GABI LEAVES

(Taro Leaves)

BENEFITS

Reduces your cholesterol level
Aids in weight loss
Helps control blood pressure
Helps the development of the fetal brain and nervous system.
Helps prevent anaemia.
Helps reduce wrinkly skin.
Helps Increase sperm production.


PROPERTIES

Anti-Oxidant
Anti-inflammatory
Anti-cancer
hypolipidemic
Anti-diabetic
Antimicrobial
Antihelmintic
Antibacterial
Anti-Compulsive


Taro is kind of tropical countries’ plant which all of the parts are edible. The plant is originally from some south-east Asian countries. It becomes phenomenal because there are huge contents of nutrition in the leaves that humans need, so there are many health benefits of taro leaves. Besides, Taro is popular as one of the earliest plants which are cultivated and provide the main food for many people in numerous countries like African countries and of course Southern India. The name is also various like dasheen, dalo, cocoyam, elephant’s ear, kalo, kacchalo, etc.

The green leaves of taro have been widely used in a lot of Indian dishes. The taste is as similar as spinach but the leave can potentially be toxic due to raw consumption. The leaves provide calcium oxalate source which can trigger swelling and itchiness to the throat. Therefore, the leaves must be soaked all night and they must be cooked to avoid the toxicity.

Uses
Culinary / Nutrition
- Prized for its large corms or underground stems, used as staple food in many localities.
- Fresh edible leaves and petioles are a rich source of protein, ascorbic acid, dietary fiber, and some important minerals.
- The corms, petioles and leaf blades are good sources of vitamin B.
- To the early Hawaiians, grown mainly for poi production.
- Its easy digestibility makes it a great nutritional supplement for weight gain needs in cancer-cachexia, AIDS, pancreatitis and a miscellany of weight-loss conditions.
Folkloric
- Used for asthma, arthritis, diarrhea, internal hemorrhage, skin disorders.
- Juice of petioles sometimes used for earache and otorrhea.
- Juice of the corm used in alopecia.
- Leaf juice also used for internal hemorrhages, otalgia, adenitis.
- Internally, a good laxative. Also, used for piles.
- Also, used as antidote for wasp and insect stings. Leaf juice applied to scorpion stings and snake bites.
- Heated tubers are applied locally to painful rheumatic joints.
- Ash of the tubers, mixed with honey, is used for buccal aphthous stomatitis.
- Raw juice of gabi, mixed with sugar, used as febrifuge.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Do not consume taro leaves as a raw vegetable or in their raw state.  They should be soaked first in clean water and then cooked for at least 10 - 15 minutes.

After that you have to cook them well to remove any toxic substances.