The Health Benefits of Bitter Leaf

                                         
What are some of the touted health benefits of bitter leaf?

Bitter leaf juice is known to have nutritional and therapeutic benefit which depends on its constituents for its efficiency when consumed.  In Nigeria, bitter leaf juice is prepared and consumed at room temperature and elevated temperatures for treatment of malaria, reducing blood sugar levels, as anti-oxidants, anti-bacterial and other numerous medicinal and pharmaceutical properties.

Paradoxically, most of the nutrients, tend to be destroyed in the cooking process. Usually, stews containing the leaves are cooked for prolonged periods of time, partly to rid the leaves of the bitter taste, but in so doing ruining the nutritional benefits. (So it’s best to steel yourself and eat the leaf raw.) Read on for some of the claims of this magical leaf.

Contains lots of vitamins and minerals

According to a research article by Agbogidi, O.M. and Akpomorine, M.O., bitter leaf are ‘exceptionally rich’ in proteins, carotene, vitamin C and mineral elements including iron, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, zinc, copper, folic acids and ascorbic acid’, making them ideal, in the authors’ opinions for children and breastfeeding mothers.

Prevents heart attacks

Bitter leaf is a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic and linolenic acid. All of these polyunsaturated fatty acids are, indeed, protective against cardiovascular disease; however, this in itself is not enough to guard against heart attacks.

Helps reduce blood pressure

Saliu, JA, Ademiluyi, AO et al examined the antihypertensive properties of bitter leaf; their results can be found in the Journal of Food Biochemistry. The authors conclude that it does indeed have antihypertensive properties (including high levels of potassium) which may be exerted through ‘the inhibition of α‐amylase, α‐glucosidase and ACE, coupled with the antioxidant activities.’ The authors suggest that bitter leaf phenolic-rich extracts are a nutraceutical option for managing hypertension.

Boosts your chances of getting pregnant

Word on the street is that consuming bitter leaf can boost your chances of getting pregnant, but that same street wisdom also tells us that eating too much bitter leaf can lead to miscarriage. Confused? Me too. According to one study conducted in rats, ‘…as antioxidants, the flavonoids and vitamins in bitter leaf extract could maintain sperm morphology, sperm survival and sperm function and therefore be regarded as a steady supply of additional nutrients to the treated rats over the control groups’. The same study references authors who have found that:

‘…treatment with antioxidants improves steroidogenesis by enhancing the primary effect of Leydig cell endocrine function along with increased circulatory testosterone production and stimulation of spermatogenesis’.

Nutritionist Dr Grace Johnson maintains that it can indeed boost fertility thanks to its ability to stimulate the reproductive system, ‘balance hormones and help the ovary to release healthy eggs’ per Guardian Nigeria.

Reduces fever

According to nutritionist Healthy Lifestyle, the antiseptic in the bitter leaf can help to bring down a fever:

‘The content of andrographolide lactones, glucosides, diterpene, and flavonoids serve to reduce fever.’

 The argument of what temperature is suitable for the juice consumption and its efficacy always arises. It becomes necessary to investigate how varying temperature affects the physiochemical and phytochemical properties of the juice, its bitter taste and the relationship patterns in which this variation takes place. This project work looks at the relationship patterns between the phytochemical properties of bitter leaf juice at varying temperature and their probably benefit.

Laboratory quantitative analysis of some physical properties (pH, specific gravity and conductivity) and phytochemical components (alkaloids, tannins, saponnins, flavonoids, terpenoids and phenols) were carried out for bitter leaf juice samples heated within temperatures 40°C, 60°C, 80°C and 100°C and then compared to the quantitative analysis of the bitter leaf extract sample at room temperature (25°C). The result showed a significant reduction in the phytochemical constituents where alkaloids and phenols  reduces linearly with increasing temperature, tannins, saponnins, flavonoids and terpenoids  reduces with increasing temperature in polynomial form of second order.

The pH and specific gravity also decreases as temperature increases in polynomial form of second order while the conductivity increases with increasing temperature. These change showed that the medicinal and pharmaceutical properties of the juice and bitter taste decreases with increasing heat. The bitter leaf juice becomes, more acidic, less dense than water and more conducting at high temperatures. Thus, the juice prepared at 25°C is best suited for nutritional and therapeutic benefit and if heat is to be applied to bitter leaf juice, the temperature 40°C is recommended since at this temperature, the composition of the phytochemical and physiochemical properties is not much different from that at 25°C.

Credit: 

• Study on the Relation Patterns of Bitter leaf Juice Phytochemicals at Varying Temperature | Ketebu | International Journal of Progressive Sciences and Technologies
• The Health Benefits of Bitter Leaf - pan-African