Brush cherries / Guayabita de monte

Guayabita de Monte is an Australian native semi-tropical evergreen plant with tiny white blooms and sour-tasting, crisp, juicy red fruits. Its height can exceed 35 meters, and it is grown for ornamental purposes.

Guayabita de monte contains folates, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, potassium, and dietary fiber.

You can eat them raw on their own, but it gives a special taste to all kinds of jams, fruit juices, tarts, cakes, syrups, and jellies. The leaves can be brewed into tea. Since the fruits are very juicy, they are used to quench thirst.

As an evergreen species, Guayabita de Monte contributes significantly to ecological health by providing year-round foliage and continuous carbon sequestration. Also, because it trims well, its dense foliage and fast growth rate are used directly for hedges. And it is a good windbreaker.    

This plant has a good market among locals due to its medicinal properties and uses in the canning, jam, and jelly industries. It is also popular in other places for cultivation in parks and lawns. 

Annual Yield

A tree can produce more than 80 kg of fruit in a year.

• The leaves of the tree are used to treat colds and fevers,  
• They improve digestion, reduce inflammation, and relieve stomach pain,  
• They are used as a topical treatment for skin diseases such as rashes and eczema,
• The leaves and roots are used as a tonic and for treating anemia, erysipelas, hepatitis, liver and spleen disorders, uterine tumors, irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic gastritis,
• Its fruit strengthens cell growth and the immune system,
• It is used to treat various disorders such as diabetes, blood fat, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular problems,  
• The fruits possess biological activities to alleviate all risky effects by regulating hepatic lipogenesis activity,
• It has anti-lipid activity and antioxidant activity,  
• It is effective for controlling blood sugar.