Health benefits of bitter leaf are something that people didn’t know. But, before we talk about the specific benefit, it could be better to know about bitter leaf first.
Bitter leaf is an herb plant. According to the herbpathy.com, this plant has a botanical name, Vernonia Amugdalina. Bitter leaf contains a lot of useful nutrients. This is a full list of bitter leaf nutrients; alkaloids, anthraquinones, ascorbic acid, calcium, chlorogeni, cooper, coumarins, essential oil, flavonoids, folic acid, iron, liganans, minerals, myricetin, phenolic acid, phosphorus, potassium, protein, saponins, sesquiterpenes, steroids, tannic acid, terpene, vitamin C, vitamins, xanthones, and zinc. Don’t be surprised, as usual, herb plants always have a lot of nutrients.
Bitter leaf is a common name for vernonia’s flower like vernonia calvoana, vernonia amygdalina, vernonia colorata which are eaten as leaf vegetables. This vernonia’s flowers also called as a onugbu , ewuro, and ndole in the Igbo language. Vernonia itself is a genus of about 1000 species of shrubs ad forbs in teh family Asteraceae. This is known for having intense purple flowers. The name of vernonia came from the English botanist, William Vernon.
This is the specification of Vernonia, or what we called it as bitter leaf. Kingdom Plantae, order Asterales, family Asteraceae, tribe Vernoniae, and of course genus Vernonia. Bitter leaf is well known as a medical plant with several uses attributed to it, including for diabetes, fever reduction, and so on. The origin of this leaf actually is from African countries. But now, it is not so hard to find this leaf at grocery stores.
It was good to be known that so many diseases that could be recovered by bitter leaf. At least, these are the list of the diseases; stomach ache, typhoid, anorexia, ascaris, breast cancer, breast milk, cancer, constipation, cough, diabetes, diarrhea, fatigue, eczema, dysentery, fever, hepatitis, high blood pressure, insomnia, indigestion, malaria, menopause, nausea, ringworm, piles, obesity, schistosomiasis, skin diseases, skin rashes, wounds, and vomiting.
These are the following explanation about health benefits of bitter leaf.
1.Reduce the Fever
Antiseptic contained in bitter leaf is very effective to reduce the heat inside the body. Bitter leaf nutrients like andrographolide lactones, glucosides, fiterpene, and flavonoids can decrease a tension of body and of course serve to reduce fever. Then, how to use it? Easy. First of all, boil 10 grams of dried bitter leaf, 25 grmas dried turmeric tuber (2.5 thumbs), and 200 cc of water. Boil them until the water seethe and stay on 100 cc. strain it immediately. When still warm, add 100 cc mahogany cotton flower honey. Then, drink it three times a day.
2. Prevent Cancer
Hydatidiform mole, trophoblastic, tumor, and lung tumor which was the forerunner of cancer can be served by bitter leaf. Substances contained in a bitter leaf can help you to prevent yourself from liver diseases and also can improve the immune system in your body. Even some studies describe that bitter leaf can stop the activities of gastric cancer cells and can treat a tumor growth. The extraction of bitter leaf can prevent the growth and development of breast cancer cells.
For this aim, just combine the bitter leaf with turmeric. Then, curcumin in turmeric and substances of bitter leaf will be able to form a synergistic formula named cure cancer. This combination formula gained from turmeric and bitter leaf was an anti cancer formula aligned with herbal formula. The components also can mutually support and complement the existing deficiencies in the bitter leaf as well as turmeric.
3. Lower Hypertension
As we know, high blood pressure or hypertension was very dangerous problem. While hypertension never shows symptoms, this blood pressure problem can kill you suddenly. That’s why high blood pressure was called as a silent killer. But it’s ok, bitter leaf can help you to tackle it.
One of bitter leaf function is to decrease an high blood pressure or hypertension. Bitter leaf contains potassium. High potassium in bitter leaf will be useful to remove water and salt to treat hypertension. Compound of potassium provides efficacy to lower blood pressure.
How consume bitter life for this purpose. You can use all of parts or roots only. Wash and boil bitter leafs in 3 cups of water as much as usual. Stop boiling until the water is staying ¾ her. Then once filtered, as much as ¾ cup cooking water is drunk. Drink it two times a day.
4. Increase Endurance
One of the bitter leaf form is andrographolide. There is also panni colin. That’s why the bitter leaf was named as andrographis paniculate. The main function of andrographolide and panni colin are raise of endurance so that in the US, bitter leaf was used as a medicine for AIDS. About the increasing endurance, maybe simply we can see it like supplements. Generally, as supplement, bitter leaf drink two cups a day. Just use 10 grams of dried leaves and let it turn into 4 cups of water. Then boil until the water adequate just for two cups.
5. Treating Malaria
The next health benefits of bitter leaf are to treat malaria. Malaria was a danger disease, caused by parasite plasmodium. Bitter leaf also has a substance which is effective to tackle this illness. To cure Malaria with bitter leaf, this is steps you can do.
- A handful of bitter leaf boiled in 4 cups of water.
- Allow up to 2 cups of water. Drink it three times a day
The way how to consume bitter leaf for a medicine is not too different between each purpose. It was usually boiled firs and then drink it, consume bitter leaf as a water, not directly eat that’s plant.
