Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
This article originally appeared in the January 1997 issue of the
Friends of PFAF newsletter.
The Importance of Green Leaves to the Planet.
The chlorophyll in green leaves forms the basis for all life on Earth. Without
it life as we know it would not exist. There might be a few chemosynthetic
bacteria left, since these can obtain energy from chemical reactions other
than photosynthesis, but that would be it. Virtually all life depends on
that beautiful green chlorophyll molecule.
The chlorophyll pigment is concentrated in the leaves of plants - though
it is also present in other parts such as the stems of many herbaceous plants,
flower buds and certain fruits and occasionally roots. The chlorophyll molecule
is responsible for trapping the sun's energy; and this solar energy is converted
to chemical energy in the form of glucose using carbon dioxide (CO2) from
the atmosphere, and water (H2O) from the soil. This glucose is then transported
all round the plant for use as required. Some is oxidised for energy, some
is stored as insoluble starch when it is not required immediately. Some is
converted into cellulose to make new plant structures e.g.. more leaves,
stems, flowers, roots. Some is taken to fruits and accumulated there. Some
is used to make proteins utilising nitrogen from the soil.
All plants live and grow by photosynthesis. The only exceptions to this are
extreme parasites such as dodder (which have lost their chlorophyll) and
saprophytes such as the ghost orchid, most fungi and bacteria. The saprophytes
feed off dead and decaying vegetation, whilst the parasites feed off living
plants and so both are dependant on green plants and chlorophyll, even though
they do not possess it.
Green plants are the primary producers as a result of their wonderful greenness!
Many animals - including humans - eat plants. Some animals eat other animals,
but if you follow the food chain back you will find that green plants are
always at the base. Animals and plants die and decay, releasing minerals
into the soil and CO2 into the air for green plants to use for photosynthesis.
Thus the cycle continues, and we all (except a few bacteria) need green plants.
If green plants were to suddenly disappear, then so would virtually all life
on Earth - including Homo Sapiens.
Green leaves are thus the powerhouses - the great driving force for Life
on Earth. Photosynthesis is the life generating chemical process. Chlorophyll
is thus the Molecule of Life.
The Importance of Green Leaves to Health.
It is no small wonder then that green leaves are so very extremely beneficial
to the health. If someone mocks you as you eat your green salads and calls
you a rabbit then you could always say that you would rather be as healthy
as a rabbit than as sick as a human urban junkfood eater!
1. Vital Life Energy.
When you eat a leaf you are taking into your body - into your very being
- that wonderful source of energy and vitality that powers Life on Earth.
It is no coincidence that the haemoglobin molecule (which is responsible
for carrying oxygen in our blood and distributing it to all our cells - as
well as picking up CO2 and taking it back to the lungs for excretion) is
very similar in structure to that of chlorophyll. The main difference is
that haemoglobin contains iron whilst chlorophyll contains magnesium. Some
people even believe that by eating chlorophyll you actually make haemoglobin
directly!
Freshly picked raw leaves in particular are teeming with activity and vitality.
This vitality, or life force, can be measured by Kirlian photography and
it reduces when an individual plant or animal becomes sick or very old. When
you eat fresh raw leaves you are taking that vitality into you. Leaves that
have been picked and stored for a while, or leaves which have been cooked
or dried will have much less vitality, but will still be very beneficial.
Eat Green Leaves - take in LIFE!
The chlorophyll molecule itself is very soothing and healing and is useful
in healing wounds. It is also a wonderful de-odouriser and can help to remove
unpleasant smells from the gut!
2. Vitamins and Minerals.
When first changing from an animal based to a plant based diet, people often
wonder where they will obtain their minerals, vitamins, protein and fats.
I will answer all these questions in this series - but green leaves will
provide most of the nutrients that we require.
Of all the many foods, green leaves are actually the richest in vitamins
and minerals. The reason for this is that these nutrients are also required
in photosynthesis - hence our heavy emphasis at Plants For A Future on plants
with edible leaves.
