Side Effects and Health Benefits of Oha leaf (Soup) – Oha leaf and Pregnancy
English name: African Rosewood leaves
Botanical name: Pterocarpus mildraedii
Local Name: Oha leaves (Ora 🍁 Leaves 🍃)
Oha soup originated form the igbos, a tribe in South-eastern Nigeria.
🍂 HEALTH BENEFITS OF OHA LEAVES (SOUP)🍃
🍃Aids digestive function.
Oha leaves aids digestive function. The leaves are rich in dietary fiber. It helps to improve the digestive function and facilitates the proper absorption the dietary nutrients.
🍃Prevents constipation.
It helps provide bulk and acts as a laxative. The dietary fiber in Oha leaves has helps to prevent and treat constipation. This fiber help to digest the food well so the food residue can be pushed out of the body easily.
🍃 Controls the blood glucose levels.
The dietary fiber can absorb and distribute the calorie to be used well in all organs of the body. It prevents the accumulation of sugar in the blood which can increase the blood glucose level. Ora leaf is the best diet for the diabetic patients to control their blood glucose to a normal level.
🍃 Helps to treat diarrhea.
Ora leaves contain zinc mineral which has the mechanism in repairing and protecting the intestinal mucosa. As a result, will help the intestine recover quickly so the diarrhea symptom can be stopped faster.
🍃 Helps to treat anemia.
African Rosewood is rich in iron (a key component of hemoglobin), a mineral that helps to treat anemia. This mineral plays the important role in red blood cell formation. Oha also contains vitamin C which helps to absorb the iron well.
🍃 Boost your immune system.
Ora leaves are rich in vitamin C. This is the best vitamin to boost your immune system. It will keep the antibody stay alert to fight the microbial.
🍃 Helps to remove free radicals.
Ora leaf can mop up the free radicals in the body because they contain antioxidants such as Vitamin C. This will prevent your body from many diseases and aging fast.
🍃 Prevents cancer.
The antioxidant within Oha leaves can prevent cancer and malignant change. It can inhibit cancer growth and spread.
🍃 For healthy joints and prevent arthritis.
Ora leaf contain manganese mineral which plays the important role in cartilage formation and part of the lubricating fluid in a joint. This mineral will relief pains from joint diseases such as osteoarthritis. Evidence supports that combining manganese with glucosamine and chondroitin can reduce osteoarthritis pain.
🍃 Helps your heart contract normally
Potassium, an element in Oha is important to sustain the normal contraction of the heart. It helps the heart to contract well so that blood can be pumped effectively to all parts of the body.
🍃 Helps bone formation plus strength.
Oha leaves contain calcium which is important in bone formation. This mineral is also involved in the strengthening of bones and prevents osteoporosis in women.
🍃Relieves muscle cramps.
Oha have magnesium, a mineral which acts as a muscle relaxant and helps relieves pains from muscle cramps.
Below are pictures of Oha soup and leaves:
🍃 Helps the formation of collagen.
One of the vital health benefits of Oha leaf. Collagen is the important substance to maintain the healthy skinand promote wound healing. Oha leaves contain the Vitamin C that helps in the formation of collagen. It is used to grow a healthy and young skin.
🍃 Aids brain function.
Oha contain glutamic acid, a non-essential amino acid. Glutamic acid is an essential neurotransmitter that maintains the normal function of the brain is far as sending and receiving impulses is concerned. It helps to treat some brain disorders such as muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia.
🍃 Boost energy especially for athletes
One of the amino acid in Oha leaves called lysine has the capability to boost energy, especially for athletes when converted to calories. This substance is needed by the body to maintain the proper growth and produce the extra energy.
🍃 Builds the body muscle mass.
Ora leaves can help to build the muscle mass through its cysteine amino acid content. Cysteine helps the body to build protein which is used for the development of muscle mass. Body builders should eat Oha.
🍃 Regulates blood pressure.
Oha leaves have a low sodium content. It is therefore, a good diet for persons who have hypertension. In addition, the potassium contained in ora leaves can also control the normal blood pressure through the mechanism of regulating the heart muscle contraction.
🍃 Keeps the eyes healthy
African Rosewood leaves are also rich in vitamin A which protects your eyes and improves vision.
🍃 Protects the nervous system.
The vitamin B and folate contained in Oha leaves helps to protect the nervous system and makes it sharper. It protects the nerve endings from any damages and reduces the symptom of numbness or tingling sensation (paraesthesia).
🍃 Reduces inflammation.
Oha is anti-inflammatory. If you have the inflammatory diseases such as osteoarthritis or tonsillitis, you can consume Oha leaves to relieve them. Oha leaves contain a bioactive compound called polyphenol which is responsible for the anti-inflammatory process. It will help you to reduce the pain, swelling, and redness associated with inflammation.
🍃 Maintains the pH balance in the body.
The green of Oha leaves is alkaline which helps to maintain the pH balance in the body. Oha leaf helps to neutralise excessive acids in the body.
🍃 Helps to treat malaria.
Oha leaves contain anti-malarial properties that help to treat malaria. This anti-parasitic agent can kill the parasite that can cause malaria.
Oha leaf and pregnancy. Is Oha soup good for pregnant woman?
Yes. Oha leaf does not negatively affect pregnant women and their unborn babies in any way. Oha soup is rich in iron, Vitamin C, calcium and folic acid which are essential in pregnancy. Pregnant women should enjoy Oha soup. No side effects at all. Oha does not cause miscarriage and birth defects in babies.
Side effects of Oha Leaf
As at the time of writing this article, Oha has not been reported to have any side effects. It is a completely healthy leaf. However, it is important you eat it in moderation.
The medicinal properties and health benefits of Oha leaf are quite numerous.
✅You can consume this plant as a herb in the hot water or you can cook them as the vegetable for your various dishes such as salad or soup. The taste is delicious enough to be consumed in various way.
