Still in theme of health benefits, now we will discuss about endive. Do you know about endive? Yup. Endive is one of the vegetables that usually we see in salad, especially western salad. Endive has a science name, Cichorium endivia, which a vegetables that classified in the family of Asteraceae. Usually endive served as salad.
The technique of endive planting was discovered by accident in the 1830’s at Josaphat’s valley, Schaerbeek, Belgium. Endive is grown for food by cutting its leaves, then covering the staple and roots in the dark. New branch will appear but without sunlight will grow white and not bitter. Currently France is the world’s largest endive producing country.
Characteristics of Endive
Endive classified to the genus Chicorium which has bitter vegetable species such as chicorium endivia, cichorium pumilum and cichorium intybus. Endive plants consist of 3 types curly endive, frisee endive, and escarole endive.
The characteristics of endive leaf:
- Spherical and wide
- Smooth leaf surface
- Leaf slightly curly on the leaf edge
- Stems short and stalked
Nutrients Value of Endive
Endive is low calories and a lot of fibers. So if you consume endive, we sure it good for your health. But this vegetables has bitter taste. Whenever this vegetables has bitter taste, but endive is good for herbal medicine. Nutrients inside endive can treat some disease. Here are the nutrients inside endive:
- Some vitamins ; vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin K
- Fibers
- Folic acid
- Pantothenic acid
- Thiamin
- Niacin
- Potassium
- Mineral
- Iron
- Others minerals.
Now after that knowledge of endive nutrients, we will talk about health benefits of endive. Because a lot of nutrients inside endive, this vegetables has a lot of health benefits. Here are the list:
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1. Increase appetite
Not only for small children who are sometimes very difficult to eat. But for adults in the process of treatment can be used as a fresh drink to increase appetite for post-treatment of one disease. The content that is in the endive’s leaves will stimulate or increase appetite.
2. Smoothing Defecate
If you have problem with defecate, no need to worry about it. No need to drink a laxative medicine. With drinks juice of endive’s leaves, you can smoothing defecate. And you should drink at night before sleep, this is so that when the morning you are more fluent defecate.
3. Lowering blood pressure
Do you have problems with blood pressure? Or do you have hypertension? Or you have a symptoms of stroke? Do not careless about your blood pressure, it can be bad for your health. By consume endive which is contains potassium, it can neutralizes the effects of natrium which can increase blood pressure.
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4. Overcoming anorexia
Anorexia is one of the psychological disorders in which the sufferer will always feel himself fat and in the end always let himself starve or do not want to eat at all. And finally anorexia sufferers will lose weight below normal and can be considered very thin. The health benefits of endive will prevent the occurrence of psychological disorders like this and will increase appetite if consumed regularly.
Related article: Health Risks of Anorexia Nervosa
5. Prevent gallstone disease
If in the body you have a very high calcium level, especially in the gallbladder, it can cause gallstone disease. Or gallstone disease can also be caused by high cholesterol levels. And this disease can also be cured by drinking boiled water or make leaves of endive as fresh vegetables every day.
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6. Prevents Dementia Disease
Decrease in memory is indeed a lot happening in people who are already old. To prevent the occurrence of memory loss or often referred to as dementia, you can start by taking leaves of endive regularly every day.
Also read: Symptoms of Dementia
7. Prevent Alzheimer Disease
The health benefits of endive leaf is to protect the working system of the brain so it can help prevent the outbreak of Alzheimer’s disease. Consuming endive leaves every morning can be an easy way to strengthen the work function of the brain. So the risk of exposure to Alzheimer is minimal. Also read: Ways to Prevent Alzheimer and Dementia
8. Prevent Stroke
One of the causes of stroke is due to excessive blood pressure. By consuming leaves of endive, it can lowering blood pressure. So the attack of this disease, the stroke, can prevent from the beginning.
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9. Lowering Cholesterol
Unhealthy eating patterns and too much consumption of foods with a lot of fat will cause increasing blood cholesterol. If blood cholesterol increase, this will endanger the health with effects such as high blood pressure, heart attack, and others. By consuming the juice from the leaves of endive, it will lower cholesterol.
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10. Keep The Heart Healthy
Low cholesterol levels and smooth blood circulation will help to keep the heart healthy. And the function of the heart itself is more normal, especially if you consume endive’s leaves every day, then the heart will be more healthy and can prevent heart disease and heart attacks.
Also read: Benefits of Calcium
11. Prevent Scoliosis
Scoliosis is not the normal growth of the spine that curved sideways. And this often happens to children. Usually this happens because of the child’s sitting habit. So give them vegetables combined with endive’s leaves to prevent unhealthy spine growth.
12. Prevent Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer does occur only in men, and this you can prevent by consuming endive’s leaves every day. At least in the evening or in the morning to help maintain health.
13. Prevent Colon Cancer
The emergence of cancer in organs can indeed be caused by various things, start from food until external factors such as air pollution and many others. But by consuming boiled water or making vegetables from the leaves of endive, it will prevent the growth of cancer cells in the body.
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14. Treat Stomach Problems
Maybe you sometimes have stomach problems? Or you feel not well about your stomach? No need to worry, because you can overcome it with consume endive’s leaves. Starting from bloating until the nausea in the stomach, you can dim with consume endive’s leaves. Whether you make fresh vegetables or make it a fresh drink. But for people who like bitter taste, if you do not like you should avoid. Because bitterness can cause nausea.
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15. Smooth Urinate
Do you hard to urinate? Or you lack of drinking water and full sitting in the office? Or maybe you has dehydration? You can overcome that problems with consume endive’s leave. Because the substance content inside the leaves of endive is diuretic. So if you have problems such as not smooth urination because there is a problem in urine, you can consume this leaves every day.
16. Maintain Eye Health
Do you have eye problems? Or maybe you lack of consume vitamin A? Remember every person need to fulfill their need of vitamin, so you will prevent from any problems with lack of vitamin. Vitamin A in the leaves of endive is high enough for the size of vegetables other than carrots. So the benefits are obvious, namely to maintain eye health. So for parents who have begun to decline the quality of vision, can start apply it with consume leaves that have this bitter taste.
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17. Anti-free Radicals
Are you worrying about free radicals around you? No need to worry about it. The content of vitamins and fibers are very adequate inside the leaves of endive and able to ward off free radicals. Both caused by food and by external factors such as air pollution and others.
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18. Prevent Lung Cancer
By consuming endive’s leaves regularly it will function as antidote of free radicals that can cause cancer, such as lung cancer. The content in it will prevent cancer cells from developing itself.
Also read: Symptoms of Lung Cancer
19. Prevent Oral Cancer
One of health benefits of endive is it has the ability to prevent oral cancer. Drinking boiled extract from the leaves of endive and drink it warmly it will prevent the growth of cancer cells that attack the oral cavity. At least once a day to prevent the onset of this disease.
20. Brighten The Skin
One of the greatness of the leaves of endive is can be used for treatments such as brighten and whitening the skin. You can consume it as a daily drink or make it a lulur or a mask. Content such as vitamin C and also collagen in the leaves will help make your body skin and your face more bright and glowing white.
For how to use it also very simple, you mash the leaves of endive until soft and then you can also mix with other natural ingredients, such as bengkoang, avocado, and others. After that use to scrub before bathing or face masking.
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The leaves of endive has bitter taste but have a very special content as well as its benefits for health. This leaf can be used as an alternative medicine to cure various diseases, as well as for women who want to have healthy skin, bright, and also white skin can use endive leaves as body scrub or use it as a face masking.So, that is all about health benefits of endive. Hope you enjoy it. See you next time.
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