| Sauropus androgynus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Phyllanthaceae |
| Tribe: | Phyllantheae |
| Subtribe: | Flueggeinae |
| Genus: | Sauropus |
| Species: | androgynus |
| Binomial name | |
| Sauropus androgynus |
|
Sauropus androgynus, also known as katuk, star gooseberry, or sweet leaf, is a shrub grown in some tropical regions as a leaf vegetable. In Chinese it is called mani cai (马尼菜); in Malay it is called cekur manis, sayur manis, or asin-asin;[1][2] in Thai it is called pak waan; and in Vietnamese, it is called rau ngót.In Kerala -India it is called Malay Cheera.
Its multiple upright stems can reach 2.5 meters high and bear dark green oval leaves 5–6 cm long.
It is one of the most popular leaf vegetables in South Asia and Southeast Asia and is notable for high yields and palatability. The shoot tips have been sold as tropical asparagus. In Vietnam, the locals cook it with crab meat, minced pork or dried shrimp to make soup. In Malaysia, it is commonly stir-fried with egg or dried anchovies. In Indonesia, the leaves of the plant are used to make infusion, believed to improve the flow of breast milk for breastfeeding mothers.
It is a good source of vitamin K. However, a study has suggested that excessive consumption of juiced Katuk leaves (due to its popularity for body weight control in Taiwan in the mid '90s) can cause lung damage, due to its high concentrations of the alkaloid papaverine.[3]