There will never be an end to the leafy greens you can eat if you shift your attention to those eaten by natives of other lands. A visit to a little India will open your eyes to the healthy vegetables that Indians have been eating to stay healthy and wise.

Indian Malabar Spinach

It was the tiny dark brown flowers poking out of the Indian Malabar spinach leaves that caught my eye as I searched through a variety of leafy greens to find some truly exceptional ones.

Back home, I found a photo of Kalanchoe and the color of the flower clusters and leaves somehow had a vague resemblance to that of that Indian vegetable. But while Kalanchoe is best known for its wide range of medicinal plant chemicals, Indian spinach really shines nutritionally with its rich reserve of vitamins and minerals.

Also, Malabar Indian spinach is nothing like its local counterpart with large fleshy leaves, red stems, and pink flowers despite the fact that they are both from the same Basellaceae family; sure, he prefers to borrow the look of his neighbor Crassulaceae.

A champion plant for survival, Malabar spinach can genetically adapt to harsh environments; You don’t need a green thumb or a farmer’s devotion to grow. When most of the grass has turned yellow, my neighbor’s Indian spinach spirals its way to the top of a bamboo pole. It might be a good idea to eat more of this vegetable and take advantage of its reserve of adaptive mechanisms for your own use!

Sessile Joyweed (Ponnanganni keerai)

To treat fever without medication, you can use the whole sessile joyweed plant with obovate leaves and tender stems. A carotenoid remedy for eye problems, it is also a great natural beautifier for skin and hair, giving it shine, low in fat and calories, and high in minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.

It is said that if you consume this incredibly nutritious aquatic vegetable daily for 48 days, it will cure the body of all deficiencies, including those of the liver and spleen. Therefore, for good health it is recommended to make this green herb a part of your diet twice a week.

Also, you can add some sessile vegetables to pancakes or lentil soup to give it more fiber.

Roselle leaves (Pulicha Keerai)

The Ribena brand has certainly slowed down its fame to the roselle plant whose calyxes serve as a perfect substitute for black currant. An antidote to body heat, the leaves will ward off many heatstrokes and heatstrokes. Rich in vitamin C content, roselle leaves are simply a great natural way to boost your immune system.

Native to Africa, it has been listed as one of the neglected leafy vegetable crops of that continent by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). However, saved by its wide global range and introduced distribution, it is given different names by different countries, hence the nicknames, “Indian sorrel” and “saan choy”, which in Chinese means “slimy vegetable”.

Although the red stems resemble those of the tapioca plant, the slimy leaves impart a bitter taste to a dish, very different from the bitter tapioca leaves. A simple stir-fry of roselle leaves with garlic and onion is a refreshing food for the palate and soul.

You may soon have to take it easy on leafy greens, as more and more veggies are making themselves known.