In this well-detailed article, you will find major health benefits of bitter leaf that you might not have heard of before or haven’t really taken so seriously.
Bitter leaf is a da
rk green leafy vegetable also known as vernonia amygdalina. It is called onugbu in Igbo, efo ewuro in Yoruba, shakwa shuwaka in Hausa, and etidot in the Cross River State of Nigeria. It is this popular in Nigeria because the plant is found basically in tropical Africa.
Bitter leaf grows in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa where it is commonly used for many purposes starting as food, medicine even down to being used as a demarcation for lands because of its ability to endure several conditions and not die out easily.
The plant is well regarded in traditional medicinal practice, and it is believed to help cure and prevent a long range of illnesses.
As the name implies bitter leaf is bitter in taste, merely touching the leaf can leave your hand bitter for hours. As a result of its bitter taste, the juice is not my favorite, I know it is not yours too. In fact, apart from African goats, no other animal is known to eat the leave in its raw state without little processing to reduce its bitterness unless for medicinal reasons.
You may wonder why in the first place this leave was ever discovered as an edible vegetable even with its very bitter taste but when you compare the health benefits to the taste, you will understand why our forefathers in Africa had longer live spans than our current generation living farther from nature.
If want to know why this is so, let’s talk about the health benefits of the bitter leaf which will leave you yearning for it. Yes, you will probably yarn for it, you won’t mind the bitterness this time.
Bitterleaf is packed with so many nutrients which contributes to its very many health benefits and medicinal values to human health and lifestyle. The leaf is a good home remedy to several health issues such as dysentery, diarrhea, etc; as a result of its antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Bitter leaf juice is one juice you may not want to take because of its bitter taste… yes we know. By the time you get to know of its benefit, you won’t miss adding it to your food or meal. Bitter leaf juice is gotten from the fresh bitter leaf when properly washed and squeezed with water.
This juice can be enjoyed as gotten, refrigerated or infused with ice cubes. Let’s dive deeper into why this leaf is consumed widely in Africa and beyond and why this is so as stuffs like this is the exact reason I created this Food and Health Blog.
Table of Contents
Health Benefits of Bitter Leaf
Below are some of the outstanding benefits of the bitter leaf.
Aids Weight Loss
In our world of today, people fancy different body types and they go for the one they like. There are many people today looking for how to gain some weight while there are even more people looking for how to lose the same weight.
Whether you want to gain or lose weight, it is best to look for natural remedies to get this done to avoid encountering a more dangerous side effect in the search for your fantasy body type and this is one of the most sought-after health benefits of bitter leaf.
If you are looking for a natural remedy to help you in your weight loss journey, bitter leaf is your very good friend. Wait, the thought of gulping down a gulp of this bitter juice every morning should even start the work of burning some fact; don’t you think?
The components of the bitter leaf juice help in burning that extra fat, reducing excess calories, and improving your overall health.
The fiber content in bitter leaf and all the properties associated with weight loss found in bitter leaf make it a good weight loss diet. I know you don’t want to be overweight, taking the juice before, during, or after your meal is effective for weight loss.
The leaf can also be chewed to achieve the same result.
Boost Immune System
As one of the very necessary health benefits of bitter leaf, studies have shown that bitter leaf extract can boost the immune system, prevent the development of cancer and inhibit the growth of tumors.
You know tumor is an abnormal growth that results from the grouping of abnormal tissues which can affect bones, skin, glands, body organs, and tissue. This makes tumor a very dreaded sickness causing several problems.
Bitter leaf contains certain vitamins such as vitamins A, B1, B2, C, and E, it also contains important nutrients such as fiber, proteins, and minerals which include manganese, zinc, iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, and selenium in traceable amounts.
All these nutrient in the bitter leaf contributes to its immune-boosting capability. If all these are found this bitter leaf as it is known, won’t you rather eat bitter things to stay healthy? I hope by now you can see that biter leaf despite its bitter taste is a lovely vegetable friend. I am currently a fan of the bitter leaf and this was not until I found all of these benefits.
