INTRODUCTION
Firstly, i want to express my profound gratitude to every member of this community .
Steemit is one community i respect alot because it has stood the test of time .
Today ,i will like to talk about a popular edible leaf found in some part of the world. Its a leaf that must Nigerians are conversant . it is used basically for preparing soup in some west African countries but its usefulness is much more than that .
In this post, i will try as much as i can to tell us all we need to know about this leaf. Knowledge, they said is power and on the other hand, ignorance is not an excuse. It is very imperative that we know what we consume because it can make us healthy or it can cause some damages to us.
now lets explore this leaf and know as much as we can about it.
WATERLEAF
The botanical name of this leaf is Talinum triangulare , it has pink coloured flower and and belongs to Portulacea family. it is called waterleaf due to the large amount of water it contains which is about 90.8g of moisture per 100gm of waterleaf. it contains some vitamins like vitamins and minerals.
when planted , it can be harvested 2 to 4 weeks.
PHYTOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF WATERLEAF
Waterleaf contains large amount of bioactive compounds( compounds that brings about good healths) which are flavonoids ,alkaloids ,saponins and tannins . They are present both in the dry and fresh waterleaf. These compounds are use in medicine to manage so many diseases.
PARTS OF WATERLEAF
Some of The ways waterleaf can be used
For postrate cancer: boil the roots of waterleaf and take two glass cup daily
For hypertension and Diabetics : Add to soup
For inflammation: pound the leaf and apply on the inflammed area
For weakness, arthritis, Cancer, Malaria, and youthful skin : cut the stem and leaves into thiny particles, pour into a blender , add some water to it and blend very well , sieve and drink the liquid . it is rich with vitamins and a lot of minerals
SOME WONDERS YOU DONT KNOW WATERLEAF DOES
We will be look at some of the health benefits that waterleaf has.
FERTILITY : it is the best solution for anyone that wants to conceive. Daily consumption of this leaf can improve fertility and reproductive system
INFECTION TREATMENT: waterleaf contains some compounds that can combat virus, yeast and bacteria causing infection. it can be used in place of some antibiotics that are harmful to the body. here the leaf should be consumed orally by squeezing out the juice .
SKIN: it contains powerful vitamins can aid in producing collagen ; collagen are the proteins found in the skin that makes it youthful. Hence waterleaf makes skin to look younger .
WEIGHT LOST: It contains dietary fiber that makes one to feel fuller thereby making weight loss very easy. steam it and consume .
LIVER TREATMENT : waterleaf is great source of bioactive compounds ( bioactive compounds are those compounds that brings about good health) . This makes waterleaf very potent for treating liver diseases. it detoxifies the liver and keeps it healthy
IMMUNE SYSTEM: It helps strengthen the immune system to be able to combat harmful pathogens , diseases and infections.
These and much more are some of the benefits of this leaf to the body
HOW TO STORE WATERLEAF
waterleaf gets spoilt so easily. It can start getting rot from the following day after its harvested.
if you are not using it the same day it was harvested, you can preserve it by washing it, cut it into small size and put in a ziplock bag then keep in the freeze until you are prepared to use it. when you want to use it, use it while it is still frozen.
SIDE EFFECT
waterleaf contains much oxalic acid; oxalic acid is an anti-nutrient substance found in plants, greens , fruits etc, which can combine with other minerals in our body to form stone and this stone can result to kidney stone. So someone who had sufffered from kidneystone in the time past should not consume it or just take a little of it.
CONCLUSION
in conclusion, waterleaf is highly nutritious and should form part of our daily meals .
@Goodybest
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Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 6/7) Get profit votes with @tipU :)
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I normally use water leaves to cook most of my soup like Afang, Editan, Etidot, iKon etc. I know most of its benefits but thanks for this educative post because I've learned many more!
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Thanks dear, I will visit those sites
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Tbanks , everything pointed out is well noted.. Am gladly you learnt from my post.
Its a very huge encouragement for me.
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