BITTER LEAF INSIGHTS

In our village near Kakum National Park in Ghana, Oldman Burger, a homeopathic doctor used to say that any leaf or herb that is bitter is good for a sweet generation of today.  One of the things Agya Mbir taught us was the BITTER LEAVES.   

Botanically it is called  Vernonia Amygdalina. 

In Ghana , the Fantses call it BOWENE, Bowin in Akan, Avenya in Ewe and Shiwaka in Hausa.

 In Nigeria, it is called ‘Ewuro’ by the ‘Yorubas’, ‘Shiwaka’ by the Hausas, ‘Onugbu’ by the Igbos, and ‘Aforloh’ amongst the Idoma people, bitter leaf is scientifically called Vernonia amygdalina.

Strengthens liver health

This wonder leaf is generally considered a liver herb because it stimulates, cleanses and supports the liver.

The liver is one of the most important organs of the body. There are a lot of major functions that the liver should do every day and this includes the production of bile acid that helps in fat metabolism. Without the liver, fats will not be digested inside the body to be used as energy. Bitter leaf can be very helpful in maintaining the livers optimum health to release bile acid every time people eat fatty foods.

Another major function of the liver is the production of glycogen. Glycogen is stored energy that is released in times of low level of glucose especially for people who do fasting. The liver should be well taken care of by using bitter leaf.

Good source of fatty acids

Also bitter leaf is an abundant source of the polyunsaturated fatty acids linoleic and linolenic acid. Because your body can't make these two fats, they are required from the diet. A study found that diets rich in these two fatty acids were protective against cardiovascular disease. In this study, those who consumed the greatest amounts of linoleic and linolenic fatty acids had a 40 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease when compared to those that seldom consumed these two fats.

Improves kidney health

Another very vital organ inside the body is the kidney. Kidney helps in the excretion of waste products inside the body. If the normal function of the kidney breakdown there will be huge problem inside the body. Bitter leaf is a natural herb that is useful in taking care of the kidney.

Good for diabetes

Diabetic patient can also use bitter leaf as one of their medication to prevent high sugar level in the blood. It will not only lower the sugar level in the blood but also repair impaired pancreas. Pancreas is the organ responsible for the production of insulin for glucose to reach each cell to use by the body as energy. Impaired pancreas does not release the right amount of insulin to maintain the right sugar level in the blood.

Reduces the risk of breast cancer

Adding bitter leaf to your healthy diet may reduce your risk of chronic diseases like breast cancer. It is found that consuming bitter leaf may combat breast cancer cell growth. In a test tube study of human breast cancer cells, scientists from Jackson State University found that bitter leaf inhibited the growth and proliferation of breast cancer cells.

Regulates cholesterol level

Elevated cholesterol, especially "bad" LDL cholesterol, is a risk factor for heart attack, stroke and Alzheimer's disease. In an animal model, supplementation with bitter leaf extract reduced LDL cholesterol by 50 percent while also boosting "good" HDL cholesterol. However, no research investigating bitter leaf on cholesterol has been conducted on humans.

Good source of antioxidants

Your body's cells are under a near constant assault from a harmful process known as oxidation. Unchecked oxidation can increase the chances of precancerous cell formation. Bitter leaf is an abundant source of antioxidants, researchers reveal. The researchers add that the antioxidant properties of bitter leaf make a healthy disease fighting addition to your diet.

Reduces fever

Bitter leaf contains an antiseptic that is very effective to reduce heat inside the body. The content of andrographolide lactones, glucosides, diterpene,and flavonoids serve to reduce fever.

Lowers blood pressure

Bitter compounds have among other substances, andrographolide, alkaloid, and potassium. Andrographolide content of which can improve the body’s defence systems such as the production of white blood cells that attack bacteria and other foreign substances. High potassium in bitter leaf is useful to remove water and salt to treat hypertension. Potassium compounds provide efficacy to lower blood pressure.

Effective for typhus disease

Bitter is also believed to be used as a medicine for typhus. Typhus is a disease caused by bacterial infection of the intestine and lymph nodes, and spleen.

Increases endurance

Bitter substances have the typical form of andrographolide. Besides andrographolide, also has panni colin substances. Based on these two elements, the bitter leaf is named andrographis paniculate. Andrographolide and panni colin specific main function is actually to increase endurance.

Aids treatment of typhoid

Typhoid is a disease caused by bacteria. Consuming bitter leaf is able to kill the bacteria that cause typhoid.

