infectious gastroenteritis

The wound healing properties of a methanolic leaf extract

5.3. Cardiovascular effects

R.M.P. Gutierrez et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 117 (2008) 127

potassium enriched diet containing 0.51 kg of guava daily or

sules containing 500 mg of Psidium guajava fruit in 40 patients