Bitter leaf is among the basic herbs in Nigerian daily fiet and traditional medicine. It is used both for cooking and disease treatment or prevention. However, it is necessary to use it wisely and keep bitter leaf side effects in mind.
Bitter leaf uses
First of all, let’s recollect all positive moments about bitter leaf. It is a wild plant, which can be found along the roadsides, on the fields, or can be cultivated with medical purposes. It came form the Asian countries but soon became common in Nigeria.
The specific bitter taste helps to make meals more spicy. Investigations proved this bitterness to be a source of the wide variety of useful elements that benefit our health. Speaking about the uses of bitter leaf, besides cooking, it is used in cosmetology and medicine.
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Properties & benefits
Bitter leaf benefits are numreous. They start with preventive measures and end up with curing some serious diseases and infections. Even including this her in your meals has a positive effect on your health in case you are doing it wisely. You can use with the following purposes.
- Reducing fever. Antiseptic properties of this herb make it very effective for normalizing body temperature,especially combined with tumeric.
- Blood pressure normalization. Bitter leaf contains potasium, which is known for lowering blood pressure. Roots are the most effective for this.
- Typhus curing. The herb is strong enough for tackling this bacterial infection. Lukewarm drink made of bitter leaf and orange peel is also good for preventive measures.
- Endurance increasing. The combination of andrographolide and pannicolin substances has positive effect on the endurance, which is actually effective for minimizing AIDS effects.
- Cancer prevention. The researchers confirm that bitter leaf can be used to cure the forerunners of cancer. Besides, it contains the extracts with cancer resistant properties and prevents the increase of cancer cells.
Other benefits include:
- Itching treatment.
- Malaria treatment.
- Apendicite treatment.
- Diabetes treatment.
- Diarrhea treatment.
- Dysentery treatment.
- TB treatment.
- Respiratory tract diseases and infections treatment.
- Ear inflanmation treatment.
- Kidney diseases treatment.
- Toothache treatment.
- Treatment of poisonous bites by insects.
- Skin treatment and acne prevention.
Side effects
Despite the long list of benefits, many people are curious about bitter gourd juice side effects. This is a positive approach, for you should always be aware of both positive and negative aspects of the products you consume.
Side effect of bitter leaf juice are mainly caused by personal allergic reactions. They may include diarrhea, vomiting, loss of appetite, headaches, and rush. To avoid these unpleasant consequences, remember about correct dosage (4-6%, around 1200 mg) and testing for the allergic reaction.
Bitter leaf is not recommended for pregnant women and toddlers, as their organisms are very sensitive to all products they consume. However, the negative effect of the bitter leaf has not been supported by the researchers so far.
