THE NUTRITIONAL AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF 3 LEAVES YAM

Hello friends have you heard of 3 leaves yam? Yummy yummy 😋😋, it is called 'Onu' in Igbo language. According to Science it is named Dioscorea Dumetorum and it is also known as 'Bitter yam' as its popular name, 'Tv' people calls it 'inimbe', Yoruba calls it 'Esuru', Boyela language calls it 'moma', Duala language calls it 'mba', Ijebu people calls it 'ese'. It is a specie of yam that is found in Africa, it of two different colours; Brown and yellow, the brown one is the sweetest i know. Bitter yam is mostly not eaten by many people because of its bitter taste and many people don't really know it and have not seen it in their area. It is mostly eaten by old people who knows it nutritional and health benefits, my late grandma don't joke with it. This particular specie of yam is usually her favourite, and she mostly serve it to her visitors.

Pictures were taken by me 

NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS

It is rich in protein, it contains iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc.

HEALTH BENEFITS 

Bitter yam or 3 leaves yam contains lots of health benefits just as listed below.

• It has a chemical that reduces sugar level, it is good for a diabetic patient.
• It reduces cholesterol level in the blood, through the help of Saponins chemicals in it.
• It helps to relieve menstrual pain, stomach pains, and rheumatoid arthritis.
• It is good for pregnant women, base on doctors prescription, if the person is not taking any medications.
• It is used for detoxification.
• It was normally used in the olden days to treat malaria.

SIDE EFFECTS

• It has side effect when it is not properly cooked, most at times it is cooked overnight, depending on how hard it is. This fresh yellow one we harvested was only cooked for hours and it was ready for eating. It actually done quick because it was freshly harvested.
• When it is harvested from a wild area, it can be poisonous. It is adviceable we eat the ones that were planted by farmers.
• When it is not properly administered for medical treatment.