The Magic of Guava

Have you ever thought guava can be more salubrious than orange or apple? Rich in dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, folic acid, potassium (contains more potassium than banana per 100 g of fruit weight), copper, magnesium, and manganese, guava is a unique tropical fruit that contains about four times the amount of vitamin C that an orange normally contains. Guava is a storehouse of a number of nutrients, low in calories and fats, but contains several vital vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant poly-phenolic and flavonoid compounds that play important role in prevention of cancers, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Fresh guava is an natural source of antioxidants and vitamin C. The outer thick layer contains higher levels of vitamin C than the pulp stored in the pith. With high vitamin A content and flavonoids like beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein and cryptoxanthin, guava possesses excellent antioxidant properties, which are essential for good health. Moreover, vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes, good eyesight and skin. Since guava is rich in carotene, it helps prevent lung and oral cavity cancers. A specific study on the lycopene content in pink guava suggest that taking a fresh pink guava everyday can prevent skin damage from UV rays and also protect from prostate cancer.

Major Health Benefits

Lowers the Risk of Cancer: Rich in vitamin C content, which is approximately 400% more than oranges, guava protects cells from free radical damage.

Prevents Diabetes: Rich in fiber, guava helps prevent diabetes by decelerating the assimilation of sugar in the body.

Regulates High Blood Pressure: Guava reduces cholesterol in blood and prevents it from thickening, thereby maintaining fluidity of blood and reducing blood pressure.

Improves Good Eyesight: A rich source of vitamin A, guava promotes better eyesight.

Promotes Healthy Thyroid Gland: The absence of iodine and good sources of copper in combination play a crucial role in controlling thyroid.

Provides Healthy Skin: It can improve skin texture because of the abundance of astringents in the raw guavas. In addition to the astringents, guava is also rich in vitamin-A, B, C and potassium which are very good source of antioxidants and detoxifiers that keep skin glowing and free from aging, wrinkles and many other skin disorders.

Promotes Fertility: With a substantial amount of folate content, guava bears fertility-promoting properties. So try this out as a passion fruit!

Relaxes Nerves and Muscles: Having guavas can relax nerves and muscles as it's a good source of magnesium.

Keeps Brain Healthy: The vitamin B group plays a major role in the functioning of brain. Rich in vitamin B3, a component that stimulates brain function, and vitamin B6 that acts as an important vitamin for brain and nerve function, guava certainly can be a radical agent in keeping your brain healthy and powerful as well.

Cures Diarrhea and Dysentery: The rich astringents in raw guava which are alkaline in nature and have disinfectant and anti-bacterial properties help cure diarrhea and dysentery by inhibiting microbial growth and removing extra mucus from the intestines.

Ameliorates Constipation: One of the richest sources of dietary fiber, guava seeds, if ingested whole or chewed, serve as excellent laxatives.

Cures Cough and Cold: Since guava is rich in vitamin-C and iron which are proven to be preventive against cold and viral infections, juice of raw guavas or guava-leaves provides relief in cough and cold.

Promotes Weight Loss: Being very high in roughage and very rich in vitamins, proteins and minerals, but with no cholesterol and less digestible carbohydrates, guava is very filling and satisfies appetite very easily.

Cures Scurvy: As a rich source of vitamin-C, guava can help cure scurvy.

So next time you go for shopping fruits, don't ignore guava!

Pomegranate: The Wonder Fruit

Often touted as the emblem of prosperity, fertility, and rebirth, pomegranate has lived many millenniums across the globe, with its humble beginning in Transcaucasia dating somewhere around 4000 BC. For many initial centuries, pomegranate was rather dull and overlooked fruit; however, recent studies have unfolded some prominent health benefits which now attract significant public attention. Firstly, pomegranate has a miraculous ability to not only protect against atherosclerosis – a medical symptom in which arterial walls become thickened thereby triggering heart attacks and strokes - but also it reverses the thickening process and transforms arteries to a more natural state. Moreover, pomegranate bears the ability of lowering systolic blood pressure in addition to which it can effectively reduce the levels of bad cholesterol and help increase the levels of good cholesterol. An article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2000 states that a clinical trial of pomegranate juice on healthy adult men and unhealthy mice showed a significant increase of antioxidant levels that resulted in 90% drop in bad cholesterol.

A recent research on the health benefits of pomegranate shows that certain cancers such as prostate cancer and breast cancer can be prevented by taking pomegranate juice regularly. A specific substance in this fruit that has been effective in decreasing the levels of PSA (prostate specific antigen), is a wonderful medication for treating prostate cancer patients. A clinical study shows that 80% of the men having pomegranate juice daily found their PSA level decreased dramatically.

Pomegranate has also a greater impact on men with problems of impotence. The powerful antioxidants found in pomegranate improve blood flow in all areas of the body and thus dramatically lower the risk of heart attacks, strokes and impotence.

