15 Benefits of bitter leaf and scent leaf: are they natural remedies?

15 Benefits of bitter leaf and scent leaf: are they natural remedies?

Bitter leaf and scent leaf are traditional herbs with beneficial medicinal use. They are made of components such as Calcium, Carbon, Vitamin A, Potassium and Iron, which are valuable to a person's wellbeing.

Bitter leaf and scent leaf
A glass of bitter leaf and scent leaf smoothie. Photo: @scentedleaf
Source: Instagram

There are numerous traditional herbs whose benefits are unmatched. They either treat or prevent the occurrence of certain conditions. Most of them can also be used as natural remedies at home.

Benefits of bitter leaf and scent leaf

Check out the benefits of these herbs:

Benefits of bitter leaf

Bitter leaf is a medicinal plant that is important due to the various components it is comprised of. It helps in the prevention and treatment of various diseases. Some of the bitter leaf benefits include:

1. Effect of bitter leaf on the liver

Bitter leaves are used as body cleaning agents. They are useful in cleansing various vital organs in the body like the liver and kidney. This leads to the proper functioning of the liver and all the other body organs as well.

Read also

Natural diuretic herbs: a list with descriptions

2. Effect of bitter leaf on fertility

Bitter leaves have great benefits on women's reproductive system. They contain extracts like Edotides, which promote hormonal balance. This, in turn, leads to increased chances of being reproductive. They also boost the immune system that helps in fighting toxification.

3. Weight loss

Bitter leaves are made of various components that help burn excess fat in the body by clearing the bad cholesterols. To use the leaves for weight loss, you can incorporate them as a vegetable in your daily meals or drink them in the form of juice.

4. Reducing the risk of cancer

Bitter leaf and scent leaf
A portrait of bitter leaf. Photo: @bitterleafteas
Source: Instagram

Bitter leaves contain andrographolide, an anti-cancer property. This component has been scientifically proven to effectively treat various types of cancer, such as gastric, prostate, and colon cancers. Extracts from bitter leaves help boost the immune system, thus inhibiting tumour growth and the development of cancer cells.

Read also

List of benefits of using alligator pepper

5. Lowers high blood pressure

Patients who have diabetes and high blood pressure are advised to consume bitter leaves in high amounts. The potassium component in the leaves helps in preventing the spiking of sodium in hypertensive patients. It flushes out the accumulation of salt in the blood.

6. Treats abdominal issues

Bitter leaves are known to treat and prevent several abdominal issues. Drinking a cup of bitter leaves twice a day or consuming them as vegetables will help you to relieve the following stomach problems:

  • Stomach upset
  • Diarrhoea
  • Dysentery
  • Gastrointestinal tract diseases

Benefits of scent leaf

The scent leaf is an aromatic herb that is more than a sweet-smelling plant. It has great antibacterial, antifungal, larvicidal, and antipyretic components that help prevent and treat infections and diseases. Some of the benefits are as follows:

1. Maintaining good eyesight

The scent leaf is rich in Vitamin A, which the retina needs to maintain good eyesight. It is combined with protein opsin to form the light-absorbing molecule known as rhodopsin. The molecule is vital for low light and colour vision. Vitamin A deficiency leads to an adverse medical condition, such as:

Read also

This is why you should eat dates on an empty stomach

  • The eyes failing to produce tears
  • Night blindness

2. Improving the functioning of the heart

The leaf contains high levels of magnesium and calcium. The two components help in reducing bad cholesterol in the body, thus increasing the circulation of blood.

Bad cholesterol is dangerous as it increases the individual's risk of attaining coronary artery disease, especially in adults. Taking scent leaves helps to reduce this risk. With adequate consumption, they help in preventing the clogging of arteries.

3. Helps in proper digestion

Scent leaves to aid in relieving bloating by enabling the digestion process to take place on time. When brewed, they have a calming effect on the stomach. In addition, bowel evacuation is also made easier. For individuals experiencing heartburn, drinking scent leaves tea is a healer.

4. It lowers the blood sugar levels in the body

The leaves are useful in lowering blood sugars and protecting pancreatic islets that produce insulin from becoming damaged. For non-insulin-independent diabetes mellitus patients, blood sugar levels are lowered by eating significant amounts of this leaf.

Read also

Is bitter leaf good for your liver?

5. It is used as a repellent

benefits of bitter leaf
A portrait of scent leaf. Photo: @scentedleaf
Source: Instagram

Scent leaves can be used as mosquito and insect repellants since they are made of cineole, camphor, and limonene which are harmful to insects. One can place the leaves near the insect-prone areas to repel them.

6. Oral hygiene

The stem of this plant is useful in promoting oral hygiene in several ways. Chewing the stem helps in killing bacteria found in the mouth and thus keeping off bad breath. In addition, it helps in preventing tooth decay. Scent leaves tea is also used as a tonic or gargling to treat sore throats.

7. Scent leaf and fertility

Scent leaf contains high levels of arginine. This is an amino acid that is used in maintaining the vitality of sperms and optimum penile. It has several components that facilitate proper erection. In women, the anetol and boron components of the leaf induce estrogen.

Read also

Bitter leaf effect on pregnant women: is it safe?

8. Food preservative

The leaf can be used as an alternative and cheap remedy for food preservation as it contains antimicrobial properties. The ethanol extract from the leaf helps in keeping away fungi and bacteria that lead to food spoilage.

9. Scent leaf and pregnancy

Scent leaves have numerous benefits during pregnancy for both the mother and the unborn baby. They are a good source of vitamins which are highly required during pregnancy. Some of the other benefits include:

  • Boosts the immune system
  • Relieve cramps
  • Relieves headache

The benefits of bitter leaf and scent leaf indicate how important these herbs are to individuals' bodies and lifestyle. You are sure to prevent lots of illnesses and cure the ones that have already attacked an individual.

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!

Read also

Top reasons to drink Zobo

Sources

READ ALSO: Pregnancy test with salt: How it works and how to do properly?

Legit.ng shared an article on how to conduct a pregnancy test with salt. The simple-to-find requirements are some salt from your kitchen cabinet and your urine. Blend the two, and within a couple of hours, you can determine whether you are carrying a child or not.

The steps for this test are quite simple and straightforward. The results are dependent on the reaction between the salt and the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone that is produced in the body when a woman conceives.

Read also

How could mint leaves help you to lose weight?

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Adrianna Simwa avatar

Adrianna Simwa (Lifestyle writer) Adrianna Simwa is a content writer at Legit.ng where she has worked since mid-2022. She has written for many periodicals on a variety of subjects, including news, celebrities, and lifestyle, for more than three years. She has worked for The Hoth, The Standard Group and Triple P Media. Adrianna graduated from Nairobi University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in 2020. In 2023, Simwa finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can reach her through her email: adriannasimwa@gmail.com