Psidium guajava L.
Aliases：Ji Shi Guo、Ba Le、Qiu Guo、Fan Ren、Hong Xin Guo、Ji Shi Guo、Fan Tao
Fanshiliu (Guava), a Chinese medicinal, is the fruit, leaf, root, and other parts of Psidium guajava Linn., a plant of the Myrtaceae family. It is distributed or cultivated in Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, and other areas of China.
Efficacy & Actions
1. Unripe dried young fruit Actions: Astringe the intestines to stop diarrhea, and astringe to stop bleeding. 2. Ripe fruit Actions: Fortify the Spleen and resolve food stagnation, and astringe the intestines to stop diarrhea. 3. Leaf (fresh or dried) Actions: Dry Dampness and fortify the Spleen, and clear Heat and resolve Toxin.
Indications
1. Unripe dried young fruit Indicated for chronic diarrhea, chronic dysentery, flooding and spotting (metrorrhagia), and rectal prolapse. 2. Ripe fruit Indicated for food stagnation with abdominal fullness, infantile malnutrition (gan accumulation), diarrhea, dysentery, rectal prolapse, and metrorrhagia (flooding). 3. Leaf (fresh or dried) Indicated for diarrhea, dysentery with abdominal pain, food stagnation with abdominal distension, wasting thirst disorder (diabetes mellitus), swollen and painful gums, rheumatic arthralgia (bi pain), eczema and chronic leg ulcers, boils and toxic swellings, traumatic injury with swelling and pain, external bleeding, and snake or insect bites.
Modern Pharmacology
Hypoglycemic: The blood sugar‑lowering effect of guava leaves has been confirmed by research both domestically and internationally. In Japan, its extract has been developed into a specific health food product, and in China, preparations such as Xiaoke Jiangtang Capsules are used for the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Antioxidant: Scavenges free radicals and delays aging. Antibacterial and antiviral: Inhibits Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and other microorganisms. Antispasmodic and anti‑diarrheal: Relieves smooth muscle spasms in the intestine, thereby exerting an anti‑diarrheal effect. Hemostatic: Components such as gallic acid contribute to its hemostatic activity, effective for various types of internal and external bleeding. Colon protection: Protects against colonic injury such as colitis. Anticancer: Possesses certain anticancer potential.
Ingredients
Flavonoids: Quercetin, guajavarin, etc. Triterpenoids: Ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, etc. Tannins: Gallic acid, ellagic acid, etc. Others: Contains volatile oils, β-sitosterol, as well as abundant vitamin C (three times that of citrus fruits), B vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, and zinc.
Usage & Dosage
Dried young fruit: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water and taken orally. Alternatively, burn to charcoal while retaining efficacy, then take with boiled water. Ripe fruit: 3–9 g per dose, ground into powder for oral use. Alternatively, eat fresh: 2–3 fruits each time, 2–3 times daily. Leaf: For internal use: 5–15 g of dried leaves, or 24–30 g of fresh leaves, decocted in water or ground into powder. For external use: appropriate amount, crushed and applied directly; or decocted and used as a wash; or used as a gargle; or ground into powder for dusting.
Contraindications
Pattern contraindications: People with constipation, heat‑type constitution, excess heat patterns, or dysentery due to heat‑toxin should avoid or use with caution. Population contraindications: Those with weak spleen‑stomach function should not consume large amounts, as the hard seeds are difficult to digest. General precaution: Do not exceed the recommended dosage.
Selected Formulas
1. For enteritis and dysentery (from Yunnan Chinese Herbal Medicine Selection) Take 30–60 g of fresh guava leaves. Decoct in water and drink. 2. For traumatic injuries and bleeding from cuts (from Guangzhou Air Force Common Chinese Herbal Medicine Manual) Crush fresh guava leaves and apply externally to the affected area. 3. For metrorrhagia (uterine bleeding) (from Lingnan Materia Medica) Burn dried guava leaves to charcoal (retaining the properties), then grind into powder. Take 9 g each time, mixed with boiled water. 4. To counteract croton seed poisoning (from Major Poisonous Plants in Southern China) Take 9 g each of dried guava leaves, soil‑stir‑fried Baizhu (Atractylodes rhizome), and Shiliupi (pomegranate rind). Add 1.5 bowls (about 300 mL) of water and decoct down to 1 bowl (about 200 mL). Drink the decoction.
Daily Consumption
Fresh consumption: Eat raw directly as a fruit. Dietary beverage: Can be made into juice or prepared as a sugar water drink with honey. Helps regulate the spleen and stomach, and has astringent and anti‑diarrheal effects. Medicinal diet: Guava fruit can be stir‑fried together with longan aril (longan flesh) and other ingredients. It has the effects of tonifying deficiency and promoting lactation. External wash: Decoct in water and use the liquid to wash the affected area. Used for skin eczema, boils, etc.
Medicinal Parts
Unripe dried young fruit, ripe fruit, leaf, root, bark, seed, fruit.
Selection & Storage
For guava (including its leaves, etc.), the medicinal materials should be stored in a cool, dry, well‑ventilated place, protected from moisture and insects.