Bitter Leaf Helps To Relieve Stomach Ache
Bitter leaf has well-known health benefits in calming stomach issues from the days of our forefathers. Traditionally, bitter leaf is a known remedy for stomach aches. I personally use the bitter leaf to calm my stomach when it aches and this works really good. In
The ability of the bitter leaf to provide protection from stomach ulcers was shown in a toxicology report journal. It is thought that the antioxidants in bitter leaf contribute to these positive gastric effects. Before the new age studies into why this leaf eases stomach stress, we’ve been using it for this down here in Africa. Our forefathers passed down the medicinal knowledge to us.
Growing up my grandmother gives me bitter leaf to chew as soon as I complain of stomach aches and it works perfectly in relieving me of the pain so I grew to know this works and it’s helped many times.
Good For Bones
I once watched a video where a certain kid kicked another kid and got his bone dislocated instantly. I wondered how fragile his bones and joints must be and I thought of what bitter leaf could possibly do for this guy especially if it is not another medical condition causing such bone and joint fragility.
One of the best health benefits of bitter leaf is that it contains vitamin C and traces of vitamin K which plays many vital roles in the body ranging from the maintenance of healthy bones down to preventing the bone tissues from weakening.
It Improves Metabolism
Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. This means that without good metabolism, food will be almost close to useless as you won’t receive enough energy to do work from the food you eat.
Having known what metabolism means, it is important to note that as a major health benefit of bitter leaf, Vitamin B1 present in the leaf plays an important role in the metabolism of amino acids, glucose and lipids in the human body. This helps the food eaten to effectively perform its function.
It Helps To Fight Free Radicals
One of the non-negligible health benefits of bitter leaf is that it contains vitamin E, a nutrient which serves as an antioxidant to the body. It fights against free radicals that have harmful effects on the body’s system.
When the presence of free radicals are more such that it can’t be kept in balance by antioxidants, the free radicals can start doing damage to fatty tissue, DNA, and proteins in your body. Proteins, lipids, and DNA make up a large part of your body, so any damage done to them can lead to a vast number of diseases over time.
This benefit of biter leaf in food or meal helps one to have a healthier and stronger immune system.
Treatment and Prevention of Diabetes and Hypertension
A study in the Journal of Food Biochemistry has shown that bitter leaf inhibits particular processes in the body which may have a positive effect on diabetes and hypertension. This means that one of the very important health benefits of bitter leaf is that it helps to keep sicknesses like diabetes and hypertension on check.
According to the journal of food Biochemistry, the inhibition of α-amylase, α-glucosidase and ACE, coupled with the antioxidant activities of bitter leaf phenolic-rich extracts, could be a possible mechanism through which Vernonia amygdalina exert its antidiabetes and antihypertension properties.
Helps to Cure Fever
The presence of flavonoids andrographolide lactones, glucosides, diterpene in bitter leaf work together in treating and triming down feverish conditions and its symptoms.
So when you feel feverish, remember that the health benefits of bitter leaf include calming of feverish conditions probably as a first-aid remedy before going to see your doctor. Flavonoids have powerful antioxidant effects which help in treating several health issues such as feverish conditions.
A hand full of bitter leaf or a glass of bitter leaf juice is a strong herbal medicine that helps to fight malaria(especially in its early stage) and its symptoms as well as reduce the effect of fever in the body.
Ways by Which You Can Incorporate Bitter Leaf in Food
In nigeria many meal are prepared using bitter leaf. Using bitter leaf to cook is a sure way to ensure that all members of your family benefit from the numerous health benefits of bitter leaf.
- Preparing your soups with better leaf
- Preparing your portages with better leaf. Examples, yam portage, beans portage, breadfruit portage etc. To minimize of completely eliminate it’s bitter taste, ensure you add the sliced vegetables at least 20 mins before the meal it done.
- Squeezing the leaf with water to produce bitter leaf juice and drink while you eat your food.
- Eating the washed leaf raw. That is to say you chew the leaf, extract the juice and swallow the fiber or spit it out
Having read the above health benefits of the bitter juice. I hope you now see reason why you should add bitter leaf to your meal. Let’s go grab a bunch of bitter leaf guys.
Note:
Be reminded to always consult with your doctor about any medical concerns, issues, conditions and supplements that you may be taking. Always consider the advice of a medical practitioner on the treatment of any health issue you may experience.
