Medicinal valu of bitter leaf
Bitter leaf belongs to the Asteraceae family in the large genus Vernonia. The plant is a shrub with moderate canopies occurring in open, regrowth forest locations; it is often raised around habitations. The leaves are broad, ovate and spirally-arranged on branches. As a pot-herb and source of medicinals, bitter leaf is in a special class in terms of the cultural methods of preparation. The leaves are squeezed in water with salt added to wash off toxic materials which ooze out as foamy, brown exudates until they are clean. This is one form in which the vegetable is sold in the market. In the early 80s when the crusade for the use of herbal medicine began, bitter leaf was one of the abused local herbs. Some people drank the exudates that were traditionally washed out of the leaves before use as vegetables. I know two close friends who came down with massive skin eruptions which required medical attention!