Kikiriki
Songster
I got some cuttings of a plant when I picked up the new chicks in St. Pete: longevity spinach, or gynura procumbens. I researched it to see if it was actually the plant the lady thought it was, then I researched it to see if the many health claims about it have scientific support (I use Google Scholar). It is a really amazing plant! Note that the studies are usually on leaves alone, although a couple included stems. Roots were only the subject of one study.
I'm currently waiting for my three cuttings to root: it roots more slowly in cool weather, but after 10 days in water, I am now finally starting to see the nodules for roots appearing on the stems. In warm weather, I read that it only takes five days to have visible roots.
It is non toxic and edible. The stems can be used in concoctions, but the leaves are more tender for consumption. Crushing them is sufficient for releasing beneficial properties for topical use. The leaves are a bit thicker than they appear in photos, more like a succulent than a regular leaf and having a very thin layer of clear gel inside that looks similar to aloe gel.
It has a bland taste, so it can be added to a smoothie or a salad, or even a cold soup, or just chewed alone. The health benefits are best when raw, but it can be cooked or used as a tea. For health, the amount of it to use depends on the goal, but people report getting results by just chewing from 4 to 8 raw leaves per day. It is a fast grower and roots readily, so this is not impossible. It is not a cold weather plant, but it can grow indoors and there is no worry about kids or pets eating it. It likes moisture, so a bathroom with good light would work...
I always research plants in regard to the animals... (Especially after discovering several I had in the yard were highly toxic.) The study I found on chickens and feeding said it lowered bad bacteria in the poo, and it improved egg cholesterol levels and shell thickness. It also caused no harm to the chickens. My hens and chicks all loved it when I gave them a sample. My German Shepherd also liked the small sample of it I gave her and, unlike grass, it did not result in vomiting.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00071668.2014.938020?journalCode=cbps20
The leaves are high in protein, and the upper portion of the plant has no toxicity. The roots have an incidence of liver damage reported, from one lady in Indonesia (?) who ate them.
The leaf and stems, though, are being studied extensively for human medical applications so there is a lot of scientific basis for the various claims and I checked using Google Scholar. I included links below:
It is anti-inflammatory, both internally and externally (topical application) including rheumatic inflammation.
It balances blood sugar: it lowers high sugar, but has little effect on people with normal blood sugar levels (150mg/kg) type I and II diabetes.
It suppresses cancer cell growth (ingesting and topical application), including colon, breast and skin cancer and it prevents damage caused by UV light exposure (anti aging).
It protects against ulcers and helps heal existing lesions.
Helps heal external wounds, prevents scarring, and promotes production of collagen.
It protects kidney cells from kidney disease.
Improves sperm count and motility.
Contains a protein that has the effect of masking the taste sense of bitterness. (A commercial application used for bad tasting medicines).
It is good for controlling hypertension by acting in two ways: calcium channel and butunolic fraction.
Promotes healing and reduces virus count of herpes.
Anti fungal (it was not the most anti fungal plant tested, but the plant that tested highest is also known to be a really strong carcinogen! Your toenail fungus is cured, but now you have cancer...)
Protects from liver damage caused by free radicals that are released in the liver by environmental toxin exposure (to toxic chemical in a surgical setting).
It is a free radical scavenger/anti-oxidant.
Overview with links to studies
http://www.eco-philippines.com/long...-inflammatory-anti-hypertensive-anti-oxidant/
Wound healing
http://www.academicjournals.org/article/article1380719856_Zahra et al.pdf
Hypertension links
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jmf.2006.9.587
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1807-59322011000100025&script=sci_arttext
http://scholarsresearchlibrary.com/DPL-vol2-iss2/DPL-2010-2-2-273-293.pdf
http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1472-6882-13-188.pdf
Sperm
http://ejum.fsktm.um.edu.my/article/649.pdf
Taste masking
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12010-011-9377-x
Diabetes
http://www.sma.org.sg/SMJ/4101/articles/4101a2.htm
Herpes
http://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/394865.pdf
Cancer
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13596-012-0063-5
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874111004168
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0068524
Anti fungal
http://umexpert.um.edu.my/file/publication/00005343_66273.pdf
Liver protection
http://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=ID2001001119
Diabetes Liver function study
http://ceodcure.blogspot.com/2012/10/gynura-procumbens.html#!
Liver study
http://apb.tbzmed.ac.ir/Portals/0/Archive/Vol2No1/14.Hermawan.pdf
Lymphocyte study...increases aiding immune function
http://www.oalib.com/paper/2080828#.VIXVnkc8KrU
Colon cancer inhibition
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874113009264
Nutrient and toxicity
http://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=ajps.
No toxicity or harmful physiological effect.
Recommended dose = 2.89g dried per 70kg of body weight
Abstract online at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874109001524
Journal of Ethnopharmacology
22 June 2009, Vol.123(2):244–249, doi:10.1016/j.jep.2009.03.011
Wound healing and toxicology
Significant wound healing results and no toxicity in rats
Extract tested up to 5g per kg body weight.
( 0.18 oz. extract per 2.2 lbs of body weight of extract
= 1lb 5 oz dried leaf per 2.2 lbs BW
http://umexpert.um.edu.my/file/publication/00005343_69996.pdf
Root compounds (incomplete list, those mentioned are beneficial in some manner, but Toxicity of root material is not mentioned in abstract)
http://www.researchgate.net/publica...tures_from_leaf_explants_of_Gynura_procumbens
Root consumption had one report of liver damage, so I would avoid them.
