Facts about Guavas
Guavas are evergreen shrubs or trees, which grow up to 33 feet. The
bark of guava is smooth, reddish brown or mottled green. The leaves
are short-petioled, opposite, oval or oblong, slightly uneven in
outline, around 2-6 inches in length and 1-2 inches in width. The
pale-green, leathery leaves contain distinct veins, and are somewhat
downy on the underside.
Faintly aromatic, the guava flowers are white in color, 1 inch in
width, having 4-5 petals. The petals are easily shed, leaving a
notable tuft of maybe 250 white-colored stamens tipped with
light-yellow anthers.
The fruit of guava can be round, ovoid as well as pear-shaped,
around 2-4 inches in length, while having 4-5 floral remnants at the
top. The guava fruit flesh can be white, yellow, pink, or red. The
musky smell is penetrating. The guava seeds are aplenty but small
and fully edible.
Health Benefits of Guavas
- The guava is abundant with astringents that help eliminate diarrhea.
The astringents are alkaline and contain anti-bacterial and
disinfectant properties, thereby curing dysentery by suppressing
microbial growth as well as getting rid of excess mucus of your
intestinal tract. Moreover, other vitamins and minerals in guava,
including vitamin C, potassium and carotenoids reinforce and
strengthen the gastrointestinal system and then disinfect it.
- Besides the health benefits provided by astringents, the guava is among the richest sources of
fiber. The seeds, when
eaten whole or chewed, function as great laxatives to ease
constipation. Both of these
guava properties help create bowels, retain water and thoroughly
clean your digestive tract and excretory system.
- Raw guava juice or guava leaf decoction is helpful in relieving
cold
and cough by loosening cough, decreasing mucus, disinfecting the
respiratory system, throat and lungs as well as controlling
microbial activity with its astringent properties. The guava
is among the richest in iron and vitamin C that are shown to be
protective against cold and also viral infections.
- Guavas also offer health benefits for your skin. They help enhance your skin texture and
make sure you steer clear of skin
problems. This can be due to the large quantity of astringents in
the fruit and leaves. You may gain from it by consuming the fruit as
well as by cleaning your skin using the decoction of the unripe
fruit and leaves. Besides the astringents, guava is abundant with A,
B and C vitamins and potassium that are excellent antioxidants and
detoxifiers to make your skin shiny and slow down the process of
your skin aging
and various other conditions.
- The guava helps lower cholesterol in your blood and inhibits it from
becoming thick, thus retaining blood fluidity and lowering blood
pressure levels. Being abundant with dietary fiber and hypoglycemic,
the guava helps lower blood pressure.
- The health benefits of guavas can be extended to weight
management. The fruit is useful for people who wish to slim down without
limiting the consumption of fiber, vitamins and proteins. Being high
in roughage and proteins, vitamins and minerals, but without any
cholesterol and with just a small amount of digestible
carbohydrates, guava is extremely filling. But in contrary, it may
help in weight gain among the skinny people. This might be because
of its nutrients, which make sure proper metabolism and help absorb
nutrients better.
- The guava may outdo other fruits, such as orange and various other
citrus fruits, in terms of vitamin C concentration, in which
deficiency leads to scurvy. The fruit has 5 times the vitamin C
found in oranges.
How to Choose and Buy Guavas?
- Ripe guavas possess a fragrant smell that varies from strong to
mild; shells give to light pressure. Those available in markets are
often pretty firm and have to be ripened further on your own before
putting to use.
How to Store Guavas?
- Ripen guavas at normal room temperature right until they give to
light pressure. Put ripe guavas to chill instantly, and use in about
2 days.
- To freeze guavas, use firm, ripe fruit. Rinse, peel thinly, and then
slice in half. Using a teaspoon, scoop the guava seeds out and soft
pulp. Place into tightly-sealed containers and pour in syrup to
cover. Cover a quart of guavas with 2 cups of syrup. The fruit will
keep for a year.
Related Articles:
|