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.
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