Guava is a fruit that is known to be rich in vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants. This fruit also has benefits in relieving diarrhea, cough, diabetes, colic, cataracts, high cholesterol, heart disease, and cancer. However, not many people know the benefits of guava leaves, which are also important for body health.
Guava fruit is already familiar to the people of Indonesia thanks to its sweet taste and nutritional content in it. But not only fruit, guava leaves also have many benefits.
Understanding the Benefits of Guava Leaves
Guava leaves are also thought to have health benefits that are almost the same as the contents of the fruit. Here are some of the benefits of guava leaves:
Contains antioxidants
Not only guava fruit contains antioxidants, but guava leaves also have antioxidants that can prevent the harmful effects of the oxidation process, namely the release of free radical molecules. We often experience exposure to free radicals in our daily activities, for example due to pollution, drugs, and even certain types of food. Free radicals can trigger health problems, such as narrowing and hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and some types of arthritis.
Relieve stomach cramps during menstruation
Menstrual pain is usually felt in the lower abdomen. For some women, menstrual pain can interfere with daily activities. Abdominal cramps that occur before or during menstruation (dysmenorrhea) are thought to be overcome with guava leaf extract which contains 6 milligrams of flavonoids per day.
Improve the condition of people with prediabetes and diabetes
Prediabetes is a condition when the blood sugar level is higher than normal, but does not fall under the category of diabetes. Prediabetes is likely to progress to diabetes in less than 10 years if left untreated.
Several studies have shown that the benefits of guava leaves that are processed into tea, can reduce high blood sugar levels, especially in people with prediabetes and diabetes. However, this still requires further research on its effectiveness and safety.
