One of the best medicinal vegetables is known as Okra. When you read this article, we are sure that you will start using Okra in your daily diet. What is Okra?
This medicinal vegetable is cultivated throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions around the world for its fibrous fruits or “pods”. The Okra can be eaten as a vegetable. “Lady’s finger” i.e. Okra is belonging to the Malvaceae (mallows) family and is named scientifically as Abelmoschus esculentus.
Why you should include Okra in your diet?
Health benefits of Okra are a long list:Okra The Wonder Vegetable – 22 The Amazing Health Benefits Of Okra
  1. Lowers Cholesterol: Okra(soluble fiber pectin) helps in lowering the serum (bad)cholesterol and prevents atherosclerosis.
  2. For Pregnancy and Fetal development: Okra is helping not onlyin conceiving but also in fetus’s brain development, prevention of miscarriages, formation of the fetal neural tube, and preventing any defects in the tube.
  3. Skin Detoxifier: Okra ( Vitamin C, fiber aids toxic) is used in repairing body tissues, psoriasis, reducing acne, preventing skin pigmentation, and other skin conditions.
  4. Treats Genital Disorders: Okra treats genital disorders like syphilis, excessive menstrual bleedin,leucorrhoea, dysuria,gonorrhoeaand increases sexual potency.
  5. For Asthma: It can curtail the development of asthma symptoms and prevent fatal attacks. Okra is helping with its high amount of vitamin C, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
  6. Lowers Colon cancer risk: Okra with its insoluble fiber cleans out the intestinal tract, decreasing the risk of colon-rectal cancer. The high antioxidants in Okra helps protect the immune system against harmful free radicals and prevent mutation of cells.
  7. Immunity Booster: Okra is a good immune booster food high in antioxidants and vitamin C. Other essential minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, fight against harmful free radicals and promote healthy immune system.
  8. Rich Fiber Source: Okrahelps in better digestion, and regularization of bowels with its fibers. Pectin (the Okra’s fiber), swells up in the intestine and helps in easier elimination of the wastes from the intestine.
  9. Rich Protein Source: The excellent source of first-rate vegetable protein and oils, cystine, enriched with amino acids like tryptophan, and other sulfur amino acids content in the seeds of Okra.
  10. Lively Hair: Okra is a great hair conditioner, fights dandruff and lice, scalp moisturizer for dry and itchy scalp and adds a youthful sheen to your hair.
  11. Treats Sun strokes: Okra relieves from overall depression, weakness, and exhaustion.
  12. Relieves Constipation: with themucilaginous and rich fiber content in Okra pods help increase stool bulk, bind to toxins, ensure easy bowel movements, facilitate proper absorption of water, lubricate the large intestineswith its natural laxative properties.
  13. Probiotics Feed: The good bacteria (probiotics) in the intestines, thrive on Okra acting greatly to the health of the intestinal tract. It helps biosynthesis of Vitamin B complex, similar to how yoghurt serves the small intestine.
  14. For Diabetes: Okra helps reduce the blood sugar levels. The type of fiber found in Okra i.e. Eugenol, helps to stabilize blood sugar by curbing the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract.
  15. Feeds Blood Network: Okra helps to support the structure of blood capillaries (eating plenty of flavonoid and vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables).
  16. Respiratory soother: for treating bronchitis and pneumonia you should use a decoction of leaves and flowers of Okra. Its mucilaginous (slimy, gluey) quality makes it an excellent home remedy for treatment of common cold and flu.
  17. Prevents Anemia: in the hemoglobin formation aid iron, folate and vitamin K, blood coagulation, and red blood cells production, providing a supreme defense against anemia.
  18. Prevents Obesity: the Okra’s fiberhelps in keeping you full for longer, and the abundant nutrients nourish you. This medicinal vegetable provides us with minimum calories.
  19. Detoxification: Okra contains fiber that not only aids the stool function but the mucilage that binds cholesterol and bile acid, dumped into it by the filtering liver and ejecting toxins.
  20. Cures Ulcers: Okra contains  the alkaline mucilaginous that help neutralizeacids and provides a temporary protective coating for the digestive tract speeding up the healing of peptic ulcers.
  21. For Strong Bones: for the vital blood-clotting process and along with Folates, vitamin K is a co – factor for strengthening bones and preventing, osteoporosis and restoring bone density,
  22. Clear Vision: for preventing eye problems like a glaucoma and cataract Okra contains beta-carotenes (precursor of vitamin A), all antioxidant properties, lutein and xanthine.
If you want to live healthy you must use this medicinal vegetable.