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Morning Glory | Water Spinach

Phak bung | ผักบุ้ง  | Ipomoea aquatica 

Family: Convolvulaceae - Genus: Ipomoea

The Morning Glory vegetable can be found in the organic vegetable garden of the Special School of the Thai Child Development Foundation.

 

Morning Glory is a semi-aquatic, tropical plant grown as a vegetable for its tender shoots and leaves. It is a fast-growing, annual or perennial plant with sprawling stems of up to 2-3 m long over the ground, float in water, or twine into other plants for support.

This plant is known in English as water spinach, And although it originally grows in water and swampy areas, Morning Glory grows well in soil too, as long as they are watered regularly.

It is a very popular leaf vegetable in Asia. The leaves and young shoots are cooked or eaten raw.

Morning glory is grown the year round and can be harvested 4 to 6 weeks after planting. Harvest it done before flowering, so that it can’t form seeds


 

The papaya is a small, sparsely branched tree, usually with a single stem growing from 5 to 10 meter tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk. The lower trunk is usually scarred where leaves and fruit were borne. All parts of the plant contain latex.
PLANT

THE PLANT

Morning Glory grows in water or on moist soil. Its stems are 2–3 meters or longer, rooting at the nodes, and they are hollow and can float.

Leaves and stems are edible.






 

The leaves of the papaya are large, 50-70 cm in diameter, with seven lobes.
LEAF

THE LEAVES

The leaves vary from typically sagittate (arrow head-shaped) to lanceolate, 5–15 centimeter long and 2–8 centimeter broad.

The leaves are edible.





 


The flowers are five-parted; the male flowers have the stamens fused to the petals. The female flowers have a superior ovary and five contorted petals loosely connected at the base. The flowers are sweet-scented, open at night, and wind- or insect-pollinated.
FLOWER

THE FLOWERS

The flowers are trumpet-shaped, 3–5 cm (1–2 in) in diameter, and usually pinkish in color with a mauve center.





 

CULINARY USES

The stems and leaves of Morning Glory are eatable.

Fresh, tender morning glory shoots are ideal for green salads. Larger leaves should be cooked before consumption. The leaves and stems can be boiled, steamed or sautéed in oil for use in stir-fries, stews and curries. Much like spinach, the leaves shrink when cooked. The young stems can also be finely chopped and fried for use as a filling for quiches or pancakes.


In Thailand, where it is called phak bung (Thai: ผักบุ้ง), it is eaten raw, often along with green papaya salad or nam phrik, in stir-fries and in curries such as kaeng som.


Click on the link of the Food Forest Kitchen Restaurant to find some great recipes with Morning Glory.

 

NUTRITION

Fresh morning glory leaves are very low in calories and fats, and rich in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. They are high in ascorbic acid and vitamin C, and an abundant source of vitamin A, similar to watercress, spinach and kale. Other vitamins include riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folic acid. Morning glory contains antioxidants like carotene-ß and lutein, and minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese and phosphorus.

 

TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USE


NOTE: please take advice from a doctor if you are planning to use herbal medicine.


Morning Glory is used in the traditional medicine of southeast Asia. It is used against piles, and nosebleeds, as an anthelmintic, and to treat high blood pressure. In Ayurveda, leaf extracts are used against jaundice and nervous debility. In indigenous medicine in Sri Lanka, water spinach is supposed to have insulin-like properties.


 

INTO THE WILD: a down to earth experience

For guests and visitors to Paksong we organize weekly tours "The Edible Forest" and Foraging weekends: Into the Wild. We work with local guides to take you in the jungle of Paksong. After foraging, we will cook a meal with the ingredients, using bamboo together with you!


Come and join and learn about the abundance of food that nature gives us!


INTO THE WILD!

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