ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF LEAVES OF PSIDIUM GUAJAVA LINN – AN OVERVIEW

Dr. Deena Mendez* and Dr. Mamatha Kunder

ABSTRACT

In recent years, plant extracts have gained popularity in treatment of several diseases and a lot of attention is paid on the production of medicine from natural sources. Psidium guajava (Guava) has a history of being used for medicinal purposes. The potential of the leaf extract of Psidium guajava in treatment of bacterial infections has been attributed to the bioactive compositions of the leaves which are rich in tannins, flavonoids and essential oils. This review article compiles the results of the antimicrobial activity of the guava leaves so that further research can be focused on identification and purification of bioactive compounds from the leaves which can be an efficacious treatment against bacterial infections as guava leaf extract appears to be a suitable candidate in the search for a natural antimicrobial agent.

Keywords: Psidium guajava, Antimicrobial activity, Phytochemicals.