Medicinal & Aromatic Plants
Open Access

Abstract

Psidium Guajava (Guava): A Plant of Multipurpose Medicinal Applications

Sandra M. Barbalho, Flávia M. V. Farinazzi-Machado, Ricardo de Alvares Goulart, Anna Cláudia Saad Brunnati, Alda Maria Machado Bueno Ottoboni and Cláudia Cristina Teixeira Nicolau

Chronic degenerative diseases have reached epidemic proportions in industrialized and developing countries. Many studies have shown that plant can be helpful to prevent or treat diseases. Psidium guajava is a small medicinal tree that is native to South America and Brazil is among the world’s top producers and most of the country’s production is destined for the food industry. It is popularly known as guava and has been used traditionally as a medicinal plant throughout the world for a number of ailments. The aim of this review is to present some chemical compounds in P. guajava and their pharmacological effects. The main constituents of guava leaves are phenolic compounds, isoflavonoids, gallic acid, catechin, epicathechin, rutin, naringenin, kaempferol. The pulp is rich in ascorbic acid, carotenoids (lycopene, β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin). The seeds, skin and barks possess glycosids, carotenoids and phenolic compounds. All parts of the plant have been used for different purposes: hepatoprotection, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, anti-cancer, antimicrobial, anti-hyperglycemic, analgesic, endothelial progenitor cells, anti-stomachache and anti-diarrhea. P. guajava has many effects on health and that it should be researched more extensively in clinical trials. Furthermore leaves, seeds and peel are treated as wastes by the food processing industry and are discarded, so their use may reduce the disposal of these parts of guava as pollutants.