Sorrel is one of the herbs with a sharp, tart and sour taste. It has leaves shaped like a spade and flowers that are reddish green. When these flowers are fully bloomed, they turn purple in color. The seeds are brown in color. You can use sorrel leaves in its fresh form as well as dried form in cooking and for preparing hot and cold teas. It also has lots of health benefits.
Benefits of Sorrel Leaves for Skin:
Cures skin diseases:
Sorrel leaf is packed with Vitamin C. By taking a bowl of sorrel soup, you will get about 53% of the Vitamin C that you require daily. Vitamin C is excellent for the treatment and prevention of various skin problems and diseases of the skin. You can use dried sorrel leaves to get relief from itching and ringworms. By including sorrel leaves in your face pack, you can prevent wrinkles and tighten your skin. Sorrel leaves are also known for their anti-microbial and anti-allergic properties.
Benefits of Sorrel Leaves for Hair:
Treating Dry Hair:
Sorrel contains vitamins like Vitamin A, B and C in high amounts. All these vitamins help in treating dry and damaged hair. They are also good for preventing as well as curing hair fall. You can also use sorrel leaves for treating baldness.
Health and Medicinal Benefits of Sorrel Leaves:
Anti-inflammatory properties:
If you are suffering from ulcers, swelling, boils and scorbutic diseases, sorrel leaves are a good remedy. You can also use it as an antidote for scorpion poison.
Anaemia:
Sorrel is loaded with minerals like iron, sodium and phosphorous and is also rich in the green leafy content chlorophyll. So, consuming these leaves helps in increasing the levels of haemoglobin in the body. This makes it beneficial for people suffering from anaemia.
Bone health:
Consuming sorrel leaves is great for making your bones stronger as these leaves are rich sources of calcium. This is of great benefit for women because the bones in women get weak when they reach their middle age.
Helps in weight loss:
Sorrel leaves are packed with vitamins, proteins, minerals and carbohydrates. They also contain a small amount of fat. Moreover, they are low in calories. So, if you are on a weight loss program, including sorrel leave in your regular diet is a good option for you.
Improves eyesight:
Vitamin A is found in high quantities in sorrel leaves. So consuming sorrel leaves is good for your eyes. It can improve your eyesight and also helps in getting rid of night blindness.
Lowers blood pressure levels:
Antioxidants are found in high quantities in sorrel leaves. This helps in reducing the bad cholesterols present in the body as well as in the reduction of triglycerides levels. This in turn leads to the lowering of blood pressure levels.
Purgative and diuretic properties:
Being rich in antioxidants and flavonoids, sorrel leaves are known for their purgative and diuretic properties. This makes sorrel leaves very beneficial for removing harmful toxins from the body. Sorrel leaves contain protocatechuic acid, which is also effective for detoxifying your body. You can use sorrel tea and sorrel infused water for getting rid of toxins fomo your body. It also prevents bloating.
Prevents cancer and tumour:
Sorrel leaves are rich in oxalic acid. This helps in making these leaves beneficial for preventing cancers and tumours. However, you should make sure that you do not take these leaves in high amounts as that can prove harmful for your body.
Prevents scurvy:
Scurvy is caused when your body is deficient in Vitamin C. Sorrel is a rich source of Vitamin C and therefore helps in preventing as well as curing scurvy.
Prevents breast cancer:
Sorrel leaves are very effective for fighting against breast cancer. You can use these leaves for preventing as well as treating breast cancer. This is because these leaves contain chlorophyll and carotenoids as well as vitamins and minerals.
Reduces cold sores and fever blisters:
If you are suffering from cold sores and fever blisters, sorrel leaves can help you get rid of them. This is because sorrel leaves are rich sources of flavonoids, oligomeric and polymeric proanthocyanidins which are effective for treating these problems.
Reduces milk flow:
Sorrel is very beneficial for women as it has the power to prevent breast cancer. However, doctors suggest that women should avoid consumption of sorrel when they are pregnant and even after it. This is because sorrel has some side effects, which can cause harm to the baby. Another reason why consumption of sorrel should be avoided is that it can reduce the production of breast milk in lactating mothers. But this property of sorrel leaves is of use when the time for weaning comes.
Treats UTI, haemorrhage and gonorrhoea:
The diuretic property of sorrel leaves help in treating urinary tract infection, gonorrhoea and haemorrhage.
Treats insomnia and hypertension:
Sorrel leaves are effective for treating insomnia and hypertension. They are also good for preventing premature aging. Sorrel tea is great for this purpose. You can make sorrel tea by adding various spices like cardamom, cinnamon and ginger along with sorrel leaves. Another way to have it is to heat the sorrel leaves with castor oil and consume it.
How to use sorrel leaves?
Sorrel is widely used for the preparation of soups and sauces. Sorrel soup is made with chicken stock, eggs and cream. Its pureed soup is served with fish. You can also add young, fresh sorrel leaves to salads as these leaves have a lemon-like taste and add flavor to the salad you make. Sorrel leaves are also used for making tea. You can have this tea both hot and chilled. Another way to consume it is to mix it with butter milk and have it. You may also make juices and smoothies with these leaves.
