Fluted pumpkin (Ugwu)is one of the commonly consumed dark green leafy vegetables in Nigeria and many of us in Nigeria have been eating Ugwu without really realizing the benefits.
Pumpkin leaves has a healthy amount of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron, while still staying very low on the calorie front. Aside from the vision benefits in Vitamin A that the leaves provides, there are also numerous skin benefits. Vitamin C helps to heal wounds and form scar tissue, and maintain healthy bones, skin, and teeth. However since the body cannot produce this vitamin on its own or even store it, you should be consistently getting enough vitamin C in your diet.
Prevention of convulsion: The young leaves sliced and mixed with coconut water and salt are stored in a bottle and used for the treatment of convulsion in ethno medicine.
Lowers cholesterol: leaves has hypolipdemic effect and may be a useful therapy in hypercholestolemia.
It has antibacterial effects
The leaves are rich in iron and play a key role in the cure of anaemia, (if the leaf extract is mixed with milk).
It has an hypoglycaemic which is good for diabetics as it has sugar reducing effects.
Increases Blood Volume and Boost Immune System
The high protein content in leaves of plants such as pumpkin could have supplementary effect for the daily protein requirement of the body.
The oil seeds have lactating properties and are therefore in high demand by women with young babies.
The sliced young leaves mixed with coconut water and salt can be stored in bottle and used for the treatment of convulsion
The Telfairia occidentalis juice has the potential to regenerate testicular damage and therefore can be used used to remedy reproductive and fertility issues
Telfairia is high in anti- oxidant and free radical scavenger properties and that may contribute to why many use the leave extract in oxidative damage condition such as cancers, liver and liver diseases.
The Telfairia occidentalis can also be used for the treatment of malaria
Contains healthy amount of vitamins.
Every business in Nigeria shouldn’t be about buying and selling, vegetable farming is one aspect of farming in Nigeria that is capable of bringing quick cash to the would be farmer this season. There are so many people in the streets of Lagos who have no business being in Lagos. While they waste away in poverty, hoping for a better tomorrow; opportunity to make good money through farming keep passing them by on daily basis.
The term ‘Farmer’ used to be heavily associated with poverty and illiteracy. But that was then, not now anymore when farmers are becoming the richest people (I heard that one of the richest man in China is a farmer) and leaving the best of life possible.
Types of Vegetable Farming to Start
Vegetable farming happens to be one of the easiest agriculture to engage in. Any kind of edible vegetable is always in hot demand all year round. One good example is Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) popularly known as Ugu in Igbo and across Nigeria.
Ugu vegetable is by far, the most consumed vegetable of any kind in Nigeria. An acre size Ugu farm is capable of turning in above N500,000 and it will take you less than N60,000 to cultivate one acre farm of pumpkin vegetable.
If you are in Lagos, the entire Power Line of hundreds of Acres, that stretched from Egbin power station in Ijede, Ikorodu, down to almost Ikorodu garage are extremely good for Ugu farming and you can get them almost free to cultivate your pumpkin and other vegetables.
__ Fluted Pumpkin (Ugu Leaf) Farming
Like I’ve said before, Pumpkin vegetable is the most consumed vegetable by Nigerians of all class. It is used to prepare varieties of dishes and it’s very nutritious too. When you talk about soup in Nigeria, you are directly talking about ugu because, almost all Nigerian soups are cooked with this vegetable__
Apart from cooking, pumpkin vegetable has been known to increase the volume of the red blood cell when consumed fresh, without being cooked. The blood enhancing nutrients gives it the ability to expand the volume of your blood at a very short time after consumption.
It is of course natural for a vegetable of these benefits and usage to be in high demand. Anyone who can cultivate Ugu, is definitely going to make good money selling it to market women. Ugu can be cultivated in every part of Nigeria due to the plant’s tolerant of drought and poor soil
