Guava taxonomically belong to the family Myrtaceae, genus Psidium, guajava species. Therefore, in Latin called Psidium guajava. In the English language known as guava Guava, while in Indonesia, also called rock rose, guava or guava siki.
Guava plants including shrubs (height can reach 10 meters) that quickly adapt to the environment and has a good regeneration. Guava can be grown in all sorts of climates and land at an altitude of between 5-1200 meters above sea level.
Historically, guava from Central America, specifically Brazil. From there it spread to Thailand and then to other Asian countries, including Indonesia. In many countries, guava is an important crop for the native inhabitants. Currently guava planted around the world, especially in tropical countries.
In Indonesia, the main production centers of guava is DKI Jakarta (South Jakarta), West Java (Cirebon and Karawang), Central Java (Pekalongan, Grobogan, Kudus, Jepara, Gombong, Purbalingga, Purworejo, Sukoharjo, Semarang, Wonogiri, and Cilacap) Special Region of Yogyakarta (Sleman, Gunung Kidul, Kulon Progo), East Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Sumatra, and Borneo.
Versatile Plants
Guava tree is highly branched shrubs. Part of this plant are frequently used for various human purposes are the bark, leaves, and fruit.
Utilization of bark and leaves in the field of health has a long history and still continues to this day. Guava leaves are frequently used for treatment of diarrhea, gastroenteritis, and other complaints related to digestion.
Guava leaves are rich in flavonoids, especially quercetin. Compound that has antibacterial activity and that contribute to the antidiarrheal effect. Polyphenols found in the leaves are known to have antioxidant activity.
As with guava leaves, bark of this plant also has antibacterial activity. Extracts from both parts of this plant are toxic in vitro against some bacteria causing diarrhea, such as Staphylococcus, Salmonella, Shigella, Bacillus, Escherichia coli, Clostridium, and Pseudomonas.
The most important part of the guava plant is its fruit. Guava fruit can be consumed in the form of fresh or processed into various products such as jams, jellies, pastes, lunkhead, and juice.
Type of the guava
Guava fruit shape varies from round to oval pear, fragrant and flavorful. Fruit taste sweet, sour sweet, or sour. Flavor and aroma that is very typical guava caused by the compound eugenol. Thin rind is green to yellowish green. Seeds vary from very little up to about 500 seeds in the fruit that weighs about 150 grams. Harvest the fruit can be done throughout the year (not knowing the season).
Guava fruit size varies, from a diameter of 2.5 cm up to more than 10 cm. Guava is favored by the public generally is a soft fleshy and thick, sweet, a little seedy, and large-sized fruit.
This type of guava across the world there are about 150. In Indonesia which is widely planted breadfruit is a type of guava, white guava milk, cashew apples, cashew Australia, cashew Palembang, pink frangipani, guava-week market, cashew brittle red, pink cotton candy, guava juice, guava and a curse.
Vitamin C's best
Guava fruit is said to be very special because it has a high nutritional content, such as vitamin C, potassium, and iron. In addition, also rich nongizi substances, such as dietary fiber, the component carotenoids, and polyphenols. Guava fruit is free of saturated fatty acids and sodium, low fat and energy, but high in fiber foods.
Vitamin C content of guava fruit is about 87 mg, twice that of sweet orange (49 mg/100 g), five times that of orange, and eight times that of lemon (10.5 mg/100 g). Compared to water guava and cashew bol, levels of vitamin C in guava is much larger, namely 17-fold from the rose apple (5 mg/100 g) and four times that of guava bol (22 mg/100 g).
Besides functioning as antioxidants, vitamin C has a function to maintain and promote health of capillaries; prevent nutritional anemia, mouth sores, swollen gums and bleeding disease (scurvy), as well as preventing tooth loss. High doses of Vitamin C can boost the immune system to fight various infections. Thus, we can not easily get sick, like flu, cough, fever, and others.
Vitamin C helps the absorption of iron and can inhibit the production of nitrosamines, a cancer-triggering substances. Vitamin C also plays a role for the formation of collagen which is very useful for healing wounds. Availability of sufficient vitamin C in the blood can promote the benefits of selenium in inhibiting cancer cells, especially lung cancer, prostate, breast, colon, bile, and brain.
In essence, guava can be used as a primary source for vitamin C your body needs. Consumption of guava weighing 90 grams per day has been able to meet the needs of adults daily vitamin, so as to maintain the health and fitness.
The content of vitamin C in guava peaked near mature. Most of the vitamin C guava concentrated on the skin and outer flesh is soft and thick. Therefore, guava should be consumed with the skin.
Source of potassium and fiber
Guava also contains potassium, about 14 mg/100 g fruit. Potassium works to increase the regularity of heart rate, activating muscle contractions, regulating delivery of other nutrients to the cells of the body, control fluid balance in the body tissue, as well as lowering high blood pressure (hypertension).
The workings of potassium in the body is the opposite with sodium (trigger hypertension). Therefore, in the daily menu is highly recommended to consume sodium and potassium in a 1:1 ratio. Food processing by using the sodium salt tends to increase far exceeds the potassium.
Guava is also a source of fiber (dietary fiber). Dietary fiber is beneficial for preventing various degenerative diseases, such as colon cancer (colon cancer), diverticulosis, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and kidney stone disease.
Consumption of food fiber Indonesian society is still very low, about 10 grams / person / day. In fact, the recommended dietary fiber intake is 20-30 grams / person / day.
Guava contains about 5.6 grams of dietary fiber per 100 grams of fruit flesh. This type of fiber which is pretty much contained in guava is pectin, which is a type of fiber that is soluble in water. Fiber that is soluble in water has a major role in lowering cholesterol levels, which binds cholesterol and bile acids in the body, and helps its spending through a process of defecation.
Thus, the fiber is soluble in water are useful to prevent atherosclerosis (clogged arteries cause coronary heart disease and stroke). It kind of fiber also plays a role in lowering blood glucose levels, so that was instrumental in preventing diabetes mellitus.
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