Improves skin health

Bitter leaf helps the body to reduce the risk of skin aging and fight against the effects of free radicals. The bitter extract is able to increase the body’s defence against infection that lowers the quality of the organs in the body, including the skin tissue.

 

Kenoch Herbal

BITTER LEAF

The herb known as bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) is a shrub or small tree that can reach 23 feet in height when fully grown. Bitter leaf has a grey or brown coloured bark, which has a rough texture and is flaked. ... Bitter leaf also helps to cleanse such vital organs of the body like the liver and the kidney.

Bitter leaf is botanically known as Vernonia amygdalina Del. of the family Asteraceae. Its synonym is Vernonia senegalensis A Chev. The common name is bitter leaf.

 Vernacular names

COUNTRY	LANGUAGE/TRIBE	VERNACULAR NAME
Ghana	Adangme	Agba, Tatsho, Akpa, Agoaflu
	Akan	Bowin
	Twi	Awonwone
	Fanti	Bowene
	Nzema	Ayeanwonle
	Ewe	Gbo, Gboti,Gbotsi
	Dagbanli	Bieningira
	Hausa	Shiwaka
	Mole	Koasafande
Guinea	Fula Pulaar	Bantara Burure
	Manding Maninka	Kossa Fina
Togo	Ewe	Avenya
	Tem	Tusima
Sierra Leone	Temne	A-Bita-Lif
	Mende	Nje Nyani
	Krio	Bita-Lif,
Benin	Tem	Aloma
Nigeria	Hausa	Chusar-Doki, Shiwaka
	Igbo	Olugbu
	Ibibio	Etidot
	Edo	Oriwo
	Yoruba	Ewuro Jije

PLANT DESCRIPTION

Bitter leaf is a shrub or small tree which grows to three to eight meters high with striated pubescent branches, becoming glabrous on maturity. The leaves are alternate i.e. only one leaf is produced at each node, obovate-lanceolate in shape, with entire or finely toothed margin, finely pubescent(hairy) beneath. The leaves are green with a characteristic odour and a bitter taste. Its flowers in heads, 6 mm in diameter and in copious corymbose panicles, pappus white or russet and sweet-scented.  

 It is found in the tropics, in homes and villages as fence posts, medicinal plant, pot-herb. It grows under a range of ecological zones in Africa and is drought tolerant.

TRADITIONAL USES

Bitter leaf is nutritious and has so many powerful health benefits. Bitter leaf is a highly appreciated vegetable in West and Central Africa and can be consumed in various dishes. The leaves are boiled in soups in Northern part of Ghana. Leaves are sometimes sold in the market after being shredded, parboiled and made into fist-sized balls. In Cameroon the processed leaves are cooked with meat and/or prawns mixed with ground peanuts to make a famous dish called ‘ndole’. Alternatively, whole leaves are cooked together with cassava or yam tubers, whereas the leaves are also dried and ground to powder for use in soups. In Cameroon the leaves are sometimes eaten unprocessed and raw mixed with palm oil and salt. In Nigeria it is a delicacy when it comes to soups.

Vernonia amygdalina is one of the most commonly used plants in Ghanaian traditional medicine. In Ghana, the Leaves are used to treat malaria, dysentery, fever, diarrhoea, hepatitis and cough, ring worm, dermatitis and as a fertility enhancer. They are also used as a medicine for scabies, headache and stomach-ache. The roots are also used in the treatment/management of malaria, loss of appetite, constipation and gastrointestinal disorders. The leaves and roots are used for the management of hypertension. The young leaves are used in treating intestinal helminthiasis. The laves and stalks are used for treatment of psoriasis. It is used traditionally as a mineral supplement. In Nigeria leaves are placed on a wound as a substitute for iodine. One of the most common medicinal uses of Vernonia amygdalina is as a treatment against intestinal worms including nematodes. In Zimbabwe a root infusion is used to treat sexually transmitted diseases. Bark infusions are also taken to treat fever and diarrhoea, dried flowers against stomach disorders. Vernonia amygdalina is also useful as a control agent against diseases in plants. The ash from burnt branches is used to control seed-borne fungi (Curvularia, Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium spp.) thus ameliorating seed viability and germination capacity.

