Nigeria, Ghana, and areas of Africa and Asia are home to the scent leaf. It is a homegrown shrub found in fields and gardens and is mainly used as a spice in culinary delicacies due to its fragrant flavor.
It is a vegetable spice that adds a wonderful and distinct flavor and aroma to any dish. Any meal with fragrant leaves will make your mouth wet, but there’s more. Antibacterial, antifungal, and larvicidal characteristics abound in plants. The scented leaf is useful in the treatment and prevention of infections and diseases.
It also includes bioactive chemicals necessary for human health, such as iron, phosphorus, calcium, and vitamin A.
In Nigeria, the fragrant leaf is common among the different tribes of the country. It is known as “Efirin” in Yoruba, “Ahuju” or “Nchanwu” in Igbo, “Ganyen Kamsh” or “Doddo Ya” in Hausa, “Aramogbo” of Edo, Ibibios “Ntonng” and some parts of Ijaw call it “Ekeni . “
It is mainly used as a local ingredient for cooking “Ofe Akwu”, pepper soups, sweet potatoes, jollof beans, jollof rice, “Ukwa”, among many others. Also, the people of Benin use it to cook soups like ‘Ogbono’, Egusi. It is mainly recognized for cooking various delicacies.
Health benefits of Scent leaves
The fragrant leaf is known not only for its aroma, but also for its health benefits.
- Calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, and vitamin A are all abundant in it. Scent leaf oils are believed to have antiseptic, antifungal, and antibacterial effects, which is why it is considered the “fever” leaf.
- When a cold comes, do you ever wonder why people get pepper soup and scent leaves? It is because it helps prevent colds and phlegm. It can also be used to treat cholera and stomach dysentery. It is beneficial for skin care and cures skin diseases such as ringworm when crushed into a paste. When you have menstrual cramps, make tea with it to ease the agony.
- The Scent leaves offer a variety of health benefits, according to research. The leaf is a nutrient-rich plant that is also a well-known fertility enhancer. It is rich in vitamin A, which helps maintain excellent vision.
- It also helps prevent xerophthalmia when enough scent leaf is taken. Contains calcium and magnesium, which help lower bad cholesterol and improve blood circulation, thus improving heart function.
- Scented leaf tea can help you lose weight.
- The Scent leaf facilitates the digestion of food, has a relaxing effect on the stomach and improves intestinal evacuation.
- It has the ability to lower blood sugar levels while protecting the pancreatic islets that produce insulin from damage.
- Its leaves can be plucked or cut and placed in residential areas to act as a repellent for house flies, mosquitoes and other insects, reducing mosquito and housefly populations. As a result, the number of people infected with malaria caused by mosquitoes and house flies has decreased.
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- When squeezed and spread over a skin infection, it helps in treating the condition. It is commonly used to treat and medicate wounds, boils and pimples due to its propensity to improve vascular permeability. Contains components including epigenin fenkhona and eugenol, which help men achieve an erection while maintaining optimal penis health and sperm vitality.
Its adaptability, plus the health benefits, are incredible. Beans, jollof rice, pepper soup, local rice, stew, peppery chicken, nkwobi, isi ewu, yam porridge, and plantain porridge can all be prepared using fragrant leaves. This is why most families aware of its benefits may prefer to have it at home. Some people boil it, squeeze it, and spread it before drinking it, and people who do it regularly have shown to be less likely to get sick. Consequently, individuals are advised not to neglect this plant.
However, we must keep in mind that medicinal plants could be as potent as prescription drugs before using them. It has the potential to interact with certain medications in some circumstances. Consequently, it should be handled with extreme caution.