Overcoming Itchiness
Itchiness could be reasoned by a lot of factors. It could be because of fungi, insect, bacteria, or anything else.
And did you know that bitter leaf can resolve itchiness? You can try to oily the bitter leaf to the itchiness part in your body. But it’s not so usual method. The general way to use bitter leaf for cure itchiness is;
- Take 1 gr bitter leaf and 1 gr ginger root fragrant
- Mix them all
- Dilute the mixture with water
- The last one, drink it 3 times a day
7. Effective for Typhus Disease
There is like a common belief that bitter leafs is good for typhus (disease caused by bacterial infection in liver) patients. This the way you can take if you want to use bitter leaf for resole typhus problem.
- Take 10 gr bitter tubers, 5 gr mandarin orange peel, and 15 gr of jail, than boil them with 500 cc of water to the remaining tension in 200 cc.
- Drink it 2 till 3 times per day
8. Treating Appendicitis
The huge nutrients that bitter leaf have makes this herb become a primadona plat helping cure various disease, including appendicitis. It was true that the bitter leaf can be used to treat appendicitis. This is the simple way to use bitter leaf for treating appendicitis.
- bitter leaf 30 gr, 400 ml water, and 1 tablespoon of honey
- boiled as much as 30 gr of bitter leaf that has been cleaned in 400 ml water
- Boil it then
- let it cold, drink it 3 times a day regularly
9. Treating Diabetes
Andrographolide is a main substance contained in bitter leaf. This nutrient can serves to reduce levels of glucose in peoples blood. According to the study by Munawa Colleagues from Faculty of Pharmacy in 2004, bitter leaf decoction can lower blood glucose levels in male rats. So that why not to begin eat bitter leaf as a diets for healt purpose, especially to treat diabetes. Here is a step how to make bitter leaf as a diabetes drug.
- Take bitter leaf approximately 5 gr. Remember, just fresh leaves!
- Pour 1 cup of hot water
- Let it cold first then filtered
- Drink that’s distillate daily, 2 times a day as much in the morning and evening, after meals
10. Treating Gallstones
In our body, there is a so small organ shaped by muscular pouch where a bile located. That’s organ was named gall bladder or Vesica Fellea. The gall bladder will be filled by bile at night and will be issued in the morning. Then, the gall bladder can be impaired, among which the form of stones in the gall bladder and the presence of inflammation.
Here is how to make herbal remedy for gallstones from the bitter leaf.
- 30 gr of bitter fresh or 15 gr of dry plus 100 gr of corn silk. Then add 30 gr meeting buffoonery (sliced)
- Biled them with 800 cc of water till the remaining 400 cc
- mix the filtered water with lemon juice and honey to taste
- consume it two times per day
11. Treating Diarrhea
Yap, bitter leaf can be used to cure a diarrhea. And then, other benefits of bitter leaf are to manage diarrhea we suffer. Add bitter leaf in your diets menu. It possibly increase you healthy level of your cuisine. Do the same by making a herbal concoction to overcome diarrhea.
- Take as much as 9 – 15 gr of bitter leaf dried
- Boiled it in 3 cups of water until it remains 1 cup
- Chill and filtered it
- Drink it 2 times a day, each ½ cup
12. Treating Respiratory Tract Infections
Do you know about this problem? Respiratory tract infections are infections that invade the human respiratory tract. Respiratory infections can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or other organisms. Secondary bacterial infections can also occur in patients with upper respiratory tract infections or bottom.
the important one is that you can bitter leaf to cure this respiratory problem. Use this following step to do with bitter leaf aiming treating respiratory tract infections.
- Take 9 15 gr of dried bitter leaf
- Boiled in 3 cups of water till remaining 1 cup
- Then chill and filtered it
- Drink it 2 times a day, ½ cup for each drink
13. Treating Bacillary Dysentery
Bacillary dysentery disease was a disease of the gastrointestinal tract with the stools known to contain blood with / without mucus. Shigella bacteria is the name of bacteria that causes this disease.
Try to use bitter leaf to cure bacillary dysentery. Here is a step to use bitter leaf for this purpose.
- Take 9 – 15 ge of dried bitter leaf
- Boiled in 3 cups of water till the remaining 1 cup
- The chill and filtered it
- Drink it 2 time a day, ½ cup for each drink
- Bitter Leaf for Healthy Skin
Bitter leaf is also good for your skin. The substances of bitter leaf, like andografin, androfolit, and pani culin are a natural antibiotic contained in this herb plant. They help the body to reduce the risk of skin aging and against the effect of free radicals. The extract of bitter leaf also able to increase the body’s defense to against infection that decrease the quality of the organs in the body, including the skin tissue.
As we know, there are so many skin problems. Some of them can be cured by bitter leaf. Then, how to do with bitter leaf for this purpose. Here is the complete step you can follow.
- Put 1 gr bitter leaf and 1 gr ginger root fragrant
- Mix all ingredients until it smooth, look like powder
- Dilute the mixture with water
- Drink it 3 times a day
That’s all health benefits of bitter leaf. Before we end this article, it would be better for you to know also the side effect of bitter life so that you can possibly minimize that’s happen to you. Please underlying this; Bitter life is safe to be consumed in the right amounts or portions. Side effects may arise in the form are loss of appetite. Yup, just it! maybe it sounds good to you who treat a diet to decrease your body’s weight