Chemical constituents

The leaf extract contains Sesquiterpene lactones (vernolepin, vernolide and vernodalol); tannins; flavonoids (luteolins); saponins (vernoniosides); alkaloids; calcium; amino acids; vitamin C (Masaba, 2000; Sayed et al., 1982).

Therapeutic actions include antimalarial, anthelminthic, antidiabetic analgesic; anticancer; antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antitumour, antioxidant diuretic and antibacterial.

Therapeutic indications include:

• Reduce fever,
• As a dewormer,
• Management of scanty urine (oliguria)
• Constipation
• Abdominal pain
• Psoriasis
• Bacterial and fungal skin disorders
• Management of diabetes
• Headaches
• Treatment of malaria
• Treatment of itching (Pruritis)
• Treatment of ringworm infestation
• Treatment of upper respiratory tract infections
• Management of asthma.

References

Ghana Herbal Pharmacopoeia (1992), 30-32. The Advent Press: Accra, Ghana.

Mshana, N.R., Abbiw, D.K., Addae-Mensah, I., Ahiyi, M.R.A. et al (2000). Traditional medicine and pharmacopoeia. Contribution to the revision of Ethnobotanical and Floristics Studies of Ghana. Organisation of African Unity/Scientific, technical and research committee.

https://mukanet.com/health–benefits–of–bitter–leaf–vernonia–amygdalina–its–uses–in–nigeria/ Accessed August 8, 2019

https://uses.plantnet–project.org/en/Vernonia_amygdalina_(PROTA) Accessed August 8, 2019

Masaba SC (2000). The antimalarial activity of Vernonia amygdalina Del (Compositae). Trans. Roy Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg., 94: 694-695.

Sayed MD, Zaki AY, El-Marzabai MM, Doss SL (1987). Med. plants.Phytochem., 21: 944.

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TREATING BLOOD PRESSURE WITH BITTER LEAF

The blood pressure is the force, with which blood presses into the vessel walls, being pushed by the heart. When the vessels are clean and elastic and the blood is not to thin and not too thick, even big amounts of blood can be pushed through the them easily. Neither the heart nor the vessels are harmed.

In case the vessels are clogged or the blood is too thick or there’s excess of fluid in the body, it becomes tougher for the heart to push the blood.

That’s why it’s necessary to control blood pressure level, eat less salt and fat, do physical exercises and avoid obesity. However, in case there’s something wrong in other systems of the body and the excess of salt is not withdrawn properly, there will be a big imbalance. At this moment, the potassium in bitter leaf can help a lot. All our cells function well when there’s a proper balance between potassium and sodium.

This is how bitter leaf can help the body fight high blood pressure. Can it help in other cases, when the increase of blood pressure is caused by other things like stress, vessel spasms, and so on? It’s potentially effective for many cases with high blood pressure. The alkaloids the plant contains in its leaves is able to treat stress effectively and thus reduce the pressure significantly.

Of course, you should understand that if you are suffering from high blood pressure that reaches dangerous levels and you need a remedy that can work as emergency in a critical situation, bitter leaf is not what you should use, you should consult your doctor and go to the hospital for regular checkups.

At the same time, if you choose an herbal treatment, you need to realize that it will last longer because the effect of such remedies becomes visible only in several weeks. However, it will also last for a longer time than the effect of synthetic medical means.

How can I cure high pressure with bitter leaf?

If you are strongly into the treatment with the help of bitter leaf, here’s a recipe that may work for you:

– Take one handful of fresh bitter leaves (they need to be fresh; otherwise, there will be no effect)

– Take three cups of clean water

It’s possible to add some basil to the bitter leaves. It will increase the positive effect of the bitter leaf mixture because it’s able to regulate the level of cholesterol and glucose in your blood. So, when you’ve chosen the content of the plant part of the remedy, you need to set the water boiling and add the leaves exactly when it’s boiling. The high temperature will make sure that your liver will not be damaged by the mixture.

When you’ve cooked the mixture, don’t even think of drinking it straight away. You need to wash away the very first bitter water layer; otherwise, the acids it contains in galore will cause a serious damage to your health.

Sometimes, it’s also recommended to add milk to bitter water. It’s the matter of your taste because some people can’t stand the taste of the pure mixture and others can’t force themselves to drink the bitter milk. However, the treatment course is not so long to fail to stand the taste. You only need to have two cups of the mixture two times a week for only two weeks.

LINKS:

https://kenochherbal.com/2019/09/19/bitter-leaf-vernonia-amygdalina-awonwone/

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