Bitter leaf is derived from the leaves of a small ever-green shrub found all over Africa called Vernonia, belonging to the family Asteraceace.
There are over a thousand species of this crop. Vernonia amygdaline is commonly found in West Africa, and Vernonia galamensis in East Africa.
True to its name, this leaf is bitter to taste, but surprisingly delicious in meals.
Other names with which this plant is known include:
• Orugbo (amongst the Itsekiri and Urobo tribes in Nigeria)
• Onugbu
• Ewuro
• Mojunso (East Africa – especially Tanzania)
The leaf can be eaten fresh like spinach is soup or dried too. African cuisines featuring this leaf as ingredients include:
• Egusi soup
• Ogbono soup
• Okra and bitter leaf soup
• Pepper soup
• Bitter leaf soup (Ndole in Cameroon)
• Banga soup
In many parts of West Africa, the leaves are used to wash slime off fish and snail before been cooked.
The roots and twigs are eaten as appetizer too.
Medicinal Value of Bitter Leaf
In general, bitter herbs help to tone vital organs of the body like the kidney and liver. The liver is the largest organ in the body and is responsible for the secretion of bile and formation of glycogen. It is also responsible for the metabolism of protein and fats, infact it’s an organ any one would want to keep intact cause once there is a defect it is very hard to correct, alcohol, sugar and over processed foods should be avoided. The Kidney helps expel waste materials from the body; a breakdown of the kidney is a general disorder of the entire body. The bitter leaf contains vernodalin, venomygdin and saponin which are antibacterials that help keep these vital organs (kidney and liver) in order. It also reduces the sugar level of the body drastically and repairs the pancreas, a wonder cure for diabetes, squeeze ten handful of the leaves in ten litres of water and take 2glasses 3times daily (6glasses daily) for one month.
The bitter leaf has great nutritional, herbal and medicinal value.
It contains very high amount of zinc, important in many enzyme function and keeping the skin fresh.
Some have claimed that this leaf may be dangerous to eat. There are however, no convincing studies to proof this.
As a general guide, washing your leaf very well and by so doing, you remove saponins to concentrations that are okay for the body to handle.
They also contain saponins and tannins (glycosides), as well as alkaloids. At least 13 other new compounds or vital ingredients have been found in these leaves, after a 40 years study, and have the following benefits:
• Ant-imalaria
• Anti-bacteria
• Anti-parasite
• Anti-cancer.
It is also effective in preventing indigestion, scurvy, sciatica, and rheumatism.
At least 30 different illnesses have been suggested to be curable with the use of bitter leaf herbs.
Nigerians eat a lot of bitter leaf, but they often squeeze out the bitterness from the leaves before eating it. What is left then is mere chaff, with little or no medicinal value. The following are some of the uses of bitter leaf. Try these:
• Stomach Ache
Chew the tender stem of the plant like chewing stick and swallow the bitterness. This is a well known remedy for stomachaches. In some cases, the ache stops within a few minutes. An alternative is to pound the fresh leaves in a mortar and press out the juice. Add a pinch of salt to three tablespoons of the undiluted juice and drink. This brings immediate relief.
• Skin Infection
For skin infections such as ringworm, itching, rashes and eczema, the pure, undiluted extract of bitter leaf is excellent. Simply apply it to the affected part daily.
It also works for:
• Diabetes
• Loss Of Memory
• Prostate Cancer
• General Weakness
• Stroke
• Pneumonia
• Insomia
• Arthritis
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