Nutraceutical Potential of Molokhia (Corchorus olitorius L.): A Versatile Green Leafy Vegetable

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 including alkaloids, saponins, tannins, terpenes, flavonoids, and phenolics. Different extracts exhibit potent antidiabetic, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, analgesic, and wound healing effects. The extracts have shown to safe even at 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 could be handy in promoting general health. Further research is warranted to develop novel food product formulation using molokhia.