Bitter Leaf’s health benefits are tremendous due to its nutritional value. It has a Latin name Andrographis Paniculate Ness. This unique plant is native to tropical Asia and one of its spreading is in Indonesia. His name also varies according to the local language of each place. Bitter Leaf is famous for its bitter taste. However, this bitter taste provides tremendous health benefits.
Bitter Leaf plants usually grow wild like on the edge of the fence or in forests and shrubs. However, some people are beginning to plant to take the health benefits of bitter leaves. Before we see its health benefits, let’s see what are the nutrients therein.
Nutrition Value of Bitter Leaf
Bitter leaves contain high levels of flavonoids, the leaves and branches of this plant contain deoxy andrographolide, 14-deoxy-n, andrographolide, 12-didehydroandrographolide, homoandrographolide, aldehydes, ketones, calcium, alkane, sodium, potassium, resin, and acid grit. Various nutritional content is very unusual and provides great benefits for overall health. Below we see some benefits for health.
Bitter Leaf Health Benefits That Proven
1. Treating fever
The bitter leaf is rich with antiseptic that lowers the fever effectively. Bitter Leaf contains glucosides, diterpene, lactones, andrographolide, and flavonoids that are useful in reducing fever and heat.
How to use:
- Boil 10 grams of bitter leaf, 25 grams of dried turmeric, and 200 cc of water
- Boil until boiling and remaining only 100 cc, strain to separate the dregs
- Let stand until warm, add 100 cc mahogany cotton flower and stir evenly
- Divide into 3 parts for three drinks/day
2. Prevent cancer
Bitter leaf is also useful for treating cancer, tumors, hydatiform moles, lung tumors, and trophoblastic tumors that later turn into cancer. Bitter extract in bitter leaf can prevent liver, add immunity, and so on.
In addition, the study also showed that bitter plants can react to gastric cancer cells and inhibit tumor growth. The benefits are preventing and inhibiting the development of breast cancer.
See more: Essential herb to prevent cancer
How to Use:
- Combine two bitter leaves and turmeric
- Andrographolide bitter substance in the leaves and curcumin in turmeric work synergistically to provide resistance to the cancer.
The combination of these two ingredients is complementary so that the strength of drugs to fight cancer is getting stronger and extraordinary.
3. Treating Typhus Disease
In addition to cancer, the health benefits of bitter leaf is treating typhus. Diseases caused by bacterial infections of lymph nodes intestines and spleen. Typhus has an incubation period of 5-14 days.
How to Use:
- Boil 5 grams of mandarin orange peel with 15 grams of oil in 500 cc water, and boil until remaining 200 cc.
- Drink this water to suffer from typhus while lukewarm 3 times a day.
4. Lowering blood pressure
The content of andrographolide, alkaloids, and potassium is very complete to treat high blood pressure. Here’s how to make potions to treat high blood pressure.
How to make:
- Provide half a handful of bitter leaf,
- Wash and boil with three glasses of water,
- Boil until the remaining 3/4 cup
- Strain and drink
Make this herb twice a day. It is very bitter but the benefits are incredible.
5. Overcoming Itching
Furthermore, the bitter leaf health benefit is to treat itching. Here’s how to make the potion.
How to:
- 1 gram of bitter leaf, 1 gram of fragrant ginger
- Mash all ingredients until smooth as powder
- Next, dilute with water
- Drink 3 times a day
6. Treating Malaria
Malaria is a dangerous disease caused by the plasmodium virus. Bitter Leaf is one of the natural ingredients that are useful for treating Malaria. Here’s how to make potions.
How to:
- Provide 4 cups of water and boil a slice of bitter leaf
- Boil until boiling and the remaining 2 cups water. Drink 3 times a day.
7. Good for Diabetes
Andrographolide substances in bitter leaves are useful for reducing glucose levels in the blood. Based on research at the Faculty of Pharmacy in 2004 showed that bitter leaves can decrease glucose levels in male rats.
How to:
- Provide bitter leaf about 5 grams,
- Boil 1 cup water
- Wait until cool, strain, and drink
- Drink twice a day, afternoon and morning after meal.
10. Treating Typhoid
It also includes diseases caused by bacteria, bitter leaf is believed to kill bacteria and cause typhoid.
How to:
- Provide 10-15 pieces of bitter leaf
- Boil with 2 glasses of clean water,
- Wait to boil and leave to 1 cup
- Let stand cool,
- Put a little honey, and drink
- Do it 3 times a day for a healing effect
11. Treat Kidney Disease
Furthermore, the bitter leaf’s taste has health benefits in treating kidney disease. Kidneys are the organs of the body that hold important functions. If the kidneys have problems then the whole body will suffer pain. The kidneys function to filter out toxins in the body and release them together with the urine. So, this organ is very important to keep it healthy.
Here we see how to make potions to cure kidney disease.
How to:
- Fresh Bitter leaf about 30 grams,
- Leaves of cat whiskers
- Corn hair
- Take all the ingredients clean them with running water, and boil everything with 1 liter of water. Wait until the remaining 1/2 liter and drink.
These are some health benefits of bitter leaf that should to known. As mentioned above, this plant can easily to found in any place in our surroundings. It can grow on the fence or beside our house wall. So, pay a little attention to that place be you can get it beside your resident.