The uses of bitter leaf

Bitter leaf is a common vegetable that is used regularly in many homes. It grows without much care in the tropical rain forests and grows to a height many people cannot associate with it, if it is not constantly for use; it grows to a shrub of over 20 feet. It flowers when fully grown, many people are not aware of this because whenever this plant grows near the house or is grown in a garden; it is never left to grow to its full height. The flowers are pale green. As the name implies, bitter leaf is very bitter. In preparing it to use as vegetable, many people quicken the preparation by adding salt when washing it. The bitter greenish water is thrown away leaving the washed leaves to be cooked as one desires.

Although common, it is not everyone that knows how to prepare and cook bitter leaf. Some young bachelors have cut it up, just like other vegetables, and poured it into their pots of soup. Although the bitter taste is better for health, it is never good as a meal. In using plants, one constantly becomes convinced of the statement that there is no waste in Nature. Every-thing created has a purpose. Every part of the plant has its usefulness. When we do not know the use yet we throw such as having no value. In some cases, a part of a plant may be seen by some people as harmful, perhaps when taken internally or when applied to the skin in its natural state undiluted or not combined with other substances that will enrich it or change its strong and harmful composition. When one knows how to prepare and use a plant, one is only filled with joy that nothing produced by nature can be found useless.

From the shell of the egg, the shell of the melon (epo egusi) to the peel of the orange, the silk of the corn; to the charcoal of the mango, guava or orange tree; we have materials from which we can prepare (singly or in combination with other materials) herbal medicines for the benefit of the sick. All the parts of the plant absorb and store essential elements from the soil, from the rays of the sun and from the atmosphere. The last has led to the warning that herbs should not be collected from industrial areas, busy roadsides, gutters and oil polluted areas. Without analyzing such plants one can see physical defects showing in the changed colours, caused by the air, wrinkled leaves and stunted growth. One only needs to be careful in choosing where to harvest herbs and to be involved to be able to know how to use the various parts of the plant. This may not come in one day.

Bitter leaf is one plant that is useful in so many ways. To use it for eczema it is rubbed into a soft ball and rubbed hard on the affected area. It is used in the same way for skin eruptions in children. When children have measles, bitter leaves are extracted in native gin. One teaspoon is given to the child to drink twice daily while the same thing is rubbed on the skin. This can be done morning and evening too. It is also prescribed for malaria and said to be effective, for this it is the water which is thrown away when it is prepared as vegetable that is used. A glassful is drunk three to four times daily. This is a plant that can be used freely till the condition being treated is cleared. Boils are brought to a ripe state quickly by using ground bitter leaf to which palm oil is added. Painful hard boils, abscesses can be helped to form pus by using this preparation. Grind some bitter leaves , add little palm oil; spread it on the boil or abscess, place lint on it or use a piece of nylon (type used for wrapping bread or laundry) on it. Bandage it or plaster it in place overnight, it relieves pains and helps the pus to gather quickly.

Repeat every night till the point is completely soft even when the spot enuits the pus gradually, do not press boils too much. Let them drain out with little gentle pressure. Poultice such as is described above is good because, not only does it relieve pain, it protects the point from infection. While treating boils in this way, cleanse the blood of impurities with fruits and more intake of water for a few days; avoiding solid food during the period. Children can also be put on fruit juices and fruits for up to a week, making them to eat every three hours or on demand. Most vegetables are eaten and the root is not given a second thought, just like the water leaf and the ewedu; the root of bitter leaf is also useful. For diabetes, boil the root of bitter leaf and drink ½ a drinking glass three times daily; reduce volume taken gradually and use for over six months. It is a good diuretic which will benefit obese people; it does not need to be taken warm.

Diabetics may note that it is not enough to normalize the sugar level (control) over a very short period of about two weeks, a longer period of treatment is necessary to repair the pancreas or the kidneys, depending on which of the two organs is defective. Correct diagnosis is recommended. The leaves of bitter leaf soaked in one bottle of schnapps to which one bottle of lime juice is added is good for the treatment of hypertension. Use one black shopping bag full of bitter leaf to one bottle schnapps plus one bottle of pure lime juice. Squeeze well and strain, drink one shot at night for hypertension. Equal parts of bitter leaf and Basil (Ocinum gratissinum) Efirin in Yoruba, in one small drinking glass of water is good for pile. A handful of each is grounded well and the water is added to mix well before straining it, drink it slowly (sip) in the morning and evening.

The cause of hypertension should be well investigated for effective treatment. If stress and worry (anxieties) are the causes, patients should effectively treat the condition, if arteries are blocked or the level of cholesterol is high, cleaning the blood is essential. Foods that are known to produce a lot of waste, leading to obesity or just thick skin should be avoided. Meat, white flour products are among such foods, artificially fertilized eggs are also to be avoided, and it is not a question of eating the white or yoke of the egg. Why take the trouble of separating and egg. Look for a substitute.