The Art of NATURE, The Art of SCIENCE
Common names | Guava, Common guava, Yellow guava, Lemon guava
Scientific name | Psidium guajava
Used part | Leaf
Known active compounds | avicularin, isoquercitrin, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, catechin, quercetin
Potential benefits in cosmetics | anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory
Product name | Guava Leaf-ANB
Plant Story
Guava (Psidium guajava) is an evergreen plant native to the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. It is now cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, primarily for its edible fruit. The fruit can be consumed fresh or cooked as juice, jam, and jelly. Leaves have been used for medicinal purposes. Decoction or infusion of guava leaves was used to treat cough and diarrhea by indigenous people of Maya, Nahuatl, Zapotec and Popoluca of the region Tuxtlas, Veracruz, and Mexico. In Mexico, decoction or poultice of guava leaves were also applied to wounded area.
Researches have identified phenolic constituents of guava leaves. Avicularin and isoquercitrin were found to be major phenolic compounds with relatively less abundant compounds such as quercitrin, quercetin, and kaempferol. Guava leaf extract exhibited anti-oxidant activity by DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays with positive correlation between anti-oxidant activity and individual phenolic compounds identified. Another study reported the presence of gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, catechin, and quercetin as the major phenolic compounds. In this study, guava leaf showed anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting production of NO, PGE2, and IL-6 and expression of iNOS and COX-2 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells.