The Department of Pharmacognosy of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has found vital nutrients in nine vegetables commonly consumed in Ghana.

The findings of this research are found in the journal, World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews.

In Africa, leafy vegetables are increasingly being recognized as possible contributors of both micronutrients and bioactive compounds in diets.

However, the Ghanaian diet comprises mainly starchy roots, and cereals.

For the study, the scientists picked indigenous leafy vegetables consumed in two communities in the Northern Region of Ghana to find out the nutrients they contained.

“We wanted to evaluate their phytochemical constituents, antioxidant properties and proximate composition to assess their nutritional value as well as other health benefits to consumers,” said lead researcher, Prof. Gustav Komlaga of Department of Pharmacognosy.

The vegetables: Amaranthus cruentus, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Corchorus olitorius, Vernonia amygdalina, Phaseolus vulgaris, Ipomoea batatas, Adansonia digitata, Moringa oleifera and Annona reticulata were found to contain various groups of phytochemicals and were generally rich in carbohydrates, protein and fibre, but low in fat.

Amaranthus cruentus (Aleefu) were found to have the highest antioxidant capacity

The antioxidant property of this plant helps in reducing oxidative stress which contributes towards many chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and other degenerative diseases in humans.

Annona Reticulata (Dasaaluok) and Moringa oleifera (Jangbaduuk) have high fibre content which is essential for digestive health and regular bowel movements.