When a man is going through challenges, the Yoruba usually encourage him with the saying that “the end of bitter leaf is sweet”. This saying attests to the fact that there is sweetness embedded in bitterleaf.
This leaf is known as onugbu (Igbo), siwaka (Hausa) or ewuro (Yoruba). When tasted, the leaf is sharply bitter, but beneath that bitterness are countless health benefits.
Although bitter leaf has several species with different leaf sizes, the bitterness is common to all, irrespective of which part you taste, and they are useful for culinary, medicinal and healing purposes.
In Igboland, not all species are used for cooking soup. The bitterness in onugbu nri, which the Igbo use in cooking, is not very sharp. When chewed raw with equal proportion of pepper fruit, the result is a very sweet taste.
Funmi Sanyaolu, an agriculturist, explained to TheNiche that the composition of the bitterleaf makes it a very useful leaf.
“Bitterleaf contains significant quantities of proteins, fibre, carbohydrate, ascorbic acid, carotenoid, calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, sodium, manganese, copper, zinc, magnesium and selenium,” she said.
The two major ways of getting these nutrients into the body is through cooking with the leaves and the aqueous extracts as treatments for various illnesses.
Preparation for cooking
Due to its bitterness, bitterleaf is rarely cooked on its own, except for the popular onugbu soup. Most times, it is used as the vegetable supplement to egusi (melon) and ogbono soups.
When spiced with other ingredients such as ginger and pepper, the bitterness in the leaf is rarely felt; therefore any soup prepared with bitter leaf is tasty and delicious.
“The irony is that at the point of swallowing after chewing, you would notice that the bitterness will turn sweet, especially if you drink water,” revealed Sanyaolu.
However, it must be thoroughly washed by squeezing, to reduce the bitterness before use. The one sold in the market is already washed and left in water to be apportioned to buyers.
Even if the process is tedious, some people still prefer to do it at home. The leaves are rubbed between the palms very well so as to get as much water out of it.
“For me, I add salt to it before rubbing together to quicken the reduction of the bitterness,” revealed Toyin Obasola, a housewife.
After much squeezing, it is then washed thoroughly with enough water and some ‘stubborn’ stems removed. The washed leaves can be stored in the refrigerator.
The dry leaves can also be used for cooking, but it should be cleaned well before use.
The juice
“My first contact with bitterleaf was through my grandmother who was a traditional birth attendant. She made me chew the stem and swallow the juice of this leaf for my stomach ache. It was too bitter, but I was relieved, which mattered to me then,” recalled Tosin Awe, a licensed traditional birth attendant.
To get the juice out, the squeezing method can be used as well as a juicer or a blender. After blending the leaves with a little water, it would be strained using a sieve to get the juice which can be very bitter.
To reduce the bitterness of the juice, simply blend it with ugu (pumpkin leaves) or add some sweet fruits, like pineapple, apples or oranges to it.
Sanyaolu revealed that taking a cup of bitter leaf juice a day is a great way to rid the body of harmful toxins.
Along the line, Awe has come to realise that bitterleaf juice is an anti-bacterial and anti-parasitic.
“I never fail to add the juice to any concoction I prepare to fight malaria and liver problem. Also, it is an important cure for eczema and rashes that appear on the face,” he said.
It will be very easy to relish the bitterness of this leaf, so long as it is at the back of the mind that the ‘after-taste’ is definitely sweet.