''Vernonia amygdalina'', a member of the
daisy family, is a small shrub that grows in tropical
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. ''V. amygdalina'' typically grows to a height of . The leaves are elliptical and up to long. Its bark is rough.
''V. amygdalina'' is commonly called bitter leaf in English because of its bitter taste. Other African common names include Congo Bololo (D. R. Congo), grawa (Amharic), ewuro (Yoruba), etidot (Efik), onugbu (Igbo), ityuna (Tiv), oriwo (Edo), Awɔnwono (Akan), chusar-doki or shuwaka (Hausa), mululuza (Luganda), labwori (Acholi), olusia (Luo), ndoleh (Cameroon) and olubirizi (Lusoga).
Uses
Food
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. In
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, leaves are also used in place of
hops to brew beer.
Other
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.
Zoopharmacognosy
In the wild,
chimpanzees have been observed to ingest the leaves when suffering from parasitic infections.
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3744526
amygdalina
Leaf vegetables
Plants used in traditional African medicine
Flora of West Tropical Africa