Green leaves are the foods richest in easily utilised calcium. On a dry weight
basis, chemical analysis shows that most plant leaves are actually as rich
or richer in calcium than cow's milk. This may come as a surprise to most
people - but the figures are official! Cow's (or goat's) milk is in fact
not a very good source of calcium at all because milk is very mucus -forming
and tends to generate large amounts of sticky mucus in the gut. This mucus
interferes with digestion and absorption, so the calcium it contains is not
well utilised. In addition to this, calcium requires magnesium for its utilisation
in the body - without sufficient magnesium, calcium cannot be utilised properly.
Milk is a poor source of magnesium, while green leaves, are a rich source
of both calcium and magnesium together. Also, unlike milk, green leaves are
very clean, light foods which the body finds easy to handle, and they actually
help to clear the body of mucous and toxins.
It is very interesting to note that the incidence of osteoporosis is very
high in the so called 'developed' countries where large amounts of milk and
meat are consumed; but is much lower in countries where few animal products
are eaten.
Incidentally, when I talk about green leaves, I mean green leaves. I do not
mean the pale white hearts found inside cabbage, lettuce, celery or chicory
hearts - or any other blanched vegetable. I mean dark green leaves such as
those found on plants of dandelion,
green chicory, parsley, kale, various campanulas, thyme, reichardia, violas
etc. See our leaflets on
Winter Salads,
edible leaves etc. for more examples.
Green leaves are also extremely rich sources of potassium - a mineral that
tends to be lacking in the processed diet of industrial society. The potassium
and sodium are in balance, there being much more potassium than sodium -
which is the natural order of things. Processing foods tends to leach out
the mineral rich and potassium rich part, and piles on lots of sodium in
the form of salt, sodium bicarbonate (= bicarbonate of soda) and various
other sodium salts. This excess of sodium causes serious imbalance in the
body resulting in numerous health problems.
Green leaves are a very rich source of iron. They are also good sources of
zinc, manganese cobalt, copper and many other minerals that we need, but
tend not to think much about.
Green leaves are a rich source of the whole B complex (except perhaps B12
- which can be obtained by other means - see later). Pregnant women are often
advised to take vitamin supplements, and especially folic acid, in order
to prevent Spina bifida in babies. All they have to do, of course, is make
sure they eat a salad every day since, of course, foliage is the best source
of folic acid. The B complex is involved in many different bodily functions,
but two of the most important ones are:-
- The release of energy from food.
- Maintaining the immune system.
So if you keep feeling tired or keep catching colds, perhaps you need to
eat more green leaves!
Green leaves are the richest sources of carotene, or provitamin A, from which
the body easily makes as much vitamin A as it needs. Pure vitamin A or retinol
(found in animal products) is highly toxic if eaten to excess - Arctic explorers
have been known to die from vitamin A and vitamin D poisoning after eating
the livers of polar bears since this is where these vitamins are stored in
particularly high concentration. Carotene is totally non toxic and in fact
is very beneficial and healing in large quantities. It is a very useful antioxidant
vitamin in these days of high pollution. I have heard of children going blind
in India because they did not have enough vitamin A in their diet. No - they
do not need high-tech eye operations - all they need is green leaves to restore
their sight. So simple, so cheap, so easy! Carotene is also found in orange
or yellow fruits or vegetables such as apricots and rosehips.
Freshly picked raw green leaves are excellent sources of vitamin C. Cooking,
wilting, drying or storing the picked leaves in a warm place destroys much
or all of the vitamin C, depending on how it is done. Amongst other things,
vitamin C is very important for the function of the immune system, tissue
repair, and it is an antioxidant vitamin. Vitamin C is present in all living
and actively metabolising parts of plants, not just leaves (i.e. it is not
present in dormant seeds, but is made in large amounts when seeds germinate.)
Most people tend to be rather short of vitamin C because they do not eat
enough fresh raw foods. Our forest dwelling ancestors living largely on fruits
and leaves would have had an abundant supply of vitamin C.
We do not obtain vitamin D from leaves, but we can make our own if we
regularly expose our skin to some sunlight. We do not need large
quantities of sun for this nor do we need to sunbathe all day.
