Guava Soap

Guava is a tropical fruit, which is in very much like the shape of a pear, and has a yellow-green skin and white, yellow, or red/pink flesh. The guava tree belongs to the myrtle family Myrtaceae. The tree is natihve to Mexico, as well as Central America, Northern South America and parts of the Carribbean. They are now cultivated throughout the tropics.

The fruit is known by many names in various countries. They are called Pera in Sri Lanka, Amrood in Hindi and Urdu. In Bengali it is known as Peyara. They are also referred to as the bayabas locals of Guayaba. Some people prefer eating guavas to oranges, as the former have more concentration of Vitamin C and are also a lot cheaper than the latter. Guavas can be consumed raw, but need to be ripe, as raw guavas are hard on the stomach. They make excellent jams, preserves, and sauces. Guava trees are ideal for use as fruiting hedges, landscaping trees and as ornamental potted specimen trees.

Bayabas is a somewhat hairy plant reaching a height of 8 meters. Young branches are 4-angled. Leaves are opposite, oblong to elliptic, and 5 to 1 centimeters long, the apex being pointed, and the base usually rounded. Peduncles are 1- to 3-flowered. Flowers are white, 3 to 3.5 centimeters across, with in-curved petals, coming out solitary or two to three in the leaf axils. Numerous stamens form the attractive part of the flower. Inferior ovaries develop into round or obovoid green fruits 4 to 9 centimeters long, turning yellow on ripening and have edible, aromatic, seedy pulp.

Statement of the Problem
Since the 1950s, guavas – particularly the leaves – have been the subject for diverse research on their constituents, pharmacological properties and history in folk medicine.[11] Most research, however, has been conducted on apple guava (P. guajava), with other species remaining unstudied. From preliminary medical research in laboratory models, extracts from apple guava leaves or bark are implicated in therapeutic mechanisms against cancer, bacterial infections, inflamm ation and pain.[12][13][14] Essential oils from guava leaves display anti-cancer activity in vitro.[15]

1. To what extent can a guava plant cure diseases?
2. What is the effect of the guava plant on identified diseases?

Hypothesis
The guava plant is an agent to cure diseases. Its active nutrients are proven to fight several diseases.

Significance of the study
This section will provide brief description on the various significances of the study.

The proposed study serves the students as their reference or guide in creating their own experiment to identify other diseases that can be cure by the guava plant. This will serve as a springboard to create ointment or other medicine to cure bacterial or viral diseases using guava plant.

Related Literature
Guava fruit, usually 4 to 12 centimetres (1.6 to 4.7 in) long, are round or oval depending on the species. The outer skin may be rough, often with a bitter taste, or soft and sweet. Varying between species, the skin can be any thickness, is usually green before maturity, but becomes yellow, maroon, or green when ripe. Guava fruit generally have a pronounced and typical fragrance, similar to lemon rind but less sharp. Guava pulp may be sweet or sour, tasting something between pear and strawberry, off-white (“white” guavas) to deep pink (“red” guavas), with the seeds in the central pulp of variable number and hardness, depending on species.

Guavas are cultivated in many tropical and subtropical countries. Several species are grown commercially; apple guava and its cultivars are those most commonly traded internationally.

Mature trees of most species are fairly cold-hardy and can survive temperatures slightly colder than 25 °F (−4 °C) for short periods of time,
but younger plants will likely freeze to the ground.[4]

Guavas are rich in dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, folic acid, and the dietary minerals, potassium, copper and manganese. Having a generally broad, low-calorie profile of essential nutrients, a single common guava (P. guajava) fruit contains about four times the amount of vitamin C as an orange.[5] However, nutrient content varies across guava cultivars. Although the strawberry guava (P. littorale var. cattleianum) has about 25% of the amount found in more common varieties, its total vitamin C content in one serving (90 mg) still provides 100% of the Dietary Reference Intake for adult males.[6]

Guavas contain both carotenoids and polyphenols like (+)-gallocatechin,[7] guaijaverin, leucocyanidin and amritoside[8]–the major classes of antioxidant pigments – giving them relatively high potential antioxidant value among plant foods.[9] As these pigments produce the fruit skin and flesh color, guavas that are red-orange have more pigment content as polyphenol, carotenoid and pro-vitamin A, retinoid sources than yellow-green ones.[10]

Since the 1950s, guavas – particularly the leaves – have been the subject for diverse research on their constituents, pharmacological properties and history in folk medicine.[11] Most research, however, has been conducted on apple guava (P. guajava), with other species remaining unstudied. From preliminary medical research in laboratory models, extracts from apple guava leaves or bark are implicated in therapeutic mechanisms against cancer, bacterial infections, inflammation and pain.[12][13][14] Essential oils from guava leaves display anti-cancer activity in vitro.[15] Guava leaves are used in folk medicine as a remedy for diarrhea[16] and, as well as the bark, for their supposed antimicrobial properties and as an astringent. Guava leaves or bark are used in traditional treatments against diabetes.[17][18][19] In Trinidad, a tea made from young leaves is used for diarrhea, dysentery and fever.[20]

Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to identify further the capability of the plant cure diseases. since guava plant is abundant in tropical countries, this study will help us know its further use in the field of medicine. Objectives

The objectives of this study is to a. create an alternative medicine from guava in curing diseases b. identify other diseases which can be cured using guava soap