I'm currently waiting for my three cuttings to root: it roots more slowly in cool weather, but after 10 days in water, I am now finally starting to see the nodules for roots appearing on the stems. In warm weather, I read that it only takes five days to have visible roots.
It is non toxic and edible. The stems can be used in concoctions, but the leaves are more tender for consumption. Crushing them is sufficient for releasing beneficial properties for topical use. The leaves are a bit thicker than they appear in photos, more like a succulent than a regular leaf and having a very thin layer of clear gel inside that looks similar to aloe gel.
It has a bland taste, so it can be added to a smoothie or a salad, or even a cold soup, or just chewed alone. The health benefits are best when raw, but it can be cooked or used as a tea. For health, the amount of it to use depends on the goal, but people report getting results by just chewing from 4 to 8 raw leaves per day. It is a fast grower and roots readily, so this is not impossible. It is not a cold weather plant, but it can grow indoors and there is no worry about kids or pets eating it. It likes moisture, so a bathroom with good light would work...
I always research plants in regard to the animals... (Especially after discovering several I had in the yard were highly toxic.) The study I found on chickens and feeding said it lowered bad bacteria in the poo, and it improved egg cholesterol levels and shell thickness. It also caused no harm to the chickens. My hens and chicks all loved it when I gave them a sample. My German Shepherd also liked the small sample of it I gave her and, unlike grass, it did not result in vomiting.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00071668.2014.938020?journalCode=cbps20
The leaves are high in protein, and the upper portion of the plant has no toxicity. The roots have an incidence of liver damage reported, from one lady in Indonesia (?) who ate them.
The leaf and stems, though, are being studied extensively for human medical applications so there is a lot of scientific basis for the various claims and I checked using Google Scholar. I included links below:
It is anti-inflammatory, both internally and externally (topical application) including rheumatic inflammation.
It balances blood sugar: it lowers high sugar, but has little effect on people with normal blood sugar levels (150mg/kg) type I and II diabetes.
It suppresses cancer cell growth (ingesting and topical application), including colon, breast and skin cancer and it prevents damage caused by UV light exposure (anti aging).
It protects against ulcers and helps heal existing lesions.
Helps heal external wounds, prevents scarring, and promotes production of collagen.
It protects kidney cells from kidney disease.
Improves sperm count and motility.
Contains a protein that has the effect of masking the taste sense of bitterness. (A commercial application used for bad tasting medicines).
It is good for controlling hypertension by acting in two ways: calcium channel and butunolic fraction.
Promotes healing and reduces virus count of herpes.
Anti fungal (it was not the most anti fungal plant tested, but the plant that tested highest is also known to be a really strong carcinogen! Your toenail fungus is cured, but now you have cancer...)
Protects from liver damage caused by free radicals that are released in the liver by environmental toxin exposure (to toxic chemical in a surgical setting).
It is a free radical scavenger/anti-oxidant.
Overview with links to studies
http://www.eco-philippines.com/long...-inflammatory-anti-hypertensive-anti-oxidant/
Wound healing
http://www.academicjournals.org/article/article1380719856_Zahra et al.pdf
Hypertension links
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jmf.2006.9.587
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1807-59322011000100025&script=sci_arttext
http://scholarsresearchlibrary.com/DPL-vol2-iss2/DPL-2010-2-2-273-293.pdf
http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1472-6882-13-188.pdf
Sperm
http://ejum.fsktm.um.edu.my/article/649.pdf
Taste masking
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12010-011-9377-x
Diabetes
http://www.sma.org.sg/SMJ/4101/articles/4101a2.htm
Herpes
http://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/394865.pdf
Cancer
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13596-012-0063-5
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874111004168
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0068524
Anti fungal
http://umexpert.um.edu.my/file/publication/00005343_66273.pdf
Liver protection
http://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=ID2001001119
Diabetes Liver function study
http://ceodcure.blogspot.com/2012/10/gynura-procumbens.html#!
Liver study
http://apb.tbzmed.ac.ir/Portals/0/Archive/Vol2No1/14.Hermawan.pdf
Lymphocyte study...increases aiding immune function
http://www.oalib.com/paper/2080828#.VIXVnkc8KrU
Colon cancer inhibition
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874113009264
Nutrient and toxicity
http://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=ajps.
No toxicity or harmful physiological effect.
Recommended dose = 2.89g dried per 70kg of body weight
Abstract online at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874109001524
Journal of Ethnopharmacology
22 June 2009, Vol.123(2):244–249, doi:10.1016/j.jep.2009.03.011
Wound healing and toxicology
Significant wound healing results and no toxicity in rats
Extract tested up to 5g per kg body weight.
( 0.18 oz. extract per 2.2 lbs of body weight of extract
= 1lb 5 oz dried leaf per 2.2 lbs BW
http://umexpert.um.edu.my/file/publication/00005343_69996.pdf
Root compounds (incomplete list, those mentioned are beneficial in some manner, but Toxicity of root material is not mentioned in abstract)
http://www.researchgate.net/publica...tures_from_leaf_explants_of_Gynura_procumbens
Root consumption had one report of liver damage, so I would avoid them.
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