Ewe eran (popular Yoruba name) or Thaumatococcus daniellii (botanical name) is a plant species from Africa. It is very popular in Nigeria and people use it to wrap food items or even meals – moi-moi, eko, ukpo, and Ofada rice.
Older generation parents prefer to have their moi-moi wrapped in this leaf and there is a reason for that choice.
Unfortunately, most young parents do not know how to use it. Basically, wrapping moi-moi in this leaf is the main issue for most of them.
But why should you consider using it when you can just easily use a plastic for your mo moi. We have found why.
Sadly, cooking moi-moi in a plastic is one of those cooking blunders that people commit. This blunder comes back to fight them sooner or later.
Unfortunately, when it does, you are not able to trace that to the plastic plates you cooked your moi-moi with.
Benefits Of Cooking Moi Moi With Ewe Eran (Thaumatococcus daniellii)
Those who stick to the Ewe Eran leaf (Thaumatococcus daniellii) know that there is a lot to benefit from this practice.
Beyond making sure that your moi-moi does not come with toxins, it offers so much to you; health-wise.
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You see, these days, a lot of health issues abound and most are triggered by an incontrollable build-up of toxin in the body.
In 2014, a study found that this leaf has significant amount of phytochemicals – flavonoid, alkaloids, saponin, tannins, anthraquinones and steroid (1).
These are different antioxidants that are present in some other plants.
As a result of the presence of these compounds, this leaf offers you a whole lot if you use it for food wrapping or packaging.
1. It Sweetens Your Food
While Ewe Eran brings an easily digestible protein to your food, it also sweetens it.
A study says thaumatin in the leaf is an intensely sweet protein. This non-caloric sweetener derived from the arils of the plant is reportedly 1,600 times sweeter than sucrose (2). Yet it comes without issues of concern.
Interestingly, this protein is easily digestible and that makes it amazing for everyone who uses the leaf. As you cook with it, this protein leaches into the meal.
2. Thaumatococcus Daniellii Reduces Effects Of Toxins
The presence of flavonoid in Ewe Eran (Thaumatococcus daniellii) means a lot to our forefathers.
They know that they come in contact with toxins and these toxins need to go out of the body to reduce the chances of getting ill (3).
Flavonoids are antioxidants that scavenge free radicals. This makes these antioxidants capable of protecting
cell membranes from damage.
People who use this leaf get this benefit. Basically, the flavonoids will bind to the toxins in the body and escort them out of your body.
3. It Brings Aroma To You Meal
In fact, if you have eaten anything wrapped with this leaf before, you will find that the aroma is often different. In fact, it reduces that awful smell that comes from Ofada rice when you wrap the rice and boil with it.
According to a study, aromatic oils could be produced from this leaf. This same aroma is what it brings to your meal when you wrap it with this leaf (4).
4. Anticancer, Antimicrobial Properties
If you ever wonder why cancer was not as common in the past as it is today, the reason is just what we eat and our environment.
The presence of alkaloids in the leaf makes this leaf antimicrobial, anti-allergic and anti-cancer.
Furthermore, a study says “numerous alkaloids screened from medicinal plants and herbs showed antiproliferative and anticancer effects on wide category of cancers (5).
Here is one of the medicinal benefits of this leaf when you wrap or package your food with it.
5. Great For Diabetics As Sweetener
One of the very challenges people that are diabetic have is avoiding sugar totally.
Fortunately, using this leave to wrap or package their meals would sweeten the meal and make it more delectable.
The sugar in this leaf is not a problem at all.
In fact, a study confirms that alkaloids could be a great thing for diabetics.
According to the study, alkaloids has demonstrated their efficiency for improving raises in blood glucose (6).
6. Thaumatococcus Daniellii Serves As Laxative
If you experience constipation often, it may be a good idea to use this leaf to cook a meal. You can wrap your rice. Just boil the rice for few minutes, wash it and then wrap it in this leaf and boil to ready point.
This will bring in the anthraquinones in the leaf into the food and make your meal powered up to reduce the constipation.
Bottom Line
While it is okay to cook your moi-moi or other meals with it, it is not also good to abuse the use.
This leaf contains some compounds that have contradicting research reports when it comes to fertility people of all gender.
For instance, alkaloids, have contradicting reports on how it affects male fertility (7).
Moderation in use of everything is necessary to give you the right result.
That said, this Ewe Eran, Thaumatococcus Daniellii, is far healthier to use than a transparent plastic container.
The BPA in the container could leach into the food and bring in toxin.