10 Health Benefits of Pomegranate

1. Consuming pomegranate juice regularly can help prevent acne and eliminate its root causes by correcting digestive problems and promoting healthy circulation of the blood. Rich in iron and vitamin C, a constituent part of hemoglobin that helps absorb oxygen, it acts as a powerful antioxidant that is known to protect the skin from damaging free radicals.
2. Drinking pomegranate juice is also a good remedy for skin damaged by sun exposure. It helps increase the life of fibroblasts, which are responsible for producing elastin and collagen that keep the skin tone healthy and enhance the skin’s elasticity.
3. Pomegranate is a rich source of various vitamins including vitamins A, C and E as well as folic acid.
4. With quantum composition of antioxidants, pomegranate helps prevent formation of bad cholesterol, which is a primary reason for many fatal diseases like heart disease, heart stroke, and high blood pressure. So, a glass of pomegranate juice daily can certainly guard you against these lifestyle ailments.
5. Taking pomegranate juice can help correct male impotence.
6. Studies show that drinking pomegranate juice daily can prevent dental plaque.
7. A specific research has stated that pregnant mothers who consume pomegranate juice can protect the neonatal brain from damage.
8. In Ayurveda, pomegranate is specifically mentioned for reducing symptoms of diarrhoea.
9. Some studies show that pomegranate can reduce the possibility of developing Alzheimer's disease among older people.
10. Pomegranate juice is great elixir for youthfulness as it prevents cell damage significantly.

High Blood Pressure: Natural Cure

In my previous blog titled The Silent Killer I attempted to touch upon the alarming numbers on the state of hypertension across the globe as a silent killer. Well, I thought that's not quite enough to serve the purpose. For any patient, or for a person at the brink of being afflicted, what's more pertinent is to get relief anyhow.

Before delving deeper into controlling the disease, let's first understand how you can read the symptoms of the disease. The first symptom of hypertension may appear as a pain at the back of the head and neck on waking in the morning, which normally disappears after sometime. Some other symptoms are dizziness, pain in the chest, frequent urination, nervous tension, fatigue, and difficulty in breathing. It's not uncommon that hypertension symptoms may not always be apparent, but most people don't even notice the symptoms at all. This triggers much larger problem for those patients as they feel they are quite healthy and don't need to visit a doctor.

Causes of High Blood Pressure

In most cases, the causes of high blood pressure remain unknown, but there are certain conditions that could contribute to the risk of developing high blood pressure. While not all of these factors are controllable, awareness about them makes you conscious of the existence of the risk of high blood pressure.

Age: One of the biggest risk factors for high blood pressure levels, age triggers a direct impact on the the risk of developing high blood pressure. With growing age people become accustomed to certain habits and in consequence the stress level increases. Although in the past the lower age group segment hardly had any symptom of hypertension, with changing lifestyle, wrong food habits, younger adults are getting affected.

Food Habits: In today's world, when fast-food is a trend, the chance of getting afflicted with high blood pressure is imminent. Foods like red meats, junk foods, fried or refined foods, and other food items with high fat, sugar and salt content become a major contributor to hypertension.

Stress: Stress has a direct impact on the high blood pressure cannot be understated. In modern society, where “work hard, party harder” is the tagline, stress can't be weeded out. Both emotional and physical stress plays a larger role in taking the toll.

Heredity: This is a specific factor that cannot be controlled and people with a family background of high blood pressure are definitive to developing the disease.

Obesity: Obesity is one of the biggest risk factors for developing high blood pressure. Obesity results from wrong food habits. For anyone who is overweight should try to reduce weight through healthy methods like dieting and working out.

Alcoholism: Excessive alcohol consumption is a contributing factor to increasing blood pressure levels.

Wrong Medications: Normally, women who take contraceptive pills on a regular basis are prone to the risk of developing high blood pressure. Certain medications like diet pills can also contribute to the problem.

Natural Remedies

Apart from taking medicines as prescribed by doctors, the patients can also try on certain home remedies those have proven helpful in reducing the high blood pressure.

Garlic: According to some scientific observations, garlic can act as an effective means of lowering blood pressure. Garlic has a blood thinning characteristic, so it reduces spasms of the small arteries. It may be taken as raw cloves of one or two a day.

Indian Gooseberry: Indian gooseberry is a good remedy for high blood pressure. A tablespoon fresh Indian gooseberry juice mixed with equal amount of honey can be taken in the morning.

Lemon: Lemon is a great food to control high blood pressure. Being rich in vitamin C, this prevents capillary fragility.

Grapefruit: Grapefruit is also useful in preventing high blood pressure.

Watermelon: Watermelon is another safeguard against hypertension. The watermelon seeds which are rich in potassium have a definite action in dilating the blood vessels, which results in lowering the blood pressure.

Parsley: Parsley is quite useful in reducing high blood pressure. It contains elements that help maintain the blood vessels and keep the arterial system healthy. It can be taken as a beverage by simmering 20 gm of fresh parsley leaves gently in 250 ml of water for a few minutes.

Vegetable Juice: Raw vegetable juices, especially carrot and spinach juices, taken separately or in combination, are also beneficial in the treatment of high blood pressure.

Flaxseeds: Flaxseeds are very rich in fiber and effective in lowering LDL cholesterol and preserving HDL cholesterol. Flaxseeds should be consumed regularly along with soups, cereals and yogurt in order to reduce high blood pressure.