Nutraceutical Potential of Molokhia (Corchorus Olitorius L.): a Versatile Green Leafy Vegetable Faiyaz Ahmed
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Pharmacogn. Res. REVIEW ARTICLE A multifaceted peer reviewed journal in the field of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products www.phcogres.com | www.phcog.net Nutraceutical Potential of Molokhia (Corchorus olitorius L.): A Versatile Green Leafy Vegetable Faiyaz Ahmed Department of Clinical Nutrition, College of Applied Health Sciences in Ar Rass, Qassim University, Al Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia ABSTRACT Molokhia is a nutritious green leafy vegetable consumed in African and Middle Eastern countries as a viscous soup. Although the leaves are used in the traditional medicine and also reported to exhibit a number of pharmacological effects, its utilization is limited to some cultures and does not find wider utilization in the mainstream dietary habits. This review is aimed to present the nutritional and nutraceutical potential of molokhia to promote consumption of this valuable leafy vegetable. An unbiased literature search was conducted using online resources such as Google Scholar and PubMed to collect published reports on various biological/pharmacological activities of molokhia. Chemical structures of bioactive compounds were downloaded from PubChem. The leaves of molokhia are rich sources of Vitamin A (β‑carotene), C, E, B1, B2, folic acid and minerals such as iron and calcium in addition to common macromolecules. Among carbohydrates, acidic polysaccharides are of particular interest because of their notable biological effects including antidiabetic and antioxidant. The vegetable is also a good source of a diverse category of phytochemicals Abbreviations Used: ASL: Aspartate aminotransferase; ALT: Alanine including alkaloids, saponins, tannins, terpenes, flavonoids, and phenolics. aminotransferase; ALP: Alkaline phosphatase; MDA: Malonaldehyde; Different extracts exhibit potent antidiabetic, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, CCl : Carbon tetrachloride; LD : Median lethal dose; IC : Median inhibi‑ anticancer, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, 4 50 50 tory concentration; OECD: Organization for economic co‑operation and analgesic, and wound healing effects. The extracts have shown to safe even at development; SOD: Superoxide dismutase; HDL: High‑density lipoprotein; a dose of 3.2 g/kg body weight in experimental animals. Molokhia is a nutritious leafy vegetable loaded with essential micronutrients and phytochemical that LDL: Low‑density lipoprotein; FRAP: Ferric reducing antioxidant potential; could be handy in promoting general health. Further research is warranted to DPPH: 1,1‑diphenyl‑2‑picrylhydrazyl; ABTS: 2,2’‑azino‑bis (3‑ethylbenzothi‑ develop novel food product formulation using molokhia. azoline‑6‑sulfonic acid; BHT: Butylated hydroxy toluene; BHA: Butylated Key words: Corchorus olitorius, green leafy vegetable, molokhia, hydroxy anisole; TBARS: Thiobarbituric acid re‑ pharmacology, polysaccharides, toxicity active substances; GSH: Glutathione. Access this article online Website: www.phcogres.com Correspondence: SUMMARY Quick Response Code: • Molokhia is a leafy vegetable widely consumed in Middle‑Eastern countries Dr. Faiyaz Ahmed, and valued for its nutrient composition. The leaves find its use in folkloric Department of Clinical Nutrition, College of medicine for the treatment of a number ailments and have been ascribed Applied Health Sciences in Ar Rass, Qassim with a diverse pharmacological activities due to presence of polysaccharides and phenolic compounds. This review would be beneficial to popularize the University, Al Qassim Region 51921, Saudi Arabia. utilization of molokhia as functional food ingredient in food formulations. E‑mail: [email protected] DOI: 10.4103/pr.pr_100_20 INTRODUCTION effects antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antihistaminic, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, anticonvulsant, antiestrogenic, Corchorus olitorius L. commonly known as molokhia in Middle‑Eastern and antimalarial effects.[7‑16] countries is an annual herbaceous plant with slender stem belonging to The leaves are reported to contain triterpenes, sterols and fatty acid, Tillaceae family [Table 1]. Although molokhia is believed to be native phenolics, ionones, oxydase, chlorogenic acid, glycosides, saponins, to Africa and Asia, it is cultivated in a number of countries, including tannins, and flavones in addition to carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, Australia, South America, and some parts of Europe for food and industrial use.[1,2] Molokhia is used as green leafy vegetable in Egypt, Sudan, India, Bangladesh, Philippines and Malaysia, Africa, Japan, South This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the America, the Caribbean, and Cyprus.