Waterleaf (talinum triangulare)

Waterleaf (talinum triangulare) is a very popular and useful leaf in my locality. It is used for both cooking, medicinal and commercial purposes.

Waterleaf most times grows on its own even amongst weeds and is also domesticated by many Nigerian Farmers as it is now planted by many. It is planted by thrusting its stem to a moist soil and it grows in less than 4 days.

Most Farmers make what I know as a waterleaf bed for massive planting. This bed is made specially for the waterleaf and passages are provided for water channel Incase of rainfall.

Plucking an entire waterleaf from a particular bed as this,☝️ could fill an empty big bag of rice and sold at 12 to N15,000.00 over here. Surprisingly, waterleaf cannot stand any form of excessive heat and cannot last for 3 days after being plucked from its source. That is why most people find it difficult to export it to very distant places where it is not grown.

The waterleaf becomes scarce mostly in dry seasons but is very prosperous and plentiful during the rainy season.

Waterleaf is a plant whose leaf is used to prepare most African delicacies like afang Soup, edikang ikong, bitterleaf soup, egusi soup, stew, etc. and many more. Right now waterleaf is cheaper because of the rainy season, but also, when the rainy season gets more intensive, the supply of waterleaf decreases as Farmers and market women begin to complain that their waterleaf beds are being washed away by erosion due to excessive rainfall, thereby decreasing the supply, while the prices and demand increases.

It is true that people in the South South and South Eastern part of Nigeria consume waterleaf on a greater quantity and on a daily basis and I don't think this is might be because the Southerners really know its nutritional value but because it is a very important ingredient in the preparation of most of the local dishes, like the ones I mentioned up there.

Waterleaf is very good in the body system, it helps in stabilizing the body system and flushes internal heat from the body. It does a whole lot more than what I have just mentioned here and it is also rich in protein.

You could also try out a waterleaf juice recipe for part of healthy living.

How to go about it?

Buy or pluck some fresh handful of waterleaf,
Wash it clean,
Slice or pound it
add very little clean water and
Scrub with hands carefully,
Squeeze and use a filter to separate the extract from the leaf.

Your waterleaf juice is ready to drink, gulp it down beautifully and enjoy a refreshing body system.

You may try it out.