Called guayaba in Spanish-speaking countries and goiaba in Brazil, guava is a common shade tree or shrub in door-yard gardens in the tropics. It provides shade while the guava fruits are eaten fresh and made into drinks, ice cream, and preserves. Guava herbal medicine has been around and been used for ages, and although it has proven time and time again to be incredibly effective and successful at treating sickness and disease, it is important that you take the time to learn about guava and understand what it has to offer before using it yourself.

Guava fruit today is considered minor in terms of commercial world trade but is widely grown in the tropics, enriching the diet of hundreds of millions of people in the tropics of the world. Guava has spread widely throughout the tropics because it thrives in a variety of soils, propagates easily, and bears fruit relatively quickly. The fruits contain numerous seeds that can produce a mature fruit-bearing plant within four years. In the Guava is known for being one of the most popular therapeutic plants in the Philippines. It is used as an antiseptic, astringent and anthelminthic, and kills bacteria, fungi, and ameba. The fresh leaves of the plant are used to facilitate the healing of wounds and cuts and are also very effective for toothaches.

The Tikuna Indians decoct the leaves or bark of guava as a cure for diarrhea. In fact, an infusion or decoction made from the leaves and/or bark has been used by many tribes for diarrhea and dysentery throughout the Amazon, and Indians also employ it for sore throats, vomiting, stomach upsets, for vertigo, and to regulate menstrual periods. The health benefits of guava herbal medicine are truly incredible, and in particular it contains quercetin which is an antioxidant that blocks enzymes that are responsible for building sorbitol, the sugar that forms the cloudy white clusters that cause cataracts. Guava is also rich in folate which helps to fight bad breath that causes gum disease gingivitis.

Guava herbal medicine is only one aspect to Chinese medicine however, and there are many other options as well when it comes to herbal medicine. Besides guava herbal medicine one of the most popular herbal medicines is green tea. Green tea has been around and been used for ages but only recently has it really come into serious popularity. Green tea medicine has shown to have even more health benefits than guava herbal medicine, and this is largely due to the catechins that are found in green tea. These catechins, otherwise known as polyphenols, have been shown in recent studies to fight viruses, slow aging, and have a beneficial effect on health in general. Green tea helps to reduce high blood pressure, lower blood sugar, and even fight cancer.

There are also many powerful antioxidants found in green tea, one in particular being epigallocatechin gallate which is at least 100 more times effective than vitamin C and 25 more effective than vitamin E when it comes to protecting cells and DNA from damage linked to illness and disease. Herbal medicines are extracts from plants and flowers that are used to treat and prevent illness, and they have been used for a wide range of different conditions, including headaches, depression, PMS, and insomnia. Just make sure to remember that herbal medicine, although natural and basically completely safe, is still a form of medicine and so you have to use it with caution and follow recommended dosage instructions.