[3] Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as Molokhia is valued as a nutritious leafy vegetable due to its high appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms. vitamin, mineral, and phenolic content.[4] The leaves also contain high amounts of mucilaginous polysaccharides with gives viscous For reprints contact: [email protected] consistency and widely consumed as soup in Middle Eastern countries. Dried leaves are used in herbal tea, while seeds are used as flavoring Cite this article as: Ahmed F. Nutraceutical potential of molokhia (Corchorus agent.[5] Apart from its food uses, it is valued as an herbal remedy olitorius l.): A versatile green leafy vegetable. Phcog Res 2021;13:1-12. in fevers, enteritis, dysentery, chronic cystitis, aches, and pains.[6] Submitted: 11-Dec-2020 Revised: 09-Mar-2021 Different parts ofC. olitorius are reported to exhibit a range of biological Accepted: 16-Mar-2021 Published: 27-Apr-2021 © 2021 Pharmacognosy Research | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow 1 FAIYAZ AHMED: Nutraceutical Potential of Corchorus olitorius L. (Molokhia) Table 1: Taxonomy of Corchorus olitorius Linn. 7–10 cm long, ribbed, with a short beak, usually dehiscing by 5 valves, Kingdom Plantae many‑seeded. Seeds angular, 1–3 mm long, dark grey. Seedling with epigeal germination; hypocotyl 1–2 cm long; cotyledons foliaceous, Phyllum Angiosperms [36] Subphyllum Eudicots broadly elliptical to circular, 3–8 mm long. Class Rosids There is no consensus on the origins of C. olitorius because it has been Order Malvales cultivated and used in Africa and Asia for centuries and also occurs Family Malvaceae in the wild in both continents.[1,2] Currently, since it is used as a leafy Genus Corchorus vegetable, it occurs in all of tropical Africa including Benin, Nigeria, Species Olitorius Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. It is a popular soup vegetable in Caribbean, Cyprus, Brazil, India, Bangladesh, Table 2: Nutrient composition of molokhia leaves Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Egypt, and the Middle Nutrient Raw Eastern countries. Apart from food use, it is grown as a commercial crop [37] Moisture (%) 82‑87 for jute production in India, Bangladesh and China. Protein (%) 5‑6 Carbohydrate (%) 5‑7 FOOD USES Fat (%) 0.3‑1 Molokhia leaves contains high amounts of mucilaginous polysaccharides Ash (%) 2.4‑2.6 Fiber (%) 1‑5 which yield viscous soup when cooked and usually used as an [38] Vitamin A (IU) 3000 accompaniment for main dishes. In Middle Eastern countries, the Thiamine (mg/100 g) 0.1 leaves are cut into small pieces and boiled in water with salt and pepper Riboflavin (mg/100 g) 0.3 to make soup. Molokhia soup is very popular in the Middle east. In Niacin (mg/100 g) 1.5 Mediterranean regions, young green leaves and shoots are used to add Vitamin C (mg/100 g) 10‑100 flavor and viscous texture to soups and stews. Seeds are used for flavoring. Iron (mg/100 g) 4‑8 Tender leaves and shoots are also eaten raw as salad vegetable in Egypt and Calcium (mg/100 g) 250‑266 India.[39] Dried leaves are used in the preparation of herbal tea. The leaves are used to prepare a stew called “ewedu” in Nigeria, while in Philippines ash, acidic polysaccharides, lignin, and other[17‑20] mucilaginous the leaves along with bamboo shoots are consumed as a leafy vegetable. polysaccharides. Nutrient composition of molokhia leaves is presented In Nigeria, sticky sauce comparable to okra is prepared and eaten as an in Table 2.[4,20,21] The leaves are rich sources of Vitamin A (β‑carotene), C, accompaniment for starchy dumplings made from cassava, yam or millet. E, B1, B2, folic acid, and minerals such as iron and calcium.[22‑27] Among Since, Molokhia is an annual herb dried leaf powder is used to make this soluble polysaccharides abundantly present in molokhia leaves, an acidic sauce during off season. Sauce is also prepared from powdered and dried polysaccharide rich in uronic acid rhamnose, glucose, galcturonic acid, immature fruits (bush okra). In East Africa, it is cooked with cowpeas, [5] and glucuronic acid has been isolated. It is noteworthy that, molokhia pumpkin, cocoyam leaves, sweet potato, milk, butter, and meat flavored [28] leaves retain key nutrients even after cooking. The seeds contain with pepper and lemon.[40,41] Recently, molokhia leaves are also used for alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, cardiac glycosides, steroids, saponins, and the development of Sushi wrap as a promising viable substitute for Nori.[42] anthraquinones.[29] The roots reportedly contain triterpenes including corosin and sterols including sitosterol and stigmasterol.[19,30,31] It is TRADITIONAL AND FOLKLORIC USES noteworthy that molokhia is also known