Chùm Ngây is a popular leafy vegetable originating from Southeast Asia, it is quite remarkable not only for its diverse nutritional properties but also for its diverse names. Some places call Chùm Ngây the miraculous plant, the planting stick, or the wild bean, horse cabbage… Recently, some research projects have shown that there are many types of vitamins and minerals in Chùm Ngây, with very high nutritional value. Chùm Ngây can also treat some common diseases, not just a miraculous plant as some rumors on the market.
According to Dr. Nguyen Van Nghi – Traditional Medicine Hospital of Dong Nai Province, “Chùm Ngây has many social and medical benefits, so some information in the media overestimates Chùm Ngây”. Chùm Ngây is a medicinal plant that has been used for many generations, especially in Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan. However, he also believes that Chùm Ngây is a good plant, with many nutritional values but certainly it is not a medicinal plant that can treat all diseases and he further confirms that no medicinal plant has the ability to treat all illnesses.
Regarding the identification characteristics, Chùm Ngây has a round stem, the leaves are similar to fern leaves, the leaves are hairy like bird feathers, symmetrically arranged 3 times, about 6 – 9 round oval-shaped leaflets. The flowering time of Chùm Ngây is about 1 year after planting, blooming in January and May, the flowers look like pea flowers, Chùm Ngây fruit is in the form of hanging pods, resembling jackfruit seeds, as large as a thumb, longer than 1 finger joint, it tastes delicious when young. The Chùm Ngây seeds are also similar to pea seeds, round in shape, black in color, and can be used as Chùm Ngây seeds for planting.
Chùm Ngây can use young leaves, stems, flowers, and fruits for daily cooking. The nutritional content in the leaves is higher, in 100 grams of Chùm Ngây leaves contains 51.7 mg of Vitamin C, 7 times higher than acidic fruits like Orange, and it also has a higher concentration of protein, twice as much as milk, and a higher concentration of calcium, four times as much as milk, it also has a higher concentration of potassium, four times as much as banana, and a higher concentration of vitamin A compared to carrots.
Chùm Ngây is suitable for people with poor dietary intake, elderly people, it provides good minerals and vitamins. In addition, in Chùm Ngây roots, there are some compounds such as Phenol, Ancaloit which have the effects of promoting blood circulation, anti-inflammatory and pain relief, it is often used to treat inflammatory and hematic diseases.
From Chùm Ngây seeds, Chùm Ngây oils can be produced, which are widely used in medicine. They can also be used to filter water during flooding, just crush a few Chùm Ngây seeds, put them in water, and after a while, the water will become clear quickly.
Some common Chùm Ngây dishes are: Chùm Ngây soaked in vinegar (Using 100 grams of young Chùm Ngây mixed with cooking oil, vegetable oil, vinegar, adding a few slices of onions, sugar), Chùm Ngây leaf soup (Chop Chùm Ngây leaves and cook with a little lean meat), suitable for people with poor dietary intake and high blood pressure, and for regulating lipid disorders.
Some prescriptions use Chùm Ngây roots to treat prostatic hyperplasia, difficult urination in older men, by Nguyen Cong Duc (using 100 grams of fresh Chùm Ngây roots or 30 grams of dried roots and 60 grams of fresh hoang cung trinh nu leaves, “20 grams for dried use” – use orally for many days). For kidney stones, 80 – 100 grams of fresh Chùm Ngây roots and 60 grams of polished knotweed (30 grams for dried use) can be used to cook water for daily drinking. This prescription is used for people with urinary obstruction or kidney stones, helping to prevent stones in the urinary tract. This prescription is widely used.
Note: Chùm Ngây roots have a bitter, slightly spicy and hot taste, with the effects of promoting blood circulation, anti-inflammatory, especially not suitable for pregnant women, especially women during childbirth. If used continuously for 5-7 days, it can cause miscarriage and infertility.
| Nutritional value of 100g of Chùm Ngây leaves | |
| Energy | 268 kJ (64 kcal) |
| Carbohydrates | 8.28 g |
| Dietary fiber | 2 g |
| Fat | 1.4 g |
| Protein | 9.4 g |
| Water | 78.66 g |
| Vitamin A | 378 μg |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.257 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.66 mg |
| Niacin (B3) | 2.22 mg |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0.125 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.2 mg |
| Folic acid (B9) | 40 μg |
| Vitamin C | 51.7 mg |
| Calcium | 185 mg |
| Iron | 4 mg |
| Magnesium | 147 mg |
| Manganese | 1.063 mg |
| Phosphorus | 112 mg |
| Potassium | 337 mg |
| Sodium | 9 mg |
| Zinc | 0.6 mg |
