Alugbati facts and Uses

From the kingdom of plantae and belongs to the family of basellaceae, Alugbati is also known as malabar spinach, one of the most nutritious vegetables that can be found in the Philippines. Alugbati has violet vines that sometime fades to color maroon. The leaves of alugbati are heart shaped and green in color. The plant is easy to grow in a tropical weather like we have in the Philippines. This leafy vegetable has so much health benefits to enjoy. In the Philippines, alugbati is well known in recipes like "bulanglang" (stew) and "ginisa sa sardinas" (saute vegetables with sardines). And because alugbati is very healthy to eat, some vegetarians use this as one salad ingredient. Alugbati leaves has a sticky texture when cooked and this maybe why it's good to eat to eases constipation. The taste of alugbati is a bit similar to camote tops and they are also similar when it comes to health benefits and uses.

Alugbati as Medicinal plant

Alugbati is also considered as medicinal plant. The leaves as I mentioned is a very good laxative that aids to relieve constipation because of its fiber content. Boiled alugbati tops aids in headaches, stomach discomfort that includes ulcer and also helps reduce inflammation. In an article written Dr. Bahram Tadayyon, he mentioned that alugbati contains a very important phytochemicals called "saponins" which is known to help prevent heart disease and cancer. Indeed, alugbati can be considered as wonder plant.

Here are some nutritional facts about alugbati.

Per 1/2 cup serving

5 g calories
0.17 g of non-saturated fat which is good to maintain your diet.
0.5 g of fiber for a healthy digestive system
13 microgram of Vitamin A to help maintain good eyesight, healthy hair and skin
0.33 mg of iron that gives us extra energy and keeps our brain healthy and alert
25 g of folate promotes proper DNA and healthy brain

Ginisang Alugbati

1 cup Alugbati tops
1 can sardines
2 cloves minced garlic
1 medium sized chopped red onion
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 pieces chopped red tomatoes
Salt
seasoning

Procedure :

Heat cooking oil on a pan
Saute garlic, onion and tomatoes
Add sardines
Saute for 3minutes with continuous stirring
Add Alugbati tops
Add salt and seasonings then cover. Lower down the heat to below medium
Boil for at least 3 minutes
Share and Enjoy!