Water Leaf (Talinum Triangulare)
Gbure / Alenyruwa / Mgbolodi
Water Leaf (Talinum Triangulare) known as gbure in Yoruba language, alenyruwa in Hausa language and mgbolodi in Igbo language and its eaten as a vegetable throughout the tropics including many countries in West and Central Africa; it is cultivated in Nigeria and Cameroon
Health benefits of waterleaf juice are in lowering the cholesterol and saving you from problems with heart. Osteoporosis appears when the bones lack calcium. Eating calcium-containing products like waterleaf helps to prevent osteoporosis and strengthen your bones and teeth.
Water-leaf is good and safe for pregnant women and growing children, as it boosts their blood levels. Water-leaf should be part of pregnant women’s diet as the vegetable helps to prevent anaemia as well as boosts the blood level. This is because the plant has the ability to clear bilirubin from blood, which suggests that it can help the red cells to remain longer and be effectively utilized by the body.
Culinary uses
Waterleaf is highly nutritious, refreshing and tasty. As such, it is used in several cuisines for preparing assorted dishes such as waterleaf soup, waterleaf stew, vegetable soup (edikaikong, ofe mgbolodi, gbure, afang soup and so on).