We can also store vitamin D in the liver so we can stock up in the summer for the winter.
Vitamin E (another antioxidant vitamin) and vitamin K
(essential for bloodclotting) are also abundant in green leaves.
Bioflavonoids, which are sometimes known as 'vitamin F', are various
plant pigments which occur in green leaves in association with the chlorophyll;
and also in many fruits, especially small berries such as rosehips.
They are important for the utilisation of vitamin C and some people believe
they are very good for the brain. Bioflavonoids are also beneficial to
our health in many other ways. Thus rutin, which is found in the leaves
of buckwheat, is a bioflavonoid that has a very beneficial effect on the
circulatory system. The bioflavonoids found in the fruits of all Eleagnus
and Hippophae species have been shown to be an effective preventative
and treatment of cancer.
3. Essential Fatty Acids
Although leaves are very low in fats, the small amounts of fat that
they do contain tend to consist of the essential fatty acids linoleic
and alpha-linoleic acid. These are essential for the health of the
immune system and in making cell membranes.
4. Proteins
And, believe it or not, green leaves contain a fair amount of top quality protein.
On a dry weight basis, leaves are about 25% protein, so they are comparable to
beans here. And unlike the storage proteins of most seeds, which tend to be
somewhat short of one or more essential amino acid, green leaves are high in all
of these substances. The reason for this is that leaf protein is actually in the
form of enzymes (biological catalysts which speed up and direct biochemical
reactions such as those responsible for photosynthesis, respiration, digestion
and so on.) These are the many enzymes that work with that wonderful chlorophyll
molecule in the process of photosynthesis. Not that I am recommending that you
use leaves as your sole source of protein of course, but the protein content
is there and not to be sneezed at.
As well as providing protein, the enzymes in raw leaves, and in other raw plant foods,
actually help in the digestion of the particular food in which they are found,
and are very beneficial to the body.
There is an association called "Leaf for Life/Find your Feet" which juices
leaves and uses this as a protein supplement for children in countries like India.
The resulting product is called "Leafu" and has greatly improved the health of
many people there. The other advantage of leaf protein is that it is soluble
and therefore easily digestible - unlike many other forms of protein.
5. Fibre
Leaves are an excellent source of healthy fibre. Lack of fibre
(usually due to a diet
of processed foods and animal products) causes pain, constipation and disease.
Adequate fibre results in regular soft stools and health. The fibre in leaves
is particularly beneficial and much healthier than excessive amounts of bran
(from wheat) which can act as an intestinal irritant. In fact the fibre present
in fresh raw leaves encourages the "friendly" lactobacteria - mainly Lactobacillus
acidophillus in the intestines to proliferate and grow there. These bacteria
thrive on green stuff. Inside us they make B vitamins (including B12) and
vitamin K. They help in the digestion of food, help our immune system and
help in keeping the "unfriendly" bacteria at bay. The "unfriendly" putrefactive
bacteria, such as E.coli, proliferate when there is an absence of fibre and
an abundance of decomposing remains of meat and milk. They do not make any
vitamins, and instead encourage the putrefaction ( rather than digestion)
of food and produce toxins and foul smells in the process. These bowel toxins
are a major cause of disease in Western Society - and can even result in
colon cancer! It is often said that dis-ease starts in a toxic colon. So
- eat plenty of raw leaves to encourage the friendly lactobacteria.
6. Medicines
In addition to using green leaves as a food, specific green leaves make excellent
natural medicines. Leaves generally are very cleansing, healing soothing
and revitalising as well as being very nourishing. A green leaf juice is
in fact an excellent nutritional supplement, and such juices are often used
in natural therapies, including in the treatment of cancer. And they work!
As Hippocrates the Father of Medicine said "Let Food be Your Medicine and
Medicine be your Food".
Specific leaves are good for specific things. For example dandelions and
chicory are good for the liver and kidneys and are good blood purifiers.
Dandelions are also good diuretics, but, unlike diuretic drugs which deplete
the body of minerals especially potassium, dandelions are so high in potassium
and other minerals that the body has a considerable positive gain in potassium
despite the diuretic effect.
