Psidium guajava: A single plant for multiple health problems of rural Indian population

Abstract

The rural population in India faces a number of health problems and often has to rely on local remedies. Psidium guajava Linn. (guava), a tropical plant which is used as food and medicine can be used by rural communities due to its several medicinal properties. A literature search was undertaken to gauge the rural health scenario in India and compile the available literature on guava so as to reflect its usage in the treatment of multiple health conditions prevalent in rural communities. Towards this, electronic databases such as Pubmed, Science Direct, google scholar were scanned. Information on clinical trials on guava was obtained from Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Clinicaltrial.gov. The literature survey revealed that guava possesses various medicinal properties which have been reported from across the globe in the form of ethnobotanical/ethnopharmacological surveys, laboratory investigations and clinical trials. Besides documenting the safety of guava, the available literature shows that guava is efficacious against the following conditions which rural communities would encounter. (a) Gastrointestinal infections; (b) Malaria; (c)Respiratory infections; (d) Oral/dental infections; (e) Skin infections; (f) Diabetes; (g) Cardiovascular/hypertension; (h) Cancer; (i) Malnutrition; (j) Women problems; (k) Pain; (l) Fever; (m) Liver problems; (n) Kidney problems. In addition, guava can also be useful for treatment of animals and explored for its commercial applications. In conclusion, popularization of guava, can have multiple applications for rural communities.

Studi Etnofarmakologi Tumbuhan Obat Yang Digunakan Oleh Penyehat Tradisional Untuk Mengatasi Diare Di Sulawesi Selatan

“…Bagian tumbuhan yang paling banyak digunakan setelah daun berturut-turut adalah rimpang, kulit batang, kulit buah, kemudian batang, buah, umbi, biji dan herba. Sebaliknya, penggunaan akar, batang dan kulit batang dalam ramuan bersifat destruktif karena dapat mengancam pertumbuhan dan berakibat pada kelangkaan spesies tumbuhan obat tertentu (Olajuyigbe & Afolayan, 2012 P. guajava dikenal secara tradisional untuk mengobati diare (Daswani et al, 2017;Gutiérrez et al, 2008) Daun P. guajava digunakan untuk mengobati diare di Zimbabwe dan Malaysia (Alsarhan et al, 2014;Maroyi, 2013) Ekstrak metanol dan etanol daun P. guajava mengandung alkaloid, tanin, flavonoid, flavonoid fenol, dan asam askorbat. Sedangkan antosianin, glikosida dan triterpenoid hanya terdapat dalam ekstrak metanol saja (Anbuselvi & Rebecca, 2017).…”

“…Air rebusan daun P. guajava menunjukkan aktivitas daya hambat terhadap kolonisasi bakteri pada sel epitel, serta menghambat produksi toksin dan enterotoksin bakteri. Dengan demikian P. guajava dapat digunakan untuk mengobati baik diare fungsional maupun diare yang disebabkan oleh patogen dalam spektrum yang luas (Daswani et al, 2017). Studi literatur pada Tabel 4 tidak menunjukkan toksisitas yang memberikan efek samping pada penggunaan tumbuhan obat tersebut.…”

Biogenic Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Guava (<i>Psidium guajava</i>) Leaf Extract and Its Larvicidal Action against <i>Anopheles gambiae</i>

“…guajava and their AgNPs P. guajava (Myrtaceae) is a native bush species from South America known as "goiaba", which is commonly used in traditional medicine. Among the conditions treated with goiaba are gastrointestinal infections; malaria, respiratory infections, oral and dental infections, skin infections, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension, cancer, malnutrition, gynecological issues, pain, fever, and liver and kidney conditions [19]. The following two varieties of P. guajava are commonly cultivated: P. guajava var.…”

Antiplasmodial and Genotoxic Study of Selected Ghanaian Medicinal Plants

“…Extracts of C. Nucifera L , P. guajava , and C. citratus , which were reported as useful for the management of malaria [ 10 , 18 , 35 , 36 ], did not demonstrate any appreciable antiplasmodial activity in this study. These studies were performed in vitro and it is possible that the constituents in the plants might require bioactivation in vivo to exhibit antiplasmodial activity [ 12 ].…”