Sea bitter vegetables are familiar vegetables, commonly used in cuisine and in folk remedies. According to scientific studies, with its antioxidant properties, this herb also works to reduce stress, improve symptoms of depression …
- Scientific name : Bacopa monnieri Scrophulariaceae
- Available names : Brahmi, Jalnaveri, Jalanimba, Sambrani chettu, thyme-leaved gratiola, Bacopa, Babies tear, Bacopa monnieri, Hespestis monniera, Nirbrahmi
- Other names : White sam vegetables, bitter vegetables, chicken intestines
- English names : Water Hyssop, Bacopa
- Uses : Treatment of nervous breakdown, hoarseness, loss of voice, muscle tone loss, acute bronchitis, asthma cough, epilepsy, urinary retention, rheumatism, skin diseases, snakebites …
Table of Contents
Some features of sea bitter vegetables
Characteristic description
- Sea bitter vegetables are herbaceous plants, about 10 – 20cm tall and perennial. The body is smooth, the base is crawling and rooting in the soil, the upper part grows upright.
- The leaves are opposite, long, succulent, 0.8 – 1.2cm long, 3 – 5cm wide, two sides are smooth, smooth, only the middle rib appears clearly.
- Flowers are white, 5 petals, grow individually in the leaves, 5 sepals are not equal. The egg follicle is smooth, has a nose and has many small seeds.
- Fruit season is around April – September every year.
Ecological distribution
According to scientific studies, Bacopa Aubl. It is a diverse and relatively large genus, according to statistics up to now there are about 70 species and scattered throughout the tropics and subtropics.
They focus on growing mainly in Central and South America. In Vietnam, there are only 2 types of development, of which sea bitter vegetables are the most common species. They prefer to live in humid environments, often growing inside canals, ditches, transparent, coastal, estuarine, swampy or full white beaches.
In Vietnam, they are distributed throughout the plains, midlands of the South and the North. Some provinces and cities have a lot of bitter vegetables such as Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh Long, Can Tho, Dong Thap, Dong Nai, Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Hai Phong, Hue, Quang Ninh, Quang Nam, Binh Dinh …
What is the composition of sea bitter vegetables?
Sea bitter vegetables contain ingredients such as brahmin, herpestin, bacoside A and bacoside B, β1-oxalate, β2-oxalate, β3-chloroplatinate, sterol, betulic acid, stigmastarol, D-Mannitol, β-sitosterol.
What is the effect of sea bitter vegetables?
Bitter seaweed is a small herb that has been widely used in traditional Indian medicine. Another name for bitter vegetables is Brahmi, or it translates as brain tonic. Therefore, it has a very good effect on improving memory and cognitive ability, enhancing understanding, learning and working better.
In addition, this herb also offers a number of effective therapeutic effects including:
- Treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
- Reduce anxiety
- Treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Improve memory
- Anti-stress
- Cure allergies
- Treatment of mental illness;
- Increase concentration;
- Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome
- Epilepsy treatment
- Improve cognition
- Effective anesthetic (does not reduce sensation).
In addition, many people also use sea bitter vegetables to overcome symptoms of joint pain, back pain, and male and female sexual problems.
Pharmacological effects of sea bitter vegetables
According to research by experts, sea bitter vegetables have some of the following pharmacological effects:
- For blood pressure : Alkaloid content in sea bitter vegetables at a dose of about 0.5mg / kg has the effect of lowering blood pressure. However, a smaller dose increases blood pressure slightly due to stimulation of the heart muscle and vascular muscle.
- For the respiratory system : Extract of marine bitter vegetables in small doses will stimulate the activity of the natural respiratory system.
- For smooth muscles : Small extracts at very dilute concentrations of about 1/200000 – 1/500000 will stimulate the ability to contract the intestines and uterus is isolated.
- For the nervous system : Brahmin extract is similar to strychnine, they both stimulate the central nervous system, stimulate the spinal cord and cause excitement in organs. Not only that, it also has a direct stimulant effect on the heart, unlike strychnine which only has an indirect effect.
- The effect of preventing cancer : According to experiments on white rats, it showed that dried extracts of sea bitter greens have the ability to inhibit the growth of Walker carcinosarcoma 256 cancer cells.
- Contains toxicity : In Brahmin contains a high level of toxicity. Because the results of experiments on animals showed that frogs died in 10 minutes at a dose of 5mg / kg, while white rats and guinea pigs died after 24 hours with a dose of 25mg / kg.
- Helps to sedate , reduce stress : In the extract contains 25% bacoside A, which has anti-anxiety effects equivalent to Benzodiazepam and Lorazepam. This activity also depends mainly on the dose used, may not cause unwanted side effects like lorazepam.
- Antioxidant : By an experiment on mouse brain showed that sea bitter vegetables have antioxidant activity with the active enzymes of enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathion peroxidase (GPX).
- Improve memory, cognitive ability : Tested on 36 children aged 8 – 9 years old with cognitive impairment. Within 16 weeks, 19 children were given sea-bitter extract extract at a dose of 50mg / day, for the remaining 4 weeks using Placebo and 17 children received Placebo completely. The results showed that the children using sea bitter vegetables had a marked improvement in cognitive ability, even after more than 4 weeks of stopping the drug.
