30. Guava Seeds

Col. Sumshere Singh sends me the following:

"I have been at pains for some time to gather what information I could on the subject of guavas and their seeds. All that I could elicit from my environment was the fact that the seeds of this fruit were as a rule swallowed down without masctication, probably for their laxative effect. A few indigenous practitioners of medicine stated that the seeds also possessed cardiac tonic properties.

"I was very glad, therefore, to be furnished with the following authoritative note on the subject by a friend from Calcutta:

'Guava has been shown recently by Dr. B. C. Guha of the Bengal Chemical & Pharmaceutical Works Ltd., to be quite rich in vitamin B. Its seeds have got the following constituents:

showing that these (i.e., the seeds) are quite rich in nutritive value. Consequently, the seeds and fruit should be well masticated. If eaten without proper mastication, the seeds will only act as laxative. No work has been done on the cardiac tonic properties of Guava.'"

Harijan, 18-5-1835