#club5050 // Сontest STEEM PLANTS : Week #47- BITTER-LEAF PLANT AND ITS IMPORTANT.

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Hello beautiful people on steemit, I say a big thank you to the SteemitContest community for putting up a great contest as this. I will be talking to you about a particular plant which is common to most African countries. This plant is commonly called “Bitter-leaf”.

WHAT IS BITTER LEAF

_{Bitter-leaf plant grown in my neighborhood}

The English or should I say scientific name of the plant “bitter-leaf” is Vernonia amygdalina. This is an ancient African plant, which grows in most part of Eastern and Western Africa Countries such as Cameroon, Nigeria, Tanzania just to name a few. This plant is a small tree growing with a height of 2-5m, with green leaves of about 10cm long. Just from the name “bitter leaf” we already can tell it’s a bitter plant though most people claim there is“sweet bitter leaf”funny right😅 how can a plant be sweet and bitter at thesame time??. The stems and leaf extracts can be used for dietary, medicinal and curative purposes.

USES OF BITTER-LEAF

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It is Mostly the stems and leaves that are of great importance to humans.

Diatery uses of bitter-leaf.

• In most African countries, the plant is used to cook vegetable soup, most porridge dishes like porridge cocoyam etc, and even in stew.
• The fresh leaves can be squeezed and the juice extract can be drunk, the stem can be chewed inorder to get the bitter juice, the leaves and stem can as well be mashed in a mortar and the juice extracted.
This juice is believed to have soo many medical importance such as it serving as a blood source, treatment for malaria as this is a common disease outbreak in Most African countries, And many other heath benefits.

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Medicinal Uses of bitter leaf.

• This plant bitter -leaf is rich in vitamins like Vit A, C, B12 etc, mineral salts which are beneficial to one’s overall health. The vitamins and minerals present help in the maintenance of bones and teeth.
• The plant also contains quinine ( a substance that cures malaria, cleans the lungs and liver). It also has an antioxidant which protects against stomach ulcer.
• Bitter-leaf also helps diabetic patients lower their blood sugar levels.
• Bitter-leaf juice extract also aids to promote metabolism which helps in digestion thereby reducing bloating.
• Also bitter-leaf Juice can be used as a detoxifying agent.
• It can also be used as Anti- parasitic agent, anti-bacterial, anti cancer etc.

CONCLUSION

It is advisable to take a cup of the juice extract of bitter-leaf twice a day. For effective relief of stomach problems and other health benefits listed above.

THANKS

I invite @bongk, @glange22, @goodnews11 to take part in this contest.