133 genera and more than 3,800 species. The leaves and bark of P. guajava tree have a long history of medicinal uses that are still employed today (Nwinyi et al., 2008). In the view of the immense medicinal importance of P. guajava plant evidenced in the various studies mentioned above and also corroborated in a recent review article by Kamath et al. (2008), there is a strong incentive for further research into the pharmacological activities of P. guajava plant extract against common infectious diseases considering the fact that the plant is readily available in the tropics and within the reach of …show more content…
Guava contains broad spectrum of phytochemicals including polysaccharides, vitamins, essential oils (Smith and Siwatibau,
1975, Macleod and Troconis, 1975), minerals, enzymes, proteins (Deo and Shastri, 2003), sesquiterpenoid alcohols and triterpenoid acids
(Smith et al, 1975; Wilson111 and Shaw, 1978;
Begum et al., 2002), alkaloids, glycosides, steroids, flavanoids, tannins, saponins (Cho et al., 2003; Narayana et al., 2001; Geidam et al.,
2007) (Table 1). Psidium guajava or guava is very rich in antioxidants and vitamins and also high in lutein, zeaxanthine and lycopene (Tee et al., 1997; Hobert and Tietze, 1998).
Guava is rich in tannins, phenols, triterpenes, flavonoids, essential oils, saponins, carotenoids, lectins, vitamins, fiber and fatty acids. Guava fruit is higher in vitamin C than citrus (80 mg of vitamin C in 100 g of fruit) and contains appreciable amounts of vitamin A as well. Guava fruits are also a good source of pectin - a dietary fiber. The leaves of guava are rich in flavonoids, in particular, quercetin. Much of guava's therapeutic activity is attributed to