By VERA AWUAH –
honnyveea3@gmail.com
Healing properties of Turkey Berries and side effects:
Turkey berry is a popular type of food and herbal remedy used in a variety of ancient folk medicine practices. Although it’s very common throughout the world, people wonder about its best uses and safety.
Turkey berry is a type of spiny, flowering shrub that produces large clusters of yellow-green, pea-sized berries that can be used for a variety of culinary horticultural, and medicinal purposes. It is scientifically known as solanum torvum. It goes by many names and belong to the nightshade family of plants.
Turkey berry is a hearty plant that thrives in a variety of climates, but grows best in sunny temperate regions. It is mostly grown in Africa. The plant spread easily, much like weeds hence, can be found all over the world. Because turkey berries are so wide, it’s unclear exactly where it first originated. However, many researchers believe it’s probably native to Central and South America.
Potential health benefits:
Turkey berries are used as both food and herbal remedy for countless physical ailments, including high blood pressure, digestive issues, bacterial infections and more still, scientific research focusing on the Medicinal properties of turkey berry is limited.
Early evidence from test tube and animal studies suggest that specific Nutrients plants compounds in turkey berry may be the driving force behind its many purported health benefits.
- It may prevent and treat anemia: Low iron is one of the most common Nutrients deficiencies worldwide. Iron deficiency anemia is a common condition that may develop as a result of inadequate iron intake. It’s associated with symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, and shortness of breath.
Turkey berry is a particularly rich source of plant-based iron and often consumed to treat or prevent iron deficiency anemia. Although turkey berries possess a high concentration of iron, recent animal studies indicate that it may not be well absorbed in the digestive tract. Thus, there’s no guarantee that adding turkey berries to your diet will dramatically improve your iron status. Pairing foods that are high in vitamin C, such as strawberries, Bell pepper or citrus fruits, may help increase the absorption of iron from plant-based foods. However, there’s no research available.
- Turkey Berry may help lower blood pressure: It has been researched that nearly 50% of adults have high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Early research suggests that compounds in turkey berries may serve as a natural way to lower blood pressure. Turkey berry is loaded with a variety of unique compounds, such as garlic acids and ferulic acid, which have demonstrated strong antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties in test tube. Moreover, studies have proven that turkey berries extract significantly reduced blood pressure in person with high blood pressure.
- Turkey berries promote healthy immune functions: Research studies have shown that turkey berry has potent anti-microbial properties that may promote healthy immune function in multiple ways. Turkey berries’ anti -microbial properties have also been found to be useful for keeping wounds clean and helping heal cuts and ulcers.
Safety precautions and possible side effects:
All parts of turkey berry plant, including its roots stem, leaves and fruits, are used for medicinal and culinary purposes throughout the world.
In Africa, the fruit of turkey berry is used in making soup or stew, and consumed whole. Whereas the leaves, stem and roots are dried and consumed as powder, tea or tincture.
Although turkey berry is frequently and generally considered safe, there’s a lack of strong data when it comes to assessing its precise dosage and the potential risk of side effects upon ingestion. Turkey berry contains class of compounds called glycoalkaloids. When consumed in large doses, glycoalkaloids can cause a diverse digestive and neurological symptoms such as nausea, stomach ache, diarrhea, dizziness, and confusion.
Turkey berry’s concentration of glycoalkaloids naturally declines as the plant mature. Thus, it’s thought to be safer to only consume fully ripped turkey berry fruits as the unripe ones can cause negative neurological and digestive symptoms. It’s always advisable to consult your health care, provider prior to adding turkey berries to your health and wellness routine especially if you have any underlying medical conditions. It is always good to eat right; therefore choose the right balance diet for your life.
Happy healthy Eating.
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