Nettles (and I do not recommend you eat these raw!) are good blood purifiers
and help in the treatment of Arthritis. Mint and fennel leaves contain aromatic
oils which help with the digestion of food and also dispel intestinal gases.
The juice from comfrey leaves and or Aloe Vera leaves applied directly to
a wound, burn or ulcer, will greatly speed up the healing process. (If you
want more information on this aspect of leaves then read the books 'The New
Wholistic Herbal' by David Hoffman, 'The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism'
by Simon Mills and 'The RHS Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses' by Deni
Bown.
To summarize
It is the chlorophyll in green leaves which is responsible for virtually
all life on earth. No green leaves - no life. Leaves are the powerhouses
of the plants where sunlight energy is transformed into plant energy. And
when we eat leaves we eat this energy, vitality, life-force and power which
has wonderful energising properties for our whole beings. If you eat a leaf
- you take in Life!
Readers Comments
Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
bobcox
Wed May 19 08:27:05 2004
An excellent page with good useful information for children to use a s asource of information and revision Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
Wed Mar 30 2005 We know the importance of all of th is. What we need is a practical way to use these plants//herbs. In what amounts and such. Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
Fri May 6 2005 Sounds interesting. So I ate basswood leaves and they tasted nice and mild. Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
Wed Aug 17 2005 coooooooooool!!!! i have always wanted to know where to find calcium, zinc and other
minerals in the forest. now i know and i am off to the forest. Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
Rick
Fri Oct 7 2005 And pine needles are a good source of vitamin C. Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
Jerrica
Thu Nov 17 2005
Thanks for letting me use your information for a part of my essay for agriculture. This is a totally hot site and I love it.
I didn't know some of this stuff. THanks Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
GreenLantern
Sat Jan 28 2006
Eat some arugula and get rid of cancer causing chemicals. All hail Arugula and Indoles. The taste could be better though....lol Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
maria chrisidis
Tue Mar 28 2006 hi, i was hoping to find info on this page about pine needle juice. please help. great info on this page though about green leaves in general. thanks.
Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
honey
Fri May 12 2006
thanks alot for the very useful information. from now on i will increase my intake of greenleaves and take care of my greenleaves at home. Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
Deb
Thu May 18 2006 Are the green leaves of the red radish edible?
Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
Asia Marche
Tue May 23 2006
i just wanted to say thank you whoever wrote this article you have taught me a lot because this information is going to help me achive a nice beautiful grade so thank you, but I didn't playgerize. Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
Zeinab
Wed May 30 2007 This page is very informative & very helpful. I would like to ask if someone likes cheese very
much, but it causes him problems & from the above it is understood why; but this person wants
to eat cheese if he ate cheese accompanied by green leaves cellery or barsely for ex. will that help
him not to suffer from the stomack problems he suffers from when eating diary products.
Thanks
Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
nancy swinnen
Mon Jun 25 2007
after reading the info on you website which is amazing I do not understand that there is nothing written about a 100% raw diet which is the natural diet of mankind and can save all life on the planet. Cooking food makes it toxic for the body and basically kills it. There is much proof of this through people who have been living on a completely raw diet for many years. The earth is dying because of ignorance and human addictions. Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
Fri Sep 14 2007 Does any one know the stainless steel juicer "Juice leader" from Japan?
Please let me know their contact details.
Many thanks
jaumain@global.co.za
Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
joseph
Mon Oct 1 2007
Can we also eat green leaves from fruit trees and grasses? Wht if we cook or process them, will they have the same nutritional values? Can we have these edible green leaves dried for later use, say, during winter? Green Gold - The Leaves of Life!
Mr Pugdog
Thu Oct 11 2007 whoever said cooking was poisonou is an imbecile because humans have been cooking foods for so long our bodies have probaly adapted to it and cooking destroys most toxins and harmful things some foods contain bt still keeps many of the essential aspects of these plants. Besides many ppl don't actually cook these kinds of foods anyway so I have no idea what your talking about. Add a comment/link:
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