ABSTRACT
Malabar spinach, which is an excellent substitute of spinach in hot weather, is an edible fast-growing soft-stemmed vine. It is also known by many names such as Indian spinach, Ceylon spinach, Surinam spinach, Chinese spinach, Malabar nightshade, or Vietnamese spinach as well as flowing water vegetable. Malabar spinach, a typical leafy vegetable, holds an incredibly good amount of carbohydrates, starch, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin A, carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, ascorbic acid and vitamin E. Malabar spinach leaves, with a pleasant mild spinach flavour, can be used as spinach. The mucilaginous qualities of the plant make it an excellent thickening agent in soups and stews. The astringent cooked roots are used in the treatment of diarrhoea. The cooked leaves and stems are used as a laxative and flowers as an antidote to poisons. The cultivated forms of Malabar spinach with thick, green semi-succulent, heart-shaped leaves and mucilaginous texture are dicotyledonary perennial vines.
