We get it, drinking bitter life juice is not necessarily the most fun thing to do in the world but trust us when we say it has nothing but sweet benefits for your general wellbeing.
Keeping in mind that just touching bitter leaf can leave your hands tasting bitter for many hours, we can imagine the distaste you have right now at the thought of drinking bitter leaf juice?
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As unpleasant as this experience may be, it is super healthy and medicinal hence why we haveĀ listed some below to convince you to try drinking bitter leaf juice.
Aids In Weight Loss
The components in bitter leaf juice make it great therapy for burning off that extra fat you have been looking at getting rid of. A daily dose of bitter leaf juice in your diet can eliminate bad cholesterol and reduces excess calories in the body.
Reduces Cancer Risks
Bitter leaf contains numerous anti-cancer properties like andrographolide compound which has been scientifically found to be effective in treating prostate cancers, gastric cancers, and colon. Furthermore, studies have shown that bitter leaf extract can boost the immune system, inhibit tumor growth and prevent the development of cancer cells.
Lowers High Blood Pressure
The same bitterness in bitter leaf that makes it unappetising is also one of its strongest best benefits. The bitterness of bitter leaf juice helps to lower your sugar level and controls blood pressure. Doctors advise hypertensive and diabetic patients to consume bitter leaf as the potassium it contains is a good remedy for hypertension as it prevents sodium from spiking up in the bloodstream by flushing out the accumulation of salt.
Aids In The Treatment Of Abdominal Issues
Bitter leaf comes in handy in the treatment of abdominal issues like stomach upset, diarrhea, dysentery and other gastrointestinal tract diseases. Drinking a cup of bitter leaf juice twice daily helps bring relief from stomach problems.
Enhances Fertility
Bitter leaf is very impressive when it comes to its benefit to the reproductive system of women. Drinking bitter leaf juice can help a woman get pregnant as the chemical compounds present in bitter leaf extracts like edotides promotes hormonal balance and boosts your immune system to help fight against toxification. Once balance is restored to your genital hormone, your chances of being reproductive increases.
The leaves are a staple vegetable in soups and stews of various cultures throughout equatorial Africa. They are washed to reduce their bitterness, after which they are dried and used to prepare meat dishes. InĀ Nigeria, leaves are also used in place ofĀ hops to brew beer
In Nigeria, twigs and sticks from this plant are used as a chewing stick for dental hygiene and the stems are used for soap in Uganda. In Ghana, the young leaves rather than the old, has gained credence for its potent anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory activity; and have been proven using animal models
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Abstract
The effectiveness of bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) and scent leaf (Ocimum gratissimum)
extracts as ameliorating agents of diabetes mellitus disease were studied. A total of 38
diabetic patients were identified within the Rumuepirikom community in Obio Akpor Local
Government Area of Rivers state and incorporated into the study. Disease duration in each
patient was roughly estimated from the time the disease was clinically diagnosed by medical
personnel and all the patients had some basic investigations carried out before the
commencement of the study. Each patient was assigned to one of 6 groups based on age of
onset of the disease, disease duration in the individual and the severity of the disease in the
patient elicited by the presence or signs of complications such as retinopathies,
cardiomyopathies, neuropathies, etc.; Their daily fasting blood sugar levels were monitored
and extracts of both leaves daily obtained naturally by water extraction were administered to
them accordingly. Some groups had the extracts administered alone; some had the extracts
given alongside their routine anti-diabetic medication while some served as controls.
Results: 13 patients in the population or 34.21% were females while 25 patients or 65.79%
were males. 4 patients or 10.53% had had the disease for a year and less; 7 patients or
18.42% had diabetes for between 1 and 2 years; 11 patients or 28.95% had diabetes for
between 3 and 5 years; 13 patients or 34.21% had had the disease for between 5 and 10
years while 3 patients or 7.89% had had the disease for more than 10 years. The disease
distribution according to age showed that no patient was aged below 20 years; 1 patient or
2.63% was aged between 21 and 30 years, 2 patients or 5.26% were aged between 31 and 40
years; 7 patients or 18.42% were between 41 and 50 years; 14 patients or 36.84% were
between 51 and 60 years; 10 patients or 26.33% are aged between 61 and 70 years; 3
patients or 7.89% were aged between 71 and 80 years and only 1 patient or 2.63% was aged
above 80 years. The results obtained showed that patients on both Bitter leaf and scent leaf
extracts had good blood sugar control when compared with those that had only one extract
administered or those that served as controls and didnāt receive the extracts. The
administration of the extracts also seemed to mitigate symptoms of neuropathy in afflicted
patients over the 1-week period of the study