- Support for Alzheimer’s disease : Another experiment on white rats showed that sea bitter vegetables reduce the amount of β-amyloid in the brain, which is the main cause of sleep disturbances and leads to Alzheimer’s.
- In addition, the extracts of sea bitter vegetables contained in Ethanol have the effect of reducing amnesia caused by Scopolamine (a drug) when tested on mice.
How to use sea bitter vegetables for effective healing
To achieve effective healing from sea bitter vegetables, patients need to know the following information:
Usual dosage of sea bitter vegetables
According to experts’ recommendation, the recommended dose of sea buckthorn extract is 300mg, which can be used every day and lasts for 12 weeks.
Depending on the location of each patient, age and disease status, the dose of sea bitter vegetables can be changed accordingly. So, consult your doctor for the most suitable dose.
How to use sea bitter vegetables properly
Sea bitter vegetables are collected continuously throughout the year, using the whole plant, picked and washed, can be used fresh or dried. Some methods of using simple sea bitter vegetables are:
- Decoction : Use about 6 – 12g of dried sea bitter vegetables and decoction into medicine once a day.
- Cook into tea : Use 1-2 teaspoons of sea bitter vegetables in a cup of boiling water, wait about 5-10 minutes and drink while still hot. Drink 3 times a day to get the best results.
- Use topical : Fresh sea bitter herbs are washed and then cooked into bath water or crushed to get the juice mixed with kerosene to apply to the painful area.
- Soak in alcohol : Use 1-2 teaspoons of soaked wine with sea bitter herbs extract every day to support effective healing.
- Use directly sea bitter vegetable extracts : According to experts, sea bitter vegetable extracts containing about 20-50% of Bacosides have very good healing effects with a dose of 150mg. Use 2 times a day for best results.
Some folk remedies from bitter vegetables
Treatment of prickly rash for children
Prepare about 1-2 handfuls of seaweed leaves to wash and boil for 10 minutes. Water after cooking dilute with clean water to bathe the child. Don’t get rid of the residue yet, but use it to gently rub on the rash . Stick with it 2-3 times per week to quickly reduce the itchy symptoms on the skin of the child.
Treat back pain, sprains and joint swelling
Prepare a handful of bitter herbs with their leaves and roots washed and drained. Then over-heat or place in a saucepan to soften. Next, use the pestle to beat vigorously many times until the vegetables knock out the water. Apply all the bitter vegetables to the sore back or inflamed areas and wrap them with a medical bandage.
To increase the effectiveness of treatment, you can combine it with drinking water to help reduce bone and joint pain from internal diseases.
Treat epilepsy, nervous breakdown, loss of voice
Use about 4 liters of sea buckthorn extract, 4 liters of avocado, rustic incense, butterfly grass roots, 120g each of the hydrangeas to make a fine powder. Put all ingredients in a saucepan and heat over low heat until completely evaporated. Use this powder 2 times a day, each 10g after each meal.
Cure snakebites
Prepare bitter vegetables, hairy apricots, bitter melon leaves each 30g, cut reeds, fresh vegetables, 20g each. All the ingredients were crushed, squeezed water and then drank every day, and the residue was applied to the snake bite to reduce pain and inflammation.
Side effects of sea bitter vegetables
Besides the benefits that sea bitter vegetables bring, when used incorrectly, exceeding the prescribed dosage can cause some of the following side effects:
- Move the bowels
- Dry mouth
- Tired
- Diarrhea
- Stomach cramps
- Nausea
- Allergy
- …
Some notes when using sea bitter vegetables
According to experts, sea bitter vegetables rarely cause health side effects if you take the recommended dosage. In addition, to ensure the best use of this herb, patients should be cautious and note the following:
- Absolutely do not use this herb for children under 5 years old.
- Pregnant and lactating women should consult a doctor before use. Because according to some animal studies show that active ingredients in bitter vegetables can increase the risk of bleeding, miscarriage.
- Do not use sea bitter greens together with Sertralin antidepressants and thyroid medicines because it can cause drug interactions.
- People preparing for surgery or having a tooth extraction should not take it because this herb can interact with anticoagulants.
Factors that interact with sea bitter vegetables
If you are suffering from some of the following health conditions, be extremely cautious about the use of this medicinal herb:
- People with diabetes : Eating bitter vegetables can affect insulin levels and blood sugar.
- Stomach ulcers : In bitter vegetables, there are substances that increase the secretion of fluid inside the stomach and intestines. This can cause stomach upset symptoms or worsen the sores.
- Heart disease : People with heart disease should avoid using this herb as it can slow heart rate.
- Lung disease : The active ingredients in sea bitter vegetables can increase the secretion of fluid inside the lungs, worsening symptoms such as asthma, emphysema.
- Gastrointestinal obstruction : People suffering from gastrointestinal diseases should not consume sea bitter vegetables as it can worsen the condition.
- Urinary tract obstruction : Using sea bitter vegetables in this case will increase urinary secretion and cause worsening of symptoms of the disease.
- Thyroid disorders : Hormone levels in the thyroid gland can be elevated when using seaweed. Therefore, patients should be very cautious when using this herb.
In summary, sea bitter is an herb with very good therapeutic effect if used correctly and in the right dosage. However, this herb can also interact with other medications you are taking. So, consult your doctor about whether to use sea bitter vegetables or not